Thursday, June 4, 2015

UPDATE: "Ariel & Ines Andersen" Chuluc School, Projects in Santa Cruz, Anti-Aging Challenge article, History Video

Below links for
PREVIOUS POST:
New Home for Widow; Donation from Patzicia;  Philosophy & Principles of  the Good Life;  Traducciones al español; etc.
This is an article written by the Foundation's Executive Director replying to questions, like: 
 Where do you get so much energy to be backpacking in your 80th year?    What are the secrets giving you NEW LIFE ?

Below, video recommended to understand the Foundation 1958-2014
This is a more than half century of effort, with very deep religious motivation,   helping temporally all Indigenous people of Guatemala regardless of religion.
PROJECT REPORT FOR JUNE 2015
By Cordell M Andersen, Executive Director

The INDIAN FOLKLORE FESTIVAL
Some knowledgeable people have called the National Festival, 
"The most colorful Indigenous event of the Americas."  
You see  below candidates representing all the Mayan groups from all over the country gathered in Coban the last Saturday of July to choose 
"Miss Indian Guatemala" or as they call her, "The Daughter of the King!"  
As the Foundation has done for many years, we gave support to the local festival in Santa Cruz Verapaz, and at the end of July will give support to the National Festival.  Thanks for helping us continue this effort to help them in preserving all the positive aspects of their very colorful culture.

The "Ariel & Ines Andersen" Chuluc Village School
Under the wonderful direction of our Regional Director, Mario de la Cruz, all goes well at the school.  We see below a school program using a public address system donated by a church from California, but missing the microphones, which we provided.

One of the handsome students leading his classmates in the Pledge of  Alligiance to the Flag with one of the microphones we provided. 

The Director of the school speaking to the students.

We are expecting soon the photographs of the celebration of 
THE DAY OF THE FAMILY
in which we honor all the mothers & fathers, including Dr. Ariel & Ines Andersen, who organized the Foundation in 1969 and managed it as volunteers and primary donors for the last 14 years of their lives.  The Andersen family helped provide funds for the celebration in a combination 
"MOTHERS & FATHERS DAY CELEBRATION."

The Foundation, in  addition to paying Mario's wage as a teacher, provide his monthly scholarship to continue his studies,  match the community's contribution to pay the electric bill, and other miscelaneous needs, also provided new cups for all the students used in the daily Nutrition Program, made possible by the Foundation helping the government.

PLEASE HELP AS MUCH AS YOU CAN TO CONTINUE CONVERTING THIS SCHOOL INTO A 
"MODEL RURAL SCHOOL"

THE PROJECTS FROM SANTA CRUZ VERAPAZ

During May we provided sufficient funds to finish repairing, and painting all the desks, & tables, plus the computers donated to Santa Cruz by our previous director from Patzicia, Professor Humberto Xicay.  
Following is the first distribution of desks that went to a special school for rural students that has been meeting in another school's auditorium, and needed desks. 

50 newly repaired and painted desks will go to the:
INSTITUTO de EDUCACION DIVERSIFICADA  in Santa Cruz Verapaz

Loading up Federico's 1987 Toyota pickup that has a reconstructed diesel motor which he expects to
"last forever!"

Loaded and ready to make the trip to the
 INSTITUTE OF DIVERSIFIED EDUCATION. 
 In our next updating we'll have pictures of them in use.


NEXT: 
  PROJECT TO RECONSTRUCT "DON BENITO'S" SHACK, 
 TURNING IT INTO A "HOME" FOR HIM, WIFE AND LITTLE CHILDREN

This project is to help Don Benito, a father, who became an invalid due to an accident 7 years ago. Federico is seen providing him with new crutches.  We now need to help improving his very poor home where he lives with his wife and several small children you see below.  We will need additional funds to get that project started and then help him find a way to provide for his family better.
Wood has been ordered at a local sawmill to get the job of reconstruction underway.  More money has been transferred to Guatemala to continue the project.


Another project was to help this young boy who took a fall of 21 feet high up in  a tree and broke his leg as we can see from the x-rays.  The fracture has now been fixed with plates and screws, and additional help with medicines has been given as the hospital system in Guatemala does not provide medicines.

Another  project has been to help this child with a condition described as "arthritis" requiring expensive medications the family cannot afford.

We have announced our intentions to begin helping  8 rural schools that need kitchens, but so far haven't had enough funds to get those projects started.....SO PLEASE HELP ALL YOU CAN.

LAST OF ALL:
  I will be working during the summer on my High Uintas Wilderness Project, and each month only be back in civilization the first 3 days of each month to process donations,  transfer funds to Guatemala, and update this website, and inform all our donors what we are doing.  
SO, I WILL DEEPLY APPRECIATE ALL OF YOU REMEMBERING  OUR WORK AMONG THE MOST NEEDY MAYANS & HELP  US SUPPORT OUR TWO GUATEMALAN VOLUNTEER DIRECTORS AS MUCH AS YOU CAN..... AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE.