Saira has been one of our Scholarship Students for the last 3 years. She entered the program at the beginning of grade 7 as the young mother of 3 school aged children, and at the end of December, 2011, she proudly graduated from Junior High School. Saira had been forced to leave school at the end of grade 6 like most of the village girls her age … not only was there not enough money to afford it, but there was no grade 7 here in the village, and she would have been forced to travel to another village every day, a situation that was not tenable in those years. She had given up all hope of continuing her education until funds became available through the Project Ix-canaan Scholarship Fund. She has been so motivated by her academic success, that this year Saira, on her own initiative, entered Grade 10 Teachers Program in the new I.N.E.D. Academy, a public high school that has just opened here in the village. She is in the same class as her oldest daughter, and they are excitedly planning to graduate together as teachers in 2014. A dream come true and a life radically changed directions … thanks to all the donators to the Project Ix-canaan Scholarship Fund.

It is no secret that educating women raises their self-esteem and improves the life of the entire family. Please help the women and the social development of a village by donating to the Ix-canaan Scholarship Fund. 100% of donated monies goes to the women’s educations. Our program is personalized and you will be able to follow the lives of the women that you are supporting. Canadian donators will receive a registered Tax Receipt. Click on “Donate” for more information.

Cathy Nesbitt of Ontario, Canada (Cathy’s Crawly Composters) and Maria Rodriguez of Guatemala City (Byoearth), have been working together on a project of Vermiculture with a group of women in the Central Dump of Guatemala City. When I heard about the work they were doing, I asked them if they would be willing to extend their knowledge and worm-wisdom to the gardeners of our area. They agreed and arrived with a bin full of worms to spend time teaching us this valuable soil-enrichment technique.

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Eva Congost Vandamme, a volunteer from Spain, spent some time reading to the younger members of the Ix-canaan Reading Club.

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Eva Congost Vandamme, a volunteer from Spain, arrived in time to take over teaching the yoga classes that B.J. had begun. Here she is (centre back) with the members of Brisas del Itza Women’s group.

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This is the second year for the Well-Baby Clinic run by the students of NC State.

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Barbara Sadtler, long time yoga instructor from Chicago, has been here as a volunteer to teach yoga to the women’s groups of the village.

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The students of the N.U.F.E.D. School spent a full morning with the students from North Carolina State University, learning about Health and First Aid, for which they received a coveted diploma.

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Team 5 built a cement floor in one half of this home. Most homes consist of a completely closed room (often no windows for better security) where the family sleeps, and another open room where they cook and eat. Many of the homes are not watertight and when it rains, the water runs right across their bedroom floors.

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This is the small house in the neighbouring community of Ixlu where Team 4 built a cement floor .

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Team 3 built the floor for a house in the neighbouring village of Ixlu.

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