The Patzicia Foundation School

Patzicia School

About 40% of the school's 250 students are rock bottom poor and receive what we call a full scholarship, exempted from monthly fees, and provided school supplies and the simple uniform.  Nevertheless all help as mentioned below, and participate in the Community Improvement Program, giving of their time in projects to improve their school and community. For more on this program go to:  COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT.

The Guatemalans connected with the school are now donating about 25% to the school's expenses:  

The children donated in March...........$46.00

Parents donated in ........................$282.89

Graduates of the school donated......$144.70

Humberto's sister donated...............$611.84

                TOTAL........................$1,085.43

• The Foundation's contribution is about $2,500/month to educate 250 children or $10/each per month.  Your donation of $100 would assure one child getting a quality education and becoming a productive Guatemalan.
• We need additional help to take care of emergency needs once in a while.

For the complete report on the school, go to Success Stories or click on:  PATZICIA FOUNDATION SCHOOL.

Ariel and Ines Andersen Chuluc Village School

For details go to:  Chuluc School.

This school was donated to the  government by the Foundation to operate, but  to improve the quality of education we pay the wage of one of the 3 teachers and help with the nutritional supplement the children receive each mid-morning. This is usually around $240/month for the 60 students.  

We also need help from time to time for emergency needs, but

THE SPECIAL NEED IS A SCHOLARSHIP FUND TO HELP GRADUATES FROM THE 6th GRADE BE ABLE TO CONTINUE THEIR EDUCATION IN PATZICIA--5 miles distant.  They will need help with daily transporation,  educational materials, and the required uniform for the government Junior High.  A donation of $15/month would take care of each student. It's too late to begin this year, but we would like to begin forming a fund to help those who graduate from 6th grade in October.

Please help all you can for this worthy goal of eventually havng teachers in the school from the village itself.

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Educational Projects in Alta Verapaz

The big project of providing educational materials for over 5,000 rural students was accomplished in January and early February.  You can see the collage of most of the 5,560 students by scrolling down, or see the Success Stories, clicking  on:  SCHOOL SUPPLIES.

We have on file requests from a number of schools.  Some of them are:

1.  New classrooms for several schools with growing student populations.

2.  Several schools need quite desperately sanitary facilities.

3.  We have 3 requests for school kitchens.

OUR APPROACH--is one of 3-way partnership and cooperative action:  The Foundation, through our Guatemalan directors, helps the community with a need organize themselves to plan the project and provide at least 30% of the costs, usually with volunteer labor and donations of local building materials.

Above we see Federico, our Regional Director, meeting with the Valparaiso Improvement Committee to lay the groundwork for a needed classroom at the school.

Our directors then coordinate their efforts with the local municipal and educational authorities to acquire as much of their help as possible.  

The Foundation then steps in with what is lacking, usually around 30%.  

NOTE:  The Foundation's share of each of the projects listed above cost about $2,000 to $2,500 each.

In the photo composition we see the system in action:  A donation of property was acquired for the school.  A meeting was held with the community and municipal leaders and the community organized to build the school.  The Foundation provided  construction materials.  The community provided volunteer labor. The municipal government provided the necessary skilled labor.  A school was created.

School Supplies for 5,560 STUDENTS

This has been a Foundation tradition for quite a few years in the project areas:  The Patzicia Foundation School, the Ariel and Ines Andersen Chuluc School, and in the Municipality of Santa Cruz Verapaz' rural schools.  

Theoretically the government is supposed to do this to begin each school year, but usually it doesn't happen until several months into the school year,  This makes it impossible to get the year started right, and of course the finish isn't good either.  On April 1, 2011 the government teachers all went on strike as the government still hadn't provided the supplies, nor the school nutrition supplements, etc. 

 Our schools, and the government schools in Santa Cruz didn't strike as they had what they needed.  Below is a composite photo of most of the schools where we distributed  supplies to 5,560 children.  Click on the photo if you want to see the enlarged version.

Thanks for Federico, our Regional Director, who almost wore out his 4 x 4 pickup grinding his way all over Santa Cruz Verapaz to get supplies to 30 rural schools., and of course thanks to all the donors who so generously made this project successful again.

Emergency Projects

These projects by their very nature can't effectively be planned for, but we need to have at least a couple of thousand dollars in the account to be available immediately. 

Please help us turn so many like these into happy and healthy children like Moncho you see below--one of the many from Valparaiso. His mother and two older brothers, Carlos and Ruben, were accepted as an emergency situation, not having anywhere to go.  He grew up in the Central House and with Foundation aid got a good education, even studying for 18 months in Provo, Utah. His wife, Gloria, was also a student at the Valparaiso CID--Center for Indian Development, which helped her prepare to be a good wife and mother.

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Today they live in the Valparaiso community where you see below the family in front of their home.  He and his family are productive Guatemalans and contributors. This is another of the many "THIS IS WHAT WE DO" success stories.

VOICE Update #1-Feb. 2010 "Good Start in Patzicia & Santa Cruz"

The cover Letter can be seen after the newsletter.
The VOICE Update #01-2010 describes the 2009 year graduation at the Foundation's Patzicia School.  Then preparations for the new school year are mentioned including the addition of 3 more computers to the Dr. C. Jess Groesbeck Computer Lab that is considered the best in the area.

 Page 2
This 2nd page of the Update describes the situation at the Ariel and Ines Andersen Chuluc School with only the teacher the Foundation provides, and none provided by the Government.  Then the Christmas Emergency Aid projects in Alta Verapaz are described as well as the January project to provide all the rural school children with educational supplies to get a good start for 2010.

Cover letter:

This letter mentions that the Foundaion is in its 41st year helping the needy in Guatemala, especially with education.

VOICE Update #2 - May 2010 "Mother's Day at Chuluc"

This first page of  the VOICE Update #02-2010 tells the story of the Mother's Day celebration at the Ariel & Ines Andersen Chuluc Village School, honoring Ines Andersen and all the mothers.  In addition repairs at the school were reported made necessary by a break-in and theft at the school.

 Page 2

New Project at La Laguneta School in Alta Verapaz

VOICE Update #3 - June 2010 - "Father's Day at Chuluc School"

This VOICE Update #03-2010 describes the Father's Day celebration at the Ariel & Ines Andersen Chuluc School, honoring Dr. Andersen and all the fathers, with special focus on Don Maximo. leader of the village for many years.

Then a number of Emergency Aid projects in Alta Verapaz are described.

VOICE Update #4 - September 2010 "Fifty-Four Years Ago"

The email cover letter follows the newsletter.

This VOICE Update #04-2010 opens with a special message from J. Frederick "Toby" Pingree in which he describes his 54 year love affair with the people of Guatemala.

The reorganization of the Foundation is announced.

 Page 2
On this page is found a report from the projects in Guatemala, mentioning the Community Improvement Project and Emergency Aid projects in Patzicia and in Alta Verapaz.

Cover letter:

In this letter a historical event is referred to when in the beginning a Provo, Utah neighbor of the Andersen's predicted that by 6 months they would return with their tail between their legs, but the effort now being in its 43rd year.

VOICE Update #5-2010 Foundation Leadership

October 2010
This VOICE Update #05-2010 describes the new leadership of the Foundation.

 Page 2
This page asks the question "Why do we care?" and then describes the progress of the work in Guatemala.

VOICE - Christmas Message from Dr. George Pingree

December 2010
In this newsletter is printed the Foundation's Christmas message, given by Dr. George Pingree, describing his many years of support and conviction that the Foundation's work is very effective.

 Page Two
Emergency Aid projects in Alta Verapaz are described in conjunction with some reflections about making a difference in the lives of needy people.

Email Slide Show - December 18, 2010

"IT'S A GREAT FEELING TO HELP SAVE A LIFE."

Page Two 

Update #1 - Announcement letter of new Foundation name

This is a letter announcing that the new name of the foundation is 

The Guatemalan Foundation

VOICE Update #2-2011

The email cover letter can be seen after the newsletter.

VOICE Update #2-2011

"FINISHING A GOOD YEAR & BEGINNING A BETTER ONE"
The Emergency Aid project is described in which 37 of the most needy in Santa Cruz Verapaz were given gifts of needed items like blankets.  Then Federico Veliz went to work to begin distributing school supplies to over 5,000 children in the government's rural schools.

Page Two
This page describes the volunteer efforts to prepare the Patzicia schools for the new school year and shows a few in class. Last of all is a photograph of the Mormon students at the school who wanted to give special thanks to all of us who have helped make possible them getting a good education.

Cover letter:

VOICE Update #3--April 2011 "The 45 Year Report"

This VOICE Update #03-2011 reports the speeches given by Cordell and Toby at a Central American Ex-missionary Reunion held on April 2, 2011.  We are calling the combined speeches, 

'THE 45 YEAR REPORT"

Here is printed the concluding minute that time didn't permit in the actual speech, both of which are on YouTube, the link at the end.

 Page Two

The above link to the YouTube video is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYHr_H0Y8tk

2010 Financial Report

2009 Financial Report

2008 Financial Report

2007 Financial Report