PI Notes from Yucatán, Summer 2008

I have just returned from a wonderful month in Yucatán visiting and working with Proyecto Itzaes children and families in July.  PI summer programs—reading, arts, crafts, science, and of course soccer (futbol) are supplementing our weekly book exchanges, computer classes, and tutoring and are in full swing.  In Ixil, every day of the week brings different activities (all are over-enrolled.)  The resulting learning chaos is a sight to behold. Puzzles spread everywhere, small hands learning to manage scissors and glue in one room, while groups of eager readers huddle over books in the library and young scientists observe endless insects, flowers, and leaves under the microscopes.

In Cholul and Chicxulub Pueblo, Proyecto Itzaes programs are building on the visit and donations earlier this year by students and teachers from Menlo School.  This project, in collaboration with the Bring Me A Book Foundation, brought hundreds of beautiful, high quality, children’s books to the two villages, as well as mentoring, collaboration, service and much needed donations of school supplies and clothing.   In Cholul, Doña Ester, the librarian, has built on the energy from this effort and has put together an amazing summer reading and learning program that serves hundreds of children daily who are busy reading their way through the new books! This fall, Doña Ester hopes to return to school herself for a credential program for educational assistants.  Eight years ago, when she was widowed suddenly, she was left with four young children to raise and just 50 pesos. The community of Cholul helped her find work, at first just cleaning the library, and since that time she has, through incredible hard work, advanced to librarian and completed secundaria via adult classes on the weekends. She is an inspiring role model to others in the community and exemplifies the motto of learning in order to teach.

In Mococha, our tiny casita is crowded with participants from toddlers to teenagers vying for time on the computer, the best book or puzzle, or a turn at the microscope after collecting their plant specimens. Several very young asesores  (PI community tutors/mentors) have responded to this rapid growth in Mococha and are helping with reading, science, and computer classes each week. Ranging in age from just seven to twelve years old they are working hard each week to share what they have learned.

The amazing hard work and dedication of the Proyecto Itzaes students and communities, is reflected in the numbers heading to prepa (high school) and the university. These students are the first in their families to reach these goals and their accomplishments are a huge tribute to their motivation and commitment. However, for most of these young scholars, the next step would be impossible simply because of the cost of bus fare each day to Mérida for the university—a cost of about $2.00 per day.   Proyecto Itzaes is thrilled to be able to provide funding to help six of our most dedicated asesores who are starting college next month! In September, we will send you an update from these students as they start their college experience.

In other news, we learned recently that the Los Altos Rotary grant request to Rotary International, in collaboration with the Mérida Club Rotario Nuevas Generaciones, has been funded. This grant will fund a library of books from the Bring Me A Book Foundation, school supplies, computer equipment and desks for the village of Too, Yucatán and should be up and running by early fall. We also received news of another gift from Fundación Sertull and are eagerly looking forward to purchasing much needed new books for Ixil and Mococha where virtually every book has been memorized by the community!

As always, the success of Proyecto  Itzaes programs relies on community—both the community of families in Yucatán and our community of friends and supporters  around the world.   Thank you all for providing resources and creating positive change for Proyecto Itzaes. Together we are making a difference!

Mil gracias y dios bo’otik

Cindy Wilber
www.proyectoitzaesusa.org