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Jo-anne Stewart with class
Class in progress>
Toothpaste and brushes New supplies
Hola everyone! Since our last communication many things have taken place.
Jo-Anne
Stuart arrived for a few days from Long Island, Maine where she teaches
3/4 grade. She got out to several daycares with us and brought down
bags of small toothbrushes and boxes of toothpaste for the kids which
was much needed and appreciated. She pitched right in to haul things out
on the chicken buses, up dusty roads and down through cornfields to get
to the centres. Then she played games, sang and read to the little kids
who really enjoyed her enthusiasm.
The Lake
Construction day at Chacap with crew from Habitat and Jo-Anne
<Lower walls finished >
Another day our friends from Habitat crossed the lake to join us for a
construction day at Chacap where we are building a classroom using
discarded bottles and dry garbage with adobe and cement. They also
brought us shoes to distribute at Chacap. Jo-Anne joined in to. We had a
fun but dirty day and then enjoyed a delicious lunch afterwards in San
Pedro before everyone dispersed
back to Pana.
< Tecum Uman Day >
Suden continues to help us immensely!! We cross the lake each weekend to Pana to buy additional supplies from their well equipped store. We have needed a great many small pairs of shoes and warm sweaters and track pants this year. The staff at Suden is so helpful and pleasant and the goods that are available are fantastic for the needs of the daycares. One of their staff member, Gervaise trained me how to sew reuseable diaper pants. What a wonderful idea and it creates work for mothers and offers a necessary product here. I now can train someone at Infantiles SOS and they can help their mothers start a little business.
Tecum Uman Day was last Monday. It is the day all school children parade in the streets wearing their traditional regional attire. Trucks are decorated with ferns and flowers as floats bearing boys and girls of different regions in their variety of their specific costumes all embroidered and so beautiful. I was in Pana to witness this wonderful event. Everyone looks so groomed and beautiful.
<Classes in progress>
<Classes in progress>
<Kitchen>
New washroom>
Now we are geering up for the arrival of the Heritage College delegation of nurses and early childhood educators who arrive Saturday.We have booked interpreters and tansportation to the first day workshop across the lake and then to various daycare visits on both sides of the lake during their stay here. We are bringing together all the daycare staff to learn about first aid and programming strategies for the little ones. Then we break into smaller groups to spend time with the kids in the daycares. It promises to be an exciting time for everyone.
On Thursday evening, we are helping to organize an
open house at a new hospital opening in Panajachel. This facility will
cater to everyone in the region, including Mayans. It is beautiful
inside and is wonderful to have such a place so close at hand. Patients
in the past have often died having to make the long trek to Xela or
Guatemala City for much neded medical care.Brian and I toured the place a
couple of weeks ago and can' wait for more folks to know about it. So
when our medical teram is here, we will hold the "Open House".
Like so many things down here, money was donated to build the faciltiy but there is little to stock and run the place.
Our time here is getting short- only a few more weeks. But presently we
are in talks with local village metal and wood workers to design play
structures for a few daycares. We only hope we can get everything done
before we have to leave.
Enjoy the pictures!! Thanks for all your support to help these kids. Gracias de Sheila and Brian
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