UPDATING August 8th: GRAND FINALE PROJECTS for the FOUNDATION At Key Schools,in A.V.: VALPARAISO/RIO FRIO, NAJQUITOB & ACAMAL, &The ARIEL & INES ANDERSEN CHULUC VILLAGE SCHOOL near Patzicia--Central Highlands

Click for PREVIOUS POSTNEWSLETTER #12 July 2017 -- ENVELOPE BACK MESSAGE -- ALL RECENT HISTORICAL YouTube Videos outlined & COMPLETE LIST OF ALL KEY HISTORICAL PUBLICATIONS, PHOTO/ESSAYS & VIDEOS

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Click for KEY HISTORICAL REPORTS & VIDEOS
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UPDATING ON FINAL PROJECTS:  August 10, 2017
A few historical montages have been inserted in the beginning of each project, & then new photos added at the end of each to show progress being made.  
A possibly important message ends the report....that I hesitated including, but a close friend encouraged me to do so.  I hope a few will understand.
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Click to see NEWSLETTER #13 AUGUST 2017
"A BIG DEAL & A RODEO CLOWN"
This is the "last" newsletter printed & sent to all those over the years who have been donors, and emailed to our whole list.  In early September, once all the last projects are finished and inaugurated, and the final donations from August received, a closing newsletter will be printed and sent to those who have been contributors during 2017, emailed to the whole list, and posted here.
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THE VALPARAISO/RIO FRIO SCHOOL

To understand and appreciate the nearly 50 year history of EDUCATION IN PARADISE VALLEY, one should review first the Success Story from our Home Page that describes the emotional beginning when 10 year old Julie Andersen began her little class of 6 barefoot Indian children....and from there until now with 450 elementary level students, plus 90 youth in Junior High.  From there one could continue seeing the YouTube video entitled "The Julie Memorial Project."  
First a montage of the first and subsequent efforts in education with info from the Newsletter #13 AUGUST 2017:

Above we see approximately 50 years of educational history, beginning with 16mm. movies--the 1st they'd ever seen, using a storage room as classroom;  then for the workers a Spanish/Poqomchi class using as a text their Sacred Book;  then 10 year old Julie teaching the 1st children that soon blossomed into a full-fledged school that grew to 110 students in all six grades, plus adult literacy classes, and the Vocational Education Program.  In 1981 the Guerrilla War forced it's closure, resulting in the Foundation building a school that was donated to the government…that with our help grew, and grew….now with over 400 students and a Junior High.......as seen in the following photographs of the school in the modern era:

We are now finishing up a number of improvement projects which will be shown in a few days once we receive the final photographs.

It is heartening to see the active participation of the present owner of the Valparaiso Plantation, Fernando Jarquin.  Both he and his wife have participated in activities, contributed backpacks for the students, and, as we see below, he has put one of his nice fences circling the school property we donated to the government in 1981 when the first segment of the school was constructed. 

 

In the following pictures we see Federico hauling materials for the aspect of the project that deals with proper drainage for the School Kitchen which we see in the photographs that follow.  Again info from the Newsletter:

. The new owner of the Valparaiso Plantation is now helping--fencing the property and aiding us make kitchen improvements, including  new drainage and repairs to  the septic tank system we see underway in the last photos. 

This project at the Valparaiso School also included some repairs to the kitchen, and especially to the sanitary facilities, including moving a washing facility....and those drainage's, along with the one seen above coming from the kitchen, to some needed improvements in the septic tank installation.
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MARIITA Max de LAJ's EXERCISE APPARATUS 

Mariita has been mentioned as being the  little 4 year old in one of the photographs used in the July 1971 ENSIGN Magazine article, "AWAKENING GUATEMALA,"  and then published in Spanish in the 

November 1971 LIAHONA.

She recently had a stroke and is being helped in her physical therapy with an apparatus you see her using  below for which she sends her appreciation and love.

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THE NAJQUITOB VILLAGE SCHOOL PROJECT

The Najquitob Village is located 2 miles up the mountain to the south of Paradise Valley, and is the first area where we were to begin extending ourselves outside of Valparaiso.  Once again, it is a worthwhile history to review seeing its photo/essay.  You can click on that link to see the full story, in addition to a few photographs I'll insert below showing a bit of history and  the most up-to-date progress of the project...which is the needed construction of a large kitchen for the more than 450 students. 
Again, info from the Newsletter:
To see historical  details, go to SUCCESS STORIES on our website, & the current post with many  photos of the project we are now helping them with--building a new kitchen for the school. The finished project, including the inauguration  will be posted on our website with many photos & shown in our last newsletter in early September.  Over all these years similar projects have been accomplished in all of the 33 rural villages of Santa Cruz Verapaz. 

In 2011 we helped them build  a small kitchen we see below in construction.  Past it to the right we see the outhouses we helped them build in 1980.  

At the same time as helping with the kitchen we helped them with new sanitary facilities which included the first flush toilets with septic tank in the area, outside of Valparaiso. Below you can see the restrooms, and the finished kitchen--but which was soon totally inadequate for their needs.

 So, earlier this year we helped them with the first phase of a new kitchen we see below.........

.......... but which is now being expanded and completed as you see in the following pictures.

 

 

In the meantime, the teachers and mother/volunteers, continue to use the old kitchen and provide the students with a nutritious brunch each mid-morning.

As you see below, the new roof will be supported by steel beams, the walls with reinforced concrete.

We are all excited about the Inauguration soon, and will be anxious to receive photographs of the finished construction, and of the celebration,  afterwhich we will do a final photo report.
Below follow new photographs of the kitchen construction:

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THE GRAND FINAL PROJECT IN SANTA CRUZ VERAPAZ:

A NEW KITCHEN FOR THE ACAMAL SCHOOL 

by Cordell Andersen

I first met Federico Veliz (Pacay) when we began helping the Najquitob Village build their first formal school (with a cement floor).  I recall him being at the inauguration. He was then a teacher in the remote Pambach Village School, isolated by a land owner who didn't want any progress for the villagers.  One Saturday--his day off, he led a group of parents hiking 3 hours following rough mountain trails to get to Valparaiso and ask our help to finish the simple school they were struggling to build.

With incredible teams of volunteers from Valparaiso we got that school built, but in the process Federico and me together suffered death threats and I was warned not to go to Pambach anymmore.  Of course I was stubborn and determined to continue hikes to helpl--but then was stopped by a motorcycle accident--that gave me what for years was called "my motorcycle knee," causing me to limp slightly.   Later the guerrillas zeroed in on Pambach resulting in a horrendous and tragic history, and together Federico & myself were pressured to join the guerrillas or be killed.  Note:  I was initially saved by taking my family back to the U.S. after receiving a threat of "execution," and for several years worked out of Guatemala City….but then advised by the Army that a new guerrilla leader,  who was a friend,  defended me as he had observed me treating fairly my workers, and had aid projects in all  the villages.

Federico was saved by being  transferred to the Acamal School, in a village very near Santa Cruz Verapaz, where he taught for many years until his retirement, and there developed Acamal into a "model school" that received international visitors from Israel, Taiwan and elsewhere, and there he was chosen as "Teacher of the Year."

When around the same time I had to sell Valparaiso, the displays of the Philosophy & Principles of the Good Life, were installed at the Acamal School.  We also donated to the school our marimba from Valparaiso.,

The school has grown to at least 450 students, as well as also being helped by Federico to now have the Junior High level, such as he also accomplished at the Valparaiso/Rio Frio School….so our last project will be to HELP THEM BUILD AN ADEQUATE KITCHEN for which we have committed to spend $5,000.  

Following are a few photographes that show the kitchen project begin, with the hauling of construction materials with the help of the villagers and students.

I feel it is more than appropriate that our final project in Alta Verapaz be at the school where Federico finished his career and did so much more than just being a teacher, as he for as long as we have known him--always gave of himself with no thought of receiving compensation, and for around 25 years has been the volunteer Regional Director for the Guatemalan Foundation, and is more than deserving of the title,  "THE OUTSTANDING GUATEMALAN VOLUNTEER"  of our entire 50 year effort.  Our love and blessings will be always for him and his wonderful family.

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PLEASE HELP ALL YOU CAN.....WE NEED TO HAVE A GREAT AUGUST CONTRIBUTION MONTH....

....LIKE AS THOUGH IT WAS DECEMBER--& A GIFT FOR.....

 "the Lord's little ones" 

in ACAMAL & enough in the bank to finish the school year in the 

ARIEL & INES ANDERSEN CHULUC VILLAGE SCHOOL

FINAL NOTE:  

I must add that it is very appropriate that our actual final official project in Guatemala will be to finish the school year in October at the Chuluc School, with final payments for our teacher, Mario de la Cruz, completed in December, as well as our final donation to help the community with school maintenance expenses. 

 "Appropriate" 

As it is the school built in honor of my parents, the organizers of our institution in December 1969.  For the next 14 years they were the primarly donors, and Dad managed the Foundation as a non-paid volunteer for the last 14 years of his life.  

 So, we started with these two generous and caring human beings, and we end our work with the final support of the school that bears their name.

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Once these  projects are finished and inaugurated, we will post a report with abundant pictures on our website, and then publish our last Newsletter--sometime in September with photographs and a financial report for our last 8 months. It will include what funds will be held in reserve to finish our support of the Ariel & Ines Andersen Chuluc School, the school year ending in October, but with final payments to help the community with maintenance expenses, and Mario's wage as our teacher there--ending with his Christmas bonus, just before Christmas.  A final report on Dec. 31st will be posted on our website--which website will be kept alive forever--in case someone becomes interested in trying to understand the complicated history all told in the 50+ years of Newsletters, Historical Documents & YouTube videos. 

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LAST OF ALL: 

On the 30th of November 1986,  when on Foundation business, my new Toyota 4x4 diesel pickup with camper--full of Christmas gifts and a public address system for a school,  was stolen at gunpoint, the two criminals intent on killing me as they felt that the country's solution to poverty was to kill all the politicians and rich people. I quickly explained what I was doing in the country, so they decided to let me go, but they took everything except the shirt on my back, and my dirty handkerchief--under which I always had hidden a $10 bill....so was able to take a bus back to Valparaiso.  The pickup and everything else was  never seen again which deeply affected us economically....in some respects until today. 

The Board of Trustees at that time agreed to get me a new pickup, but there has always been urgent project needs, and so it never was possible.

The Board today, 33 years later, has agreed, that if on December 31st any funds remain, they can go to me to finally help me….at least a little.

So, to make sure we have enough to finish our present projects, 

& maybe have a little left over

--WE STILL NEED YOUR HELP…

...JUST A WHILE LONGER…. IF POSSIBLE.  THANKS.

P.S.  Best for all to know that some of us in the family will continue  to maintain contact with the school & community, and help as a family with needs they undoubtedly will have.

The same for the Valparaiso Community.

Cordell M Andersen

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