Report from San Antonio Palopo, March 2025

 

San Antonio Christmas Gift Cards

Looking for the perfect gift for someone who has everything? Why not give a card telling them that a gift has been made in their name to help kids and Ancianas in San Antonio, Guatemala? 
To have some mailed to you contact susangage@innovativecommunities.org

Here’s what the 2024 Christmas cards look like. 

The New Kitchen & Report on Scholarship Students

 

SCHOLARSHIP STUDENTS

Report from San Antonio

San Antonio Christmas Cards

Christmas is nigh, and once more our team has created Christmas cards for those who would like to make a donation to the work of the Casita in the name of a friend or family member. Here are the 2 cards for Christmas 2023:

Newsletter Issue 3 Volume 1

 

June 2023 Newsletter

Guatemalan Scarves and Weaving

Guatemalan Scarves and Weaving

Discover what the 2023 ICO San Antonio team are working on at this link

La Casita … our year-end update for 2022

      At the beginning of 2022, the new extension to the Casita opened, and the crowded learning centre got to spread out. Now we’re able to reach out to more people more effectively than before. COVID restrictions relaxed a bit during 2022, but still continued to affect the schools. San Antonio schools started out the year with a hybrid plan (kids attending for either 2 or 3 days a week) and has now switched to a system of attending every day, but only for 3 hours, and homework to follow up. This means that the Casita continues to operate at top capacity, with lots of kids needing help with assignments. As well, teachers continue to send groups of kids for ‘reforzamiento’ in specific subjects. And then there’s the kids who just need a place to hang out and read a book from the library. On average, there are 75 children per day at the centre. We have been so thankful for the extra space provided by the extension. 

Alma, our newest teacher, works with kids on math concepts 

During the year our lead teacher, Evelyn, left the Casita to take a job in her home village. After a rigorous interview process, Lidya – who was the teacher assistant for several years while attending university and earning her 3-year teaching certificate – was promoted to lead teacher, and Alma, one of our scholarship students with 2 years of study in education, is now the new assistant. Ana Olivia, another scholarship student now graduated with her degree in social work, is the efficient part-time local coordinator, also teaching sewing classes and self-empowerment classes for mothers, and liaising with families in the community. This energetic, committed team of local young women – aided by scholarship student volunteers – keep the Casita humming all the hours of the week. In the evenings Antonio, one of the university scholarship students, teaches computer skills to adults, and on Saturdays the junior high scholarship students come for extra lessons in basic subjects and English. And I haven’t even mentioned the garden, where our night watchman-gardener, Germán, inspires children who come to help cultivate impressive harvests of fruits and vegetables, used in the lunches of the Ancianas. 

For more information about the Casita, go to the link La Casita - a centre of learning and support. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mYADY5G-4aWFuiIuU-H76VY1Z0cLHqOf/view?usp=sharing . 

Ancianas enjoyed kite-making for the annual kite festival 

As in previous years, the Ancianas – 25 sweet, frail, elderly women – arrive twice a week for a hearty lunch, exercises and craft activities. Many of these women are isolated, living alone in tiny one-room houses, and this time together provides nourishment not just for bodies but for spirits. A fine time (often punctuated with hilarity) is had by all. 

One of our volunteer Co-op students collected a few short autobiographies of the Ancianas in a little book called The Story of the Ancianas of San Antonio Palopo. You can view this at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nR1XwnMf5z0tU0owEGF9M4iJhifikO-b/view?usp=sharing 

A scholarship student practices her sewing skills 

This year we had 16 scholarship students: 4 in university, 1 in technical college, and the rest in junior and senior high. All of these students pitch in to help keep the Casita running at top capacity: maintaining the garden and library, serving the Ancianas’ lunches, tutoring students and giving computer lessons. The contributions of these students fill the Casita with energy and spirit. 

So, in summary, we are doing all the same things as in the past, but doing it better: serving more students and adding new programs, thanks to our energetic team and our new expanded space.  Of course, none of this would be happening without generous donations from folks like you. We are so thankful for your support! For those of you who like to give non-material gifts to family and friends, we’ve put together a Feliz Navidad/ Season’s Greetings card that tells your friends you’ve given a donation in their name. Check it out below.

PS: We can issue income tax receipts for all donations over $20. If you send a cheque, make it out to Innovative Communities Foundation (put San Antonio Education/Community on the memo line), and send it to Innovative Communities Foundation, 300 – 722 Cormorant St., Victoria, BC, V8W 1P8. To donate online go to www.innovativecommunities.org/communities/Guatemala/san-antonio-education. You can donate through Paypal just by clicking the donate button on our San Antonio page, and you will get a tax receipt you can print. (And when you donate to ICO, every penny goes to the project; we are all volunteers and there are no administrative costs.) 

San Antonio Christmas Cards

Amazingly, Christmas is almost here, and our team has created a Christmas card for those who would like to make a donation to the work of the Casita in the name of a friend or family member.  Here’s what it looks like:

Inside, the message reads:
A gift made in your name supports La Casita, a hub of learning and support for children, youth and vulnerable elders, in the small community of San Antonio Palopó, Guatemala. This donation also supports poor, bright students studying in high school and university. ¡Gracias!

If you would like to have one or more of these cards to give to your friends in return for a donation to the project, please contact Susan: susangage@innovativecommunities.org

The New School

The ‘new school,’ which opened just over 2 years ago, is finally in operation.  We’ve helped get the school ready to welcome the children back during this pandemic by supplying thermometers and hand sanitizer stations in the classrooms for students.  The principal has written and said how grateful he and the teachers are for our help.

New school thermometer

But the school is still experiencing birthing pains: a malfunctioning septic tank, insufficient water and electricity. We have been poised to help out with some much-needed equipment including a copy machine and computers, but have been waiting for the electrical problems to be resolved. Once again, we breathe a sigh of relief that we have this wonderful couple – Candelaria and Gregorio – watching over the project. Gregorio helped solve the water problem, and began working on the electricity, hiring an electrical contractor to go over all the connections in the school. It was discovered that some of the wires had been wrongly connected. Then it was found that the whole immediate neighbourhood had electrical problems caused by 2 burned-out transformers and a welding business that periodically drew huge amounts of electricity. Gregorio is now working with the electricity-provider to try to correct all of this. 

In the meantime, the school is facing problems caused by the COVID-mandated requirement for smaller classes. The large space intended for a ‘computer room’ is now being used as a classroom. The school principal is asking if ICO could provide materials to construct 2 additional classrooms on the roof, with the idea that parents will do most of the labour. This is Guatemala – a land where nobody expects the government to do much of anything. To learn more about Guatemalan schools click here: 

La Casita in the Spring

Since we last updated you, lots has been happening in San Antonio Palopó. The extension to La Casita was opened, old furniture moved around and new furniture ordered, and the local carpenter is building book cases. With increased space, new classes have sprouted up. Antonio, our techie scholarship student, has started a computer class for adults in the evenings. Ana Olivia, the part-time coordinator, has begun a class for mothers of students who use the Casita, stressing the importance of encouraging their kids in their studies, and offering strategies for them to earn a little income and become more empowered. 

Empowerment for women is a big issue here. Alcoholism among men, and domestic violence, are common. Recently, two of the scholarship students – 15- and 16-year old girls – ran away from home. When they were finally found, it emerged that both of them had found living at home unbearable. One family was able – with the help of Candelaria, our wonderful administrator – to sort out their problems. In the other case, 16-year-old Candi refused to return to a family where an abusive alcoholic father spent all the family income and erupted into violence every night, throwing things and threatening the family. Candelaria was able to find a safe place in Panajachel for Candi, her mother, and younger brother to live and receive a small income for cleaning the building. Candi and her brother are now attending school in Panajachel, and our group of volunteers is once more feeling grateful for the commitment of Candelaria and her husband Gregorio to go above and beyond.

Lidya working with a group of children

Other developments at the La Casita include a change in staff. Evelyn, the fulltime teacher who has worked at the Casita for the past 3 years, was offered and accepted a teaching job in her home village, some distance away from San Antonio. After going through a process of interviewing outside candidates, it was decided that the best option was to promote our assistant teacher, Lidya, up to head teacher, and to hire one of the university scholarship students, Alma, to be her assistant. Lidya – who started at the Casita with just her highschool certificate – has now earned her 3-year teaching certificate, and is continuing her studies to earn her 5-year advanced certificate. She has really grown with the job. Alma has 2 years of teacher training, and has already been working as a volunteer with groups of kids at the Casita. We’re pleased that both of these creative and energetic young women are being given the chance to shine. As always, the senior scholarship students pitch in to help with everything from gardening to tutoring, and right now we have a university intern with lots of creative ideas.  

COVID seems to have settled down; there are still some cases, but fewer than before, and tourists are starting to come back – a great boon to this town of weavers and potters. Schools, which were one of the last things to open – have finally begun in-person classes once more. However, classes are shorter and smaller. San Antonio schools have adopted a hybrid plan, with half the classes being in person and half by distance. This means that the Casita continues to operate at top capacity, with lots of kids needing help with assignments.

Even with the new extension, there
are kids in every corner, working
reading, using the computers

Meantime, all the regular programs – learning assistance for kids, lunches for the Ancianas, extra classes for scholarship students, sewing classes, computer classes – continue.  This bustling little centre is doing all it can to improve lives in this small corner of Guatemala.

Noe, a university education intern, leads the 
children in an energising break

We also thought that you might find some of our scholarship student’s life stories interesting.  This is a brief, edited version of Veronica’s biography that she originally wrote in Spanish:

Santa Verónica Xòc Díaz

Veronica

Santa Verónica Xòc Díaz is 16 years old, born on October 8, 2005 in San Antonio Palopó.  Her parents are Santos Xòc Cúmez  50 years old and Martina Díaz Cúmez 48 years old. They are both illiterate because they did not have the opportunity to study due to lack of economic resources.  She has a sister and two brothers.

She started the pre-primary level of school at the age of 6 and received her 6^th diploma at the age of 12.  She is the only one in the family that likes to study and has started the Basic level of study with the support of her parents but they lack economic resources.   The pandemic has left her with many experiences.  Her classes were online which she had to follow on her brother’s cell phone often losing the signal connection.  She was able to finish her 3^rd Basic level. She recognizes the importance of studying since she understands how tough it is for her parents.  She wants to study and change the course of her parent’s lives.  She likes studying communication and language and her goal is to be able to speak English 100% so that she can help people.  She would love to teach the English language to young people and children so that they can be trilingual.

Thank you, once again, for all your support.

San Antonio Christmas Cards

Amazingly, Christmas is almost here, and our team has created 2 different gift Christmas cards for those who would like to make a donation to the work of the Casita in the name of a friend or family member.  Here are 2 designs that highlight the work being done at the Casita. Inside, the message reads:

A gift made in your name supports La Casita, a hub of learning and support for children, youth and vulnerable elders, in the small community of San Antonio Palopó, Guatemala. This donation also supports poor, bright students studying in high school and university. ¡Gracias!

If you would like to have one or more of these cards to give to your friends in return for a donation to the project, please contact Susan: susangage@innovativecommunities.org

La Casita in the time of COVID

The past seven months seem to have gone by very quickly.  Our apologies for taking so long to give an update.  Life is slowly getting back to the pre-pandemic normal but a great many folks are still struggling very hard and many have lost a lot of ground due to the pandemic.  There seems to be a lot of fear and anxiety about the future and whether the kids will go back to class or not?

A lot of students did not pass so they are facing a choice of repeating the year or giving up.  Unfortunately, many students will not be returning to school due to their need to help the family. The federal government has raised the taxes on electricity usage which is already a burden for many families. And, food prices are up significantly here, as they are everywhere.  

However, in spite of COVID, and schools being closed, there is a lot happening at La Casita. 

Vaccination Clinic

Our Administrator, Candelaria, was able to give a vaccination clinic for the staff, becados, parents, and ancianas so that they would be able to ask questions, and have the information they needed to alleviate their fears.  All of our staff and becados have had at least one vaccination. 

While the school continues to be closed, the children receive packages of school work they need to complete in order to finish their grade.  So, the number of children coming to La Casita for tutorial help, access to resources, and space to study has definitely increased. The roof extension over the patio has certainly increased the learning space.  However, it isn’t quite enough.  This fall, with Gregorio’s advice and expertise, we initiated an ambitious building project - a 2-story extension to La Casita which gives two more classrooms, a second bathroom and a hand washing station.

No Workspace!

We are currently sponsoring 20 scholarship students - becados. Quite a few are still young, some are in middle school or basico, and a few, like Magaly, are almost ready to move on to University (maybe we can tell you a bit about one of our becados in our next update.) Their expenses vary according to their individual needs.  We do expect them to maintain their grades to at least 75% and volunteer their time at La Casita.  

Two of our becados, Melina and Antonio, are volunteering their time by giving special math and reading classes at La Casita. This month Candelaria is interviewing new applicants and we are hoping to accept six more bright young students from extremely poor families.

Olivia's Sewing Class

Anna Olivia has been active as a part-time activity coordinator and community outreach advocate and has initiated an entrepreneurial sewing project.  We bought an industrial sewing machine for the class and she is teaching ten students to use that machine and other sewing machines to produce quality  fabric items to sell at the Mercado Global. 

The garden is flourishing in spite of the construction work.  The builders have been very careful and respectful of the children’s safety and the garden’s produce!!  The children love helping German, our care-taker, harvest the good food.  The Ancianas are always pleased to have fresh food from the garden for their lunch and sometimes to take home.

La Casita Extension!

 Our apologies for taking so long to update the blog!!  So much has been happening in spite of the schools being closed and many families in the village dealing with COVID.  This summer we began reviewing our strategic plan and realized very early that one of the major issues at La Casita was lack of adequate space.  So, with advice and encouragement from our administrators Candelaria and Gregorio, we initiated a fundraising campaign that would support a Casita extension.  We’ve been able to meet that goal and have raised enough to complete the building and also to buy some furnishings.

Things are definitely well underway. Gregorio, who is a really great administrator (husband to Candelaria, who is the main administrator), had decided that rather than turn the whole project over to the architect, it would be better to work with a local contractor in order to save money and also to have more flexibility to make improvements as the building went along. His projected start date was August 2^nd. Shortly after making that decision, he came down a) with COVID, and b) following that, with dengue fever. We fully expected to put the project on hold for a while, but no. Gregorio is pretty fit and tough; he pulled himself through both of these afflictions and pronounced himself ready to go ahead. Since that time, the building has been underway, on budget and on schedule. It’s due to be completed by the end of November.

Our volunteer group had a Zoom meeting with Gregorio a couple of weeks ago, and learned that they are close to completing the finishing on the first floor, and at the same time are moving ahead on the top floor. One of the as-we-build improvements was that they decided to make the supports on both floors stronger, so that if we ever decide to build upward one more story, we can do that. As well, they decided to put the stairs on the outside of the building to save space, and have the bathroom accessible from the outside as well as the inside, so that kids from the main Casita can also access it, as well as the outside sink..

Meanwhile, while all this construction is going on at the back of the property, the programs continue in the Casita. School is once more closed due to COVID, and so there are piles of kids learning in groups, reading books and working on computers, as well as getting help with the assignments that they need to complete to pass their year.

So, we’re all feeling pretty excited about this new addition, which will give us lots more possibilities for programming. We really want to stress that the only way we were able to launch into this project was because of funding from our generous donors; without that, we wouldn’t have felt confident to move ahead with this building.

The next update we send you will probably include pictures of the completed extension, possibly furnished and maybe with kids learning, reading, using the computers. If this were a non-COVID year, a few of us would probably be going down to Guatemala for a grand opening. As it is, Kim, our volunteer who lives in San Antonio for part of each year, will be our sole representative.  But we’re all raring to go down, as soon as it’s safe, and see the new building and how it’s being used.

What’s happening in San Antonio Palopό March-April 2021

Well, here we are in mid-April.  Recently, we’ve heard of people fleeing Guatemala trying despite all odds to get into the US because of hunger, violence and lack of any sort of future. But,  with help from our generous donors, there’s a little corner of Guatemala where people do have food and education and a way of going forward without having to flee their country. 

Here’s what’s happened in San Antonio Palopό since our last blog in February. 
Students in San Antonio finally got back to school at the end of February, but they only attend 2 days a week. The rest of the time they’re expected to do assignments – no easy task in their small, poorly-lit homes with parents who most often aren’t educated themselves.  So, La Casita is hopping with groups of kids sent by their teachers for work on specific skills.  As well, lots of kids come for homework help, to use the computers, and read books from the library.  

We also took on the task of helping kids who were starting without adequate school supplies or backpacks at the 2 primary schools.  Lidya and Evelyn, the two teachers, worked with the teachers to develop a list of the most needy students. They managed to get a deal with a wholesaler, and were able to provide 120 backpacks to kids who really needed them. 

For some time we’ve grappled with the problem of space at the Casita – where will are all these people and programs fit?   As well as the indoor space, the Casita has a large flagstone patio in front, partially covered by a roof. However, when it rains this is unusable. So last month, Gregorio – one of our amazing administrators – took on extending the roof, using a combination of clear and opaque lamina. And voilà!  A whole new area of usable space, and all for Q6,200 – just over $1,000 CDN. Here you see the latest monthly food distribution, taking place under the extended roof. 

We also decided to upgrade our technology. Our existing computers were starting to show their age, plus there weren’t really enough of them to meet the needs of our 20 scholarship students (who often need to borrow a laptop to be able to do their homework), plus the kids who come to the Casita for research.  Computers are expensive in Guatemala, but we were able to find a source of good reconditioned laptops and bought 10 of them. There are a couple of pretty skilled senior scholarship students who give regular computer classes, so a whole raft of students are being trained in the skills they’ll need for the future.

The Casita garden continues to be a place of teaching gardening skills for the wider community. Some of the scholarship students help maintain the garden, the younger kids learn about the value of planting even a small patch in this fertile soil, and the garden produce is used in the twice-weekly lunches enjoyed by the Ancianas.

And lastly we want to share with you a couple of entrepreneurial success stories. A couple of years ago we sponsored a course for recent highschool grads to help them with job-seeking skills, etc. This turned into an entrepreneurship program (the sad fact being that there aren’t enough regular jobs in Guatemala, especially if you don’t want to live in the capital). Out of this program emerged a mushroom-growing project (which is still going strong, run by some of the scholarship students), a café (which sadly folded), and a tilapia-raising project run by 3 young men, graduates of the program. After a couple of false starts, they’ve really come into their own, and now have a successful business selling their fish. 

So that’s about it for now.  We’re hoping this helps you feel like we do, that – in the midst of this country filled with poverty and insecurity –we’re helping a whole host of people build the skills they need for a positive future.

 

Thanks again to all of our donors. ¡Gracias desde el fondo de todos nuestros corazones!

 

A Bright Light in San Antonio Palopó

As we slog through these rather isolating times, the little community of San Antonio Palopó shines brightly. We’ve received lots of information and pictures during the past month, and we thought we’d share a bit of it with you.

SCHOLARSHIP STUDENTS

In Guatemala the COVID-climate has relaxed enough that schools are opening. As in Canada, some of the secondary and university classes are still online, but the schools in San Antonio are set to open in person later this month. Candelaria, our wonderful administrator, spent part of January testing, interviewing, and selecting new becados (scholarship students). We are so thankful to have enough in the budget to be able to expand this program, and this year we expect to have around 20 becados — young people who otherwise wouldn’t have a hope of realizing their potential. As always, they sign a contract agreeing to help with the Casita programs – cleaning, gardening, keeping the library organized, helping in the kitchen, and tutoring younger students. This year we’re also starting on a support program for the becados in junior high. There’s a high failure rate at the junior high school in San Antonio. So this year all the Jr. High becados will come to the Casita for 10 hours/wk. of extra study in Maths, Language, Computer and English. The Jr. High school takes place in the afternoon, so the kids can take these extra classes on weekday mornings, and on Sunday morning for a couple of hours. It’s a lot, but these kids are keen (and they’ll get a healthy snack). I can’t share with you all the pictures and information we’ve received on each one, but let me tell you about some of them.

Ximena lives with her mother and grandparents in a very poor home. Candelaria describes her as ‘muy chispada’ (very sparky) and very ready to talk. She is starting her first year of Jr. High.

Sandra lives with her mother (shown in the picture), and is also beginning Jr. High.

Alma, although she has a child, is determined to go to university (this happens on the weekends in Guatemala) and become a teacher. She has excellent marks from secondary school.

Elcer dreams of becoming a mechanic. To do this, he will attend the 2+-year mechanic course at INTECAP, the junior college 1½ hours away by bus. 

PROGRAMS at the CASITA

Meanwhile, the children from the village continue to come to the Casita to receive extra help from Evelyn and Lidya, the two teachers, in basic subjects, and just to read. This has been such a hard year for them, without a school to go to, and these lessons at the Casita will help them keep their academic skills tuned up. And the Ancianas continue to arrive twice a week for their lunch and activities.

FOOD
January also saw another distribution of food from the Casita. Up until the end of 2020, there was another group in town distributing food to some of the needy families, but this group has now run out of money. So our list of families has undergone a change. Some on our original list are starting to do a little better (many are artisans, and a few orders are now starting to trickle in), so these have now been removed from the list and other, poorer families, added – bringing us up to 220 families. Our little equipo of volunteers is constantly reviewing the situation. We are able to continue the food distribution, if necessary, for a few more months. However, we don’t want to create dependence on this food source, and so don’t want to continue longer than is absolutely necessary. We’ll keep you posted.

So – a snapshot of what’s going on with ICO in San Antonio Palopó. We hope it warms your hearts as much as it does ours. For sure, none of this would be happening without your support.
Once again¡Gracias!