9/19/06 We have a new partnership in Santiago Atiltan, with an innovative and systems thinking school, Escuela Bilingüe Integral Santiaguito. The school has accepted our eight scholarship students for our scholarship program which begins in the new school year of January 2007. Most of our students have never attended school and half of them are 13 years old. The reason it is so important for our students to attend this program is that only two of them speak Spanish and most schools are only teaching in that language. Santiaguito is teaching in both languages which gives an advantage to monolingual speakers who are already disadvantaged by a late start. The Administrative Director, Professor Gaspar Reanda Pablo is a warm and accepting man with a great vision for the future of the school. They teach the regular curriculum that the public schools do, but in addition, teach the children traditional Maya handicrafts, respect for the environment, and in particular a knowledge of the lake that keeps them alive. The school is lucky enough to have beautiful gardens reaching down to the lake. The children learn about the trees and flowers, plant gardens and use compost. It is a cooperative school and has a lot of involvement from the parents as well.


The short term goal of the school is to create a music department and the long term is to have Basico education as well. As of now, the school goes from K to 6, Basico would be our grades 7 to 9.

Ayudamos is fortunate to have a permanent office space in Santiago now as well, at the school. We will have a small office in order to have a location for families to contact us, for me to work when there, and hopefully to have another intern or volunteer help with this program.