$1,540!

The 2009 academic year started this week in San Pablo, and thanks to your contributions, eight students will be fully funded for the coming year! Despite the economic downturn, Amigos de San Pablo raised $1,540 this year for the education of children in the western Guatemalan highlands!

We wired the money to Julio Velásquez Roblero, the principal at the school in San Pablo, on Wednesday. Once we get photos and biographical info about the students, we'll be sure to post them here!

Still going ...

We thought for sure that we'd reached our fund-raising limit for the year ... and then two donors pitched in over $500! So now we're up over $1,500, well on our way to funding almost as many students as last year.

Who knows — maybe there are a few more donors out there! Help us find them by passing along our initial email or pointing them towards this blog or our Facebook page.

Latest update

Thanks to your support, we just passed $1,000 in contributions to Amigos de San Pablo. It speaks volumes that, even in a recession year, 21 people have donated to this cause.

We'd love to keep bringing in even more money for the children of San Pablo, so please tell your friends and family if you haven't done so already. And once again, thanks!

Halfway There!

So far, so good: We've received $780 in donations in the past two weeks, which is great! That said, we raised over $1,800 a year ago, so we've still got a ways to go if we want to sponsor as many students (12) as we did this past school year.

If you haven't donated yet, please do so soon! And regardless of whether you can and can't donate this year, please tell your friends about Amigos de San Pablo—the bigger the network, the better!

¡Felicidades!

Queridos Amigos,

Thanks to your contributions last December, we were able to sponsor 12 students this year, up from four in 2007!

Moreover, two of our original scholarship recipients, Edelmira Ramírez Bravo and Rosmeri Velásquez Bravo, graduated from high school in October, something that might never have happened without your support. Noely Gutiérrez also graduated this year. Both Ian and Brooke taught all three of these students in 2006.

Noely receives her high school diploma in October, 2008. ¡Felicidades! Estamos muy orgullosos de ustedes.

Rosmeri and Edelmira at the religious ceremony before receiving their diplomas.

We would like to ask you to continue helping fund students like Edelmira and Rosmeri for the coming school year, which starts in mid-January. As you know, we decided to start Amigos de San Pablo to help the children of the region continue their education, an education that will help them to better manage their farms, their small businesses and their personal lives. Our commitment to the region remains strong; in fact, Ian will return for two months this summer to do research on migrants who have returned to the region after living in the United States, and we will both spend time in San Pablo and be able to give you an update on the students’ achievements.

Please consider donating this year. Even the smallest donation makes a difference. Just like last year, the average middle school student’s yearly costs are $150, and the average high school student’s $250. You can make a donation via personal check, or by PayPal. Click on the icon in the right column.

Thank you for your support, and feel free to contact us with your questions.



Rosmeri in her computer class in her senior year of high school, 2008 (first from left).


Nelson, (second from the left, first row), with his soccer team after the big game. Nelson will be moving on to seventh grade in January.



Alan (first from left), with his classmates. Ian and Brooke got to know Alan and his family really well while living in San Pablo—his mother would often feed us yummy popcorn and special treats. Alan will also be moving onto seventh grade, but only with your help. His mother, two sisters, and two grandparents live on a family farm and have minimal income.

NOMBRE DE ESTUDIANTES BENEFICIADOS DE BECAS
Names of Student Grantees, 2008
No. Nombres, Grado
1 Alan Velásquez, Primero Básico (6th gr.)
2 Aracely Velásquez, Segundo Básico (7th gr.)
3 Dalila Velásquez, Primero Basico (6th gr.)
4 Darvin Pérez, Primero Basico (6th gr.)
5 Edelmira Pérez, Quinto Bachillerato (12th gr.)
6 Leticia Gonzáles, Segundo Basico (7th gr.)
7 Maria José Tamar, Cuarto Bachillerato (11th gr.)
8 Nelson Morales, Segundo Basico (7th gr.)
9 Noely Gutiérrez, Quinto Bachillerato (12th gr.)
10 Norma Zacarías, Primero Basico (6th gr.)
11 Ofelia Pérez, Primero Basico (6th gr.)
12 Rosmery Velásquez, Quinto Bachillerato (12th gr.)

¡Amigos on the Interwebs!

Just in case you want to comment or check out who else considers him- or herself an Amigo de San Pablo, check out our Facebook page. We'll be posting extra updates there, as well as facilitating discussions about Guatemala, education or anything else you want to talk about!

Give as a Gift

Instead of buying another paisley tie or pear-scented candle this holiday season, consider making a donation in someone's name. Printed gift cards are available. We can send it to you or directly to the recipient.
Card covers feature hand-printed artwork by Brooke. Email us for details.