A Visit from Mayan Partners!

In our last blog post, we brought everyone up to date on the latest activities at Saludos Niños, including a visit from Mayan Partners. Ann Moriarty, one of our Board Members, was along for the visit and has provided us with a firsthand account of her rewarding experience. See below for the details. Thanks, Ann!

"A group of 11 of us from Mayan Partners in the San Francisco Bay Area, visited Panyebar for the first time since the pandemic. We arrived in town on June 24, 2022. The children and staff of Saludos Niños and Colegio Bethel, the middle school, welcomed us with firecrackers and dancing. How good it was to be back! Saludos Niños is thankfully in good shape. Sporting a new coat of bright green paint, the classroom building looks great.

Juana Garcia, the director, had asked for paint for one of the play structures. As we didn't have enough time to do the job ourselves, the women took over and finished it after we left. The new paint mirrors the other play structure - kids identified the paint as primary colors, red, yellow, and blue.

Another ask was for a recipe for homemade playdough. We found a simple recipe online with easily obtainable ingredients (except for cream of tartar, which we brought) and together made up a batch. I also brought corn starch and we made oobleck, though I'm not sure how appropriate it is for preschool kids to explore (my middle school teacher hat was on, ha).

One of our group, Leanne, read "The Rainbow Fish" to the children and they all made fish together.

I accompanied Rosario on her visits to families with water filters. Keeping tabs on how well the filters are holding up and how well they're being used is important. One woman said that hers was broken. Rosario quickly took the filter apart to show her a washer in the bucket that had loosened. Easily fixed, the filter was once again functional. 

Nutritious and tasty meals are still a hallmark of the program. Maria, the cook, does an amazing job - she is tireless! The meal calendar is on the wall (and reminds me of the cafeteria lunch calendars I received when I was in elementary school. No pizza, though!). Financial donations make this possible and the women source the least expensive freshest local foods. 

Saludos Niños continues to fill an essential role in Panyebar. In North America, we take preschool for granted, but that is certainly not the case in Guatemala. The children are smart, the teachers loving and capable, and the possibilities for growth and learning abundant.

Thanks for your part!"

- Ann Moriarty

  Saludos Niños Board of Directors

Dance Performance & Water Filters - July 2022 Update

Welcome to Summer at Saludos Niños!

In this post, we're sharing photos of some of the latest, exciting activities at Saludos Niños.

In late June, Saludos Niños hosted a group of visitors from Mayan Partners - a non-profit organization that works in the Guatemala highlands and supports the neighbouring Panyebar Middle School. The Saludos Niños students performed a dance routine for the visitors using music provided through the Magic School Bus program. Dancing is a fun activity for the children and, combined with other activities, helps them stay healthy and fit. The routine was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

Once again this year, new and replacement water filters were distributed to the Mums of children in the program. A presentation was made to the Mums explaining the proper care and use of the EcoFiltro filters. Fourteen new filters and twelve replacement barrels were distributed. A massive thank-you to Laura Massey from Wakefield, Quebec, Canada, who funds the filter program yearly with proceeds from her "Yoga on the Bridge" classes. 

If you live in Wakefield, Quebec, and are interested in attending a fundraising yoga class, click the link for more information. We'd love to see you there!