Recent Damage to Saludos School & Repair Progress

Panyebar recently experienced extremely heavy rains and driving winds, causing the adobe walls of several classrooms to crumble.

Repairs are underway now that things have dried out.  The workers have removed the roof and are rebuilding the top of the walls and adding new support beams. 

Classes at Saludos are closed for 20 days during the repairs.  What a year it has been, but our Saludos staff in Panyebar are quick to solve each problem and keep us up to date with pictures and messages.

We will share more pictures once the repairs are complete and classes resume.

March 2021 update. Water filters funded by Wakefield Bridge yoga classes.

Water filters ( 17 plus 6 replacement barrels) delivered to Araley's classroom until mothers come to pick them up.

Rosa who delivered the water filters does mini presentations to just a few mums at a time (Covid restrictions).

Mums need to know how to assemble and use the filters before they take them home.

Rosario receives  a small payment from each mum before the filters are given out.

This is important so that each family has an important commitment to the care of the filter.

 Special thank you to Laura Massie who for several years now has raised the money for the water filters through her yoga classes at the Wakefield covered bridge.

 Mum preparing to carry filter home.

School's In! Back to School at Saludos Ninos

School's In!

Great News!  It has been decided that class enrolment at Saludos Ninos will take place from January 11 - 13, 2021 and classes will resume within the next week.  Both the kids and their parents are eager for the return to class and a more 'normal' routine.

Looking Forward To Welcoming Back These Smiling Faces!

Teachers Helping the Community

If you've been keeping up with our posts, you know that Saludos Ninos was closed down in March 2020 when Guatemala realized that COVID-19 was a threat to their citizens.  Luckily, due to the quick and decisive actions by decision makers, Panyebar has remained safe throughout the pandemic.  

Early on during the pandemic, our teachers bought food, cooked and served meals to the Saludos Ninos families.  When the Mayor decided that this was no longer safe, our teachers helped sort and distribute groceries. We were fortunate to work with 'Mayan Partners', who have supported poor families in the village throughout the pandemic.  Our teachers continued to received their salaries during the lockdown, which helped them and their families as they worked to help others. 

Teachers Cooking, Sorting & Distributing Food 

Support from Wakefield, Quebec

Here in Wakefield, friends and donors have continued to support Saludos Ninos by participating in virtual music venues and shoe + eye glasses drives. 

When local restaurants closed down, 'Le Hibou' opened their empty dining facilities to us and other vendors to display and sell crafts and hand-made goods.  This allowed us to sell some of the Panyebar jewellery and Guatemalan handicrafts that we would normally sell at annual craft shows.  

Beautiful Handicrafts For Sale at Le Hibou

Thanks to the incredible efforts of Laura Massie, who holds Yoga classes on the Wakefield bridge to support the purchase of water filters for Saludos Ninos, our families had access to clean drinking water throughout the pandemic, which proved all the more important this year with the kids out of school. 

We are so proud of our community here who cares about their residents, businesses and charities, resulting in far reaching benefits for other less fortunate communities.

No Annual Guatemala Visit

Unfortunately due to the pandemic, Brian and I are not able to return to Guatemala at this year.  However rest assured that we are able to send money to Saludos Ninos and our staff is diligent at sending pictures and keeping us up to speed on what is occurring week-to-week in the community and at the school.

Donations

If you would like to make a donation to Saludos Ninos to help with our efforts this year, please visit our website at https://www.saludosninos.org/donate.  Every donation counts and is especially appreciated during these difficult times.