EVENT #9: Photo/essay "GRATITUDE for the FOUNDATION at the SANTA ELENA SCHOOL"

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EVENT #9:  Photo/essay
"GRATITUDE for the FOUNDATION at the SANTA ELENA SCHOOL"

On Wednesday, May 25th, Federico picked us up and we drove to the Santa Elena Village School of Santa Cruz Verapaz, where we have had many projects over the years.  The most recent was to help them build a kitchen, which is the last section to the left in the picture.  Well see the kitchen in use in the last portion of this photo report.  

In this photograph, focus on the upper middle portion looking way up on a nearby mountain......

.....now we'll zoom in to show you one Indian man working hard on the steep,  tough terrain with a small section of corn being planted, after having chopped the underbrush with a machete and burning it off. In that setting, establishing that these Indians don't have an easy life......

.....let's now see their children in the school, and enjoy a few moments  with this impressive group of well bathed/dressed, and disciplined children.  

They immediately raise their hands to greet us and begin an outpouring of gratitude to the Foundation & its donors for helping them in so many ways over the years. They perform a number of folklore dances.......which I have some video of with which I will eventually put together as a YouTube video.  

There follows participation of especially people from the community extending thanks to the Foundation, this one being from a mother who we will see at the end of the report along with her youngest child--you will note is a real cute little girl. 

Follows words of thanks from a young boy........

...........followed by one of the older girls, now in 6th grade. 

Federico Veliz, our volunteer Regional Director, who supervises all of these projects, was then invited to say a few words.  

A principal portion of his speech focused on a young man from the village who is the one who took initiative to make possible the kitchen construction.....

.......and he did it against all odds, and did a magnificent job of realizing the project with villager's participation with volunteer labor, and the women keeping them happy and well fed while doing the work.  We see him below.....

......as explained, he would be given a special Certificate of Meritorious Thanks, in just a moment. 

While Federico concluded his words, he invited me to come forward and make the presentation to this young man..........

..........after the presentation,  I was permitted to speak to this wonderful group.  

Words of appreciation were given by the Director of the school, and then began the photo shoot....................him along with me and Federico.....

.....and then a group photograph of Federico and me with the entire staff of the school.  Notable is the teacher in Indian dress, who is Hermelinda Xona, from the Valparaiso Community, and sister of Juan Pablo who we met helping to direct the reunion there, and daughter of Pablo Xona, one of my first vocational students who afterwards helped save many as a para-medic, employed by the business to go into the mountains on horseback to visit the isolated villages and treat the sick. 

While we were enjoying ourselves in the special program, some of the women were hard at work in the kitchen we helped them build, which we will see now......

.......the women preparing a typical lunch for all..........

I'm showing 360 degrees of photos in the kitchen which are well understood without me adding anything.

The food just wasn't for the guests and teachers,  but  for all the children who excitedly lined up to get their share of the scrumptious food! 

Sorry for this poor shot, out of focus, of those of us attended to in one of the classrooms, but it's all I have.......

.......but do have one in focus of the wonderful lunch.....which we had to hurry and eat as we were already late for Event #10 at the Chicoyoj School, where we would have our "second lunch," in the home we built there for 3 orphan children.

PLEASE HELP US KEEP THIS GOOD WORK GOING A LITTLE LONGER!
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UP NEXT: 

EVENT #10:  Photo/essay

"THE CHICOYOJ SCHOOL  Sector II SHOWS THEIR THANKS 
& LUNCH AT THE ORPHANS HOME"