Serving in Guatemala

First-Ever Staff Retreat A SUCCESS!

2009-08-04T09:10:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know, a few months ago we were appointed the new directors of AOJ Guatemala. One of the first items of business was to discuss next steps with the entire staff. We made sure to encourage each and every worker at AOJ, from the maintenance staff to the teachers to the social workers, so that they know each one of them has a valuable role in growing and strengthening the organization. In some cases, we gave more responsibility to staff members who demonstrated a strong work ethic so that they will feel empowered to improve the organization at their level. For us, having the employees feel ownership of the organization is very important for them to feel motivated and excited about the future. Since then, the staff has responded positively and has rallied around us to make this organization grow.

In order to foster the harmony we have with the staff, we held the first ever staff retreat off-site at a private park in the city of Amatilan. The park grounds were gorgeous and our actual meeting place was perched on a hill that had breath-taking views of lucious forest and the beautiful Lake Amatilan. It was the ideal location for the staff to get away for a day, reflect and get to know their co-workers better. The theme of the retreat was "Success", and we had speakers and activities that explored this theme in various ways.

Our keynote speaker was Rudy Rojas, the Director of a respected non-profit organization in Guatemala called "Hogares Internacionales Para Ninos". Mr. Rojas motivated our staff to continue serving Guatemala's poor despite the challenges they face in this environment. He emphasized that our definition of success should not match the luxury or materialism that we see in the world; but, by creating successful opportunties for others who need our help, then we can truly find a rewarding and successful experience for ourselves.

Steve followed up with a hands-on workshop on success. He was really excited to do this with the staff because of his passion of motivating people to excel. The workshop involved dividing the entire staff into groups for various activities that were planned for the rest of the morning. The first activity required each group to be responsible for defending one of 5 pre-selected definitions of success: Money; Power; Intelligence; Fame; and, Spiritual Happiness. Once the definition was chosen from a hat, each group had 15 minutes to plan on how to defend that definition in a debate.

After the groups finished their planning, we held the debate between all the groups to see who had the true definition of success. After presenting its arguments, the other groups were free to critique. And did we ever have a lively discussion! It was amazing to see how well the staff defended their points and especially to see how normally timid people rose up to challenge the other groups. It was especially funny to hear our Spiritual Director David, who was part of the "Fame" group, and hearing how he defended "fame" as the key to success as opposed to Spiritual Happiness!

Later, the groups were asked to explain what they thought their purpose on this earth was for and how it related to success. All the groups responded that every person was put on this earth by God to serve a purpose, and for them specifically, it is to serve the people who need help the most. Furthermore, if we truly served that purpose, then we will achieve success. The responses were done so well, that we decided to take their answers to this question and turn them into Value Principles that we will use for the entire mission.

The morning sessions with the keynote speaker and the workshops with Steve seemed to go really well. The most important part of the morning was that the staff learned more about their value in the organization and how to truly find success in their lives.

After the morning session in the meeting hall, it was time to get the staff outdoors and enjoy the beautiful grounds. However, we still wanted the staff to learn more about "success" so our retreat planning crew designed activites that required the staff to work as a team in order to achieve success.

The activites were absolutely hilarious as it required team members to think of creative and "interesting" ways to overcome each challenge. One such activity required team members to move one another from one side of the field to the other so that the person being moved does not touch the ground. It was a nice ride for some....but was a hard crash for others. Another activity required team members to empty a bucket of water on one side of the field, and transfer the water to another bucket on the other side. However, the catch was that they could only use whatever material they can find on the grounds and there were no buckets or cups around! So it was funny to see team members cupping their hands with each other to carry the water and even some people decided to soak their clothes with water from the first bucket and wring them out to empty the water in the other bucket! Other activites included relay races that involved tying all team members by the ankles and having them walk around obstacles and trees in the fastest time. Suffice to say that at the end of the day, each person truly appreciated the concept of team-work!

But the last activity of the day was the most fun of all...the"suprise-in-a-bag relay"! In this race, both teams lined up against each other with 2 officials standing infront of them. Each official held a black garbage bag that was filled with different types of food that the team members did not know. When the whistle blew to start, each team member in turn had to put their hand in the bag and pull out whatever food they grabbed and eat on the spot! But they had to eat fast because the winning team was the one in which all team members ate all the food in the bag in the fastest time. Some of the items were easy to eat, like apples, tomatoes or a soft drink. But other items included sour limes, hot chili potato chips, large oranges that needed to be peeled, and a large banana that was almost a foot long! We were shocked to see how fast a human being can gobble up a bag of chips or gulp down a bottle of orange soda. The looks on their faces during the whole game will never be forgotten!

Overall, the "success" retreat was definitely a success! Our staff work in one of the most difficult environments where they see child poverty on a daily basis and regurlarly have to come up with ways to save these children from starvation, chronic illness, abuse and even death. It was important for us to have this special day for them in order to show our gratitude for their work and to motivate them to continue doing what they do best. We hope that the lessons on success will help guide their future careers and goals, wherever they may be. As long as they are serving for purpose, we will always be proud of them.

Continuing the Dreams of Our Loved Ones

2009-05-25T11:38:00.000-07:00

On the afternoon of May 14, 2009, there was a horrible small plane accident in Guatamala that killed all six passengers aboard. Amongst those who lost their lives, the directors of AOJ Guatemala - Rafael and Claudia Araneda. They leave behind five precious children ages 12 - 21.

The past few days have been a difficult period of mourning and reflection as we marvel at the wonderful work both Rafael and Claudia have accomplished after nine years in AOJ Guatemala. Through their vision and leadership, the operation in Guatemala has grown from a simple food distribution program for needy families living in the garbage dump in Guatemala City, to a fully acredited elementary school with more than 450 students and providing essential services for over 700 sponsored children and their families.

AOJ Guatemala has lost two amazing people that sacrificed personal gain and family comforts by dedicating their lives to helping Guatemala's poorest, so that they may have a chance to gain and provide comforts for their own families. Indeed, we were struck with awe when we were told that one week before their death, they told a volunteer in Guatemala that their "vision was complete". Now it is up to the rest of us to continue their vision, continue their legacy, continue their passion, and continue their hope of making sure that no child in Guatemala gets left behind and misses out on an opportunity to dream. These children can dream because two special people never stopped dreaming, dreams that will continue through the hearts of those who work in AOJ Guatemala.

STOMP! in Guatemala

2009-04-26T20:32:00.000-07:00

One of Sandra’s duties as Director of Education is to teach workshops to the teaching staff, the majority of whom are quite young (average age of 23) and do not have much experience in various areas such as class-room management techniques, education stimuli, or alternative teaching methods to capture the learning interests of a broad range of students. In this case, Sandra’s workshops become very valuable to get the teachers exposed to different ideas.

In one recent workshop, Sandra explained how to incorporate artistic expression in the classroom. Artistic expression is so critical for our students to gain self-confidence and to develop an identity that will be key to their intellectual development. The problem is that in Guatemala, artistic expression is not really common or encouraged so our teachers have very little resources to draw upon to teach their students.

To demonstrate how artistic expression can be fun and informative, Sandra introduced "stomp". This is a distinct, sub-genre of physical theatre where the body is incorporated with other ordinary objects as a means of producing percussion and movement. It has become a powerful tool in North American schools to teach alternative means of creative expression and improve the self-confidence of normally timid children.

In this particular workshop, Sandra first talked about the importance of artistic expression and gave a few examples of simple activities that the teachers can use. Sandra then showed a video clip of the STOMP! dance troupe, which is a UK-based theater group who has become world famous for its performances. Then the big moment arrived and Sandra had the staff organized into teams, with each team needing to create a short musical presentation using only objects they can find on mission property. The interesting thing was that almost all of the mission staff got involved (not just the teachers in the workshop) because they were so eager to participate! They did an excellent job as they used ordinary objects such as brooms, paint cans, garbage lids, plastic tubes and even running water to make beautiful rhythms. All the teachers, even the ones who were really shy, had a fun time but most of all, they learned a new skill to get the children excited about learning.

Below are a couple videos of the staff so you can see what they came up with on their own. You can see from the videos that the teachers were quite creative in making music by only using ordinary objects they found on the mission grounds!

International Day of the Book

2009-04-23T19:05:00.000-07:00

April 23rd is "Day of the Book" and on this day, schools and organizations throughout the world are celebrating the appreciation of books and the enjoyment that comes from reading. Since our goal here in Guatemala is to encourage the children of the community to read, we decided to celebrate the "Day of the Book" (El Dia Del Libro) for the first time ever in the school's history by holding a door-decorating contest and a book-reading contest.

The door-decorating contest required each grade to decorate the entrance to their class in a way that would represent the cover of the book they are reading in class. We invited "celebrity" judges (Our Director-General, a Canadian volunteer, and a librarian from the Spanish Embassy) to evaluate each door based on a specific set of requirements, including: creativity, symbolism and a clear indication of the book being read in class. Each class also needed to have a student at each door who can summarize the book they are reading and answer any questions from the judges.
It was amazing to see the whole school get really excited about this contest by showing off what they were reading! Every student and teacher worked so hard this past week to have their door so beautifully decorated and the students did an amazing job explaining their books and answering the questions of the judges, who were really tough!

It was hard to choose which pictures to post because all the classes did such a wonderful job and you can easily tell that the teachers and students put careful thought into decorating their "book cover".

For us, it was really encouraging to see the classes read such a wide range of books. From Dr. Suess to the Chronicles of Narnia, every grade from Kindergarten to Grade 6 were reading books that just a year ago they never even heard of. To know they are exploring different world and adventures every day gives us a great satisfaction, especially when these books can give them a moment of escape from the desperate living conditions they come from.

Below is a picture of the winning door: Grade 5. The book they read was "La Telarana de Carlota" ("Charlotte's Web" in English). The student pictured here really impressed the judges with his knowledge of the book and the way he answered the tough questions.

The other event we held was called "Battle of the Books!", which was a book-reading contest that tested the students' knowledge of the books they read. Each grade sent a representative group of 5 students, who each read 4 books, for a total of 20 books read in that group. Then they competed against each other by answering questions from the moderator about the 20 books they read! Below you can see that it was a big event as all the grades came out to support their classmates. Some even had pom-poms and banners to cheer them on!

In order for each team to answer a question from the moderator, they had to buzz in. However, since we didn't have an electronic buzzer, we just let the students "buzz" in Guatemalan style by using a tambourine! It was really funny to see them shoot up from their seat and shake the tambourine when they knew the answer!

Often times it was really tense as the rounds went by because the questions got more difficult. In the final round, it came to the Grade 3 class against the Grade 6 class. The Grade 3 underdogs put up a good fight but the Grade 6 class won by 1 point. It was a great effort by all the participating groups, who clearly impressed everyone by reading and remembering the key plot points of 20 books!

Below is a picture of these exceptional students, who in our eyes, are all winners because they took the initiative to grasp the importance of reading despite the environmental challenges they face.

Reading is not really valued, especially in the poorer communities where books are very difficult to come by. This is because books are a costly luxury when it comes to choosing between buying a book or buying food for the family. In addition, the parents of the students in our school are illiterate so they wouldn't get much encouragement to read at home. For us, a simple event such as celebrating the "Day of the Book" means so much for these kids to show that reading can be fun. All we had to do was supply the books and they did the rest! It's important for them to appreciate reading at an early age because if there is one thing that can help them break the cycle of poverty, it is the joy and appreciation of continued reading.

Below is a picture of Sandra, who organized the entire day including the "Battle of the Books" contest and the door-decorating contest. Her reaction in the picture sums up her feelings as it was a great day indeed to see the great work of our students....kids that most people have given up on, but we haven't.

Giving in Pampay

2009-04-10T13:38:00.000-07:00

One of the services that we are proud of here in AOJ is to help a poor community called Pampay, which a small village made up mostly of indigenous peoples (see blog entry "Mother's Day in Pampay").

For the last 5 years, we have been providing assistance to this community as part of our regular services in Parramos and Guatemala City. Just recently, the efforts in Pampay has increased due to the generous contributions of donors in Canada. As a result, AOJ is investigating innovative programs to help the people of Pampay to find additional ways for self-sustainment and growth. Since every child in this community has been sponsored by a person in Canada (as the ones pictured above), AOJ has the opportunity to ensure that these children have every opportunity to get the help they need to succeed.

Along with introducing community programs, we also try to help out with providing materials to the families that otherwise they cannot afford. One example is giving each school-aged child a kit of school supplies, which has essential items such as notebooks, crayons, rulers, scissors, pens, etc. These are things that would be quite expensive if the familes had to buy these supplies on their own.

As you can see from the pictures of the school supply distribution in Pampay, the children have huge smiles on their faces as they received their school kits. It was really encouraging to see that the children were so happy to receive a bag of school supplies, which we hope translates into a real motivation to value the gift of an education. Below is a picture of all the children of the community and their school kits, ready for an exciting year of learning new skills and discovering new adventures!

Another way we were able to help the community was to give each family a bicycle. The bicycles came courtesy of a non-profit organization in Calgary called WARM. This organization raised funds to ship a container to Guatemala, which contained hundreds of bicycles among other things. This was a real blessing to the families as they would be receiving a mode of transportation that would be easier and faster than walking, and cheaper than purchasing and maintaining a horse or donkey.

Here you can you see the fathers of the families lining up to receive a bicycle for their family. It was like Christmas for them as they stood around patiently with beaming faces waiting to get something that they could never afford.

For many families, these bicycles were a better means of travellling to work or a faster means of getting to the nearest doctor in an emergency.

The amazing thing for us was that the adults of the community were just as excited as the little children. Almost nobody had ever ridden a bike before so it was heart warming to see them ride bicycles in the basketball court for the very first time - both adults and children alike. There were some unfortunate spills as the people tried to get accustomed to riding the bicycles, but very quickly they picked up the skill and were soon racing around our delivery trucks in circles!

To be involved in helping out an entire community is a real blessing for us. The fact that something so insignificant to us like a bicycle or a bag of school supplies can mean the world to a family and their child makes us realize how fortunate we were growing up. For us to give back in this way is a very small token of our own gratefulness and we looking forward to bringing more smiles to the children of Pampay as the year goes on. Stay tuned!

Staff Bonding Day

2009-01-23T09:11:00.001-08:00

We were really happy to see some of our former staff members come back for another year and to welcome new people to our team for 2009. In fact, almost half the staff is new to the mission due to turnover and the creation of new positions. We thought it would be a good idea then to have some sort of staff bonding activity to create unity as we started the year.

However, we also wanted to have the staff appreciate the work we do at AOJ because a number of the new employees have never worked with such poverty. A number of the staff came from private organizations or well-to-do public schools where they dealt with people from a higher socio-economic background. And what better way to have the staff bond and appreciate the objectives of the mission than to build a house for a needy family! So we all packed into the back of the mission truck (it was amazing that we actually fit more than 20 people in the back!) and we drove to the construction site to start building our house.

You will see from the pictures that the staff really got into it. Everyone worked really hard and did whatever needed to be done...whether it was hammering a nail, lifting a wall, painting the frames, or getting on the top of the house to nail down the roof.

We were really proud of our staff with their efforts and we didn't hear any complaints on how hot the weather was (because it was really hot that day!) or how tired they were. For a lot of our staff, their first exposure to real proverty was a real eye-opener. To see first hand that people actually live on a dirt floor with thin walls and a flimsy roof really affected them. Not only did they get a real sense of what our organization does to help the poor communities in Guatemala, but it made them really appreciate how fortunate they were with the things they have that they might have taken for granted. Simple things like a proper roof, walls to keep out the cold and access to security and privacy are things we enjoy without often thinking about it too much.

It took about 3 hours to complete the house and once the finishing touches were done, it was amazing to stand back and see a brand new house that was beautifully painted.

Then it was time to give a blessing and hand over the keys. It was a very emotional time for everyone as the family was very grateful for receiving a proper home and the staff were very grateful for the opportunity to build it.

Some of the things we heard from the staff at the end of the day (translated from Spanish):

"I didn't know people in my own country actually lived like that. It makes me think before I complain too much."

"This house is so simple and basic, but the kids were really excited to move in. It was touching to see the smiles on their faces!"

"This was the best idea! I have never learned so much about myself and other people through a staff activity. Not only do I feel closer to the staff, but I learned a valuable lesson for myself."

"It was a wonderful experience to share with my colleagues. To give something like this to a child in need".

What a great day for the staff to give the gift of a new home. We couldn't think of a better way to start off 2009!

Building Houses for the Needy

2009-01-20T13:34:00.000-08:00

One of the many things AOJ does for the poor is build houses for needy families who otherwise cannot afford one. Below is a photo of a family that will be receiving a new house. Right now, they are standing in front of what they call a "home" - it is made of a patchwork of various materials that do not really protect against the elements and has a dirt floor that can get messy during rainy season. Often times, the family may also live in a corn-stalk house as pictured below and you can see that these living conditions are not good for families, especially to raise children.

The process of finding a home for a needy family starts with our Social Work Department. They send staff into the community looking for families who need homes. Once they find a potential location, they conduct an evaluation that includes: condition of the current home; number of people living in the household; means of income; and, whether the family owns the land. Land ownership is an important detail because if the home is built on rented or disputed land, the family runs the risk of losing it if the land-owner decides to take back the land. Fortunately in Guatemala, land ownership is not as complicated or costly as it is in North America.

Once the Social Work Department identifies a family, the construction staff locate the site two weeks prior to the house construction in order to lay the cement. The family has an important role in this as they are the ones that lay the cement foundation for the house while AOJ staff or volunteer teams actually construct the house. Having the family involved in this way has special symbolic meaning because the act of laying the cement for a strong foundation of the house represents the family being responsible for creating a strong faith that is the foundation for a strong home.

After 2 weeks, the foundation is dry enough to start building. AOJ staff deliver all the necessary materials to the site before the volunteer team begins to build. The walls are made of a cement/dry-wall material that have been pre-assembled by our staff with wooden beams. Since the walls are pre-fabricated, it makes it really easy for our volunteer teams to come and build. You don't need any construction experience or be a handy-person to build these houses! First, the walls are drilled directly into the concrete floor. Once drilled in, the walls are then nailed together through the wooden beams so that there are no spaces between the walls. Since every wall has its own place, it's kind of like putting together a big jigsaw puzzle - just the pieces are a lot heavier!

The good thing about our houses is that it so easy that anyone can do it. We have had people as young as 9 to people who are out there building at the age of 70!

The roof is a simple structure made up of wooden cross beams and a tin roof. The roof we provide is more secure and protective than what the families were used to having before.

Once the roof is nailed in place, it is pretty dark inside the house because there is no light coming in. We need windows for that but the good thing is that they are already built into the walls. All we need to do is punch out the panels designated as the windows and presto... you have light!

The houses we build are very basic. A typical home has two rooms, one for sleeping and the other used as a sitting area. The homes do not have plumbing since all cooking is done outside with firewood, keeping with the tradition of families in this area. Washroom facilities are outside as well. Somes homes have electricity, which they use for lighting or small appliances. Other families may receive gas ovens as gifts from foreigners thinking that it would be better for the families, but sometimes this is cost-prohibitive as the monthly cost for propane can be costly.

Below is a picture of a completed house, freshly painted. The house below is a combination of "chocolate" and "cream", but we also use bright colours such as red and yellow. The majority of the houses we build are painted two-tone in keeping with the colours of the houses found in Guatemala. The whole process on average only takes about 3 hours to build and paint. Although it takes so little time to build and so little money to buy ($1500), a home like this is priceless for the families who receive them. The most touching part of the whole process is at the end when the volunteer team hands over the keys of the house to the new family. We conduct a blessing of the home with the volunteers assisting. Steve usually does an introduction and Sandra translates on behalf of the volunteers on the team who do not speak Spanish. Words are exchanged between both the volunteers and the family receiving the house, which is often a very emotional time. Since we started working in Guatemala in Feb 2008, we have not witnessed a blessing without tears being shed.

In 2008, we coordinated the construction of more than 60 homes for needy families in the rural communities of Paramos, San Luis and Pampay. That means more than 60 families have a clean floor to live on, 4 strong walls and a roof to keep out the elements, and a new start to a life with endless possibilities. AOJ is going to keep busy through 2009 as we already have 26 houses ready to be built at the time of this posting...and we are only in the second week of January!

First Day of School of 2009!

2009-01-13T09:09:00.000-08:00

Returning to Guatemala for another year was a difficult decision, only because we just finished spending Christmas holidays with our families and friends. Although we will miss them dearly, it was a blessing to come back to our second "home" and our new extended family in Guatemala! The school year in Guatemala starts in January and January 11 was the first day of school at AOJ - we were anxious to see the kids again! The kids streemed in with beautiful smiles and excited spirits. We were overwhelmed with all the kids running to give us huge hugs and explaining how they missed us during their time off. We found out that one child kept asking her mom almost everyday if "Seno Sandra" was coming back to Guatemala! It was nice to even be remembered by the kids let alone being told numerous times how much we were missed.

The day started off well as the kids filed in through the front door pretty smoothly. Most kids were jumping for joy to be at school (something we're not used to in Canada!) while some, especially the pre-kindergarten children, walked in very shly with their parents in tow.

Before the children were grouped into their grades, we had a welcome ceremony in the outdoor basketball court. We had a large, colourful sign that read BIENVENIDOS (Welcome) and every teacher introduce themselves to the students.

It was really amazing to see more than 200 of our students back and eager to learn. You can see in the photo the large crowd of both parents and students eagerly waiting for school to start - and this was just our morning class! Seeing such a large turnout was really special for us because often in Guatemala it is a challenge to convince families and their children of the value of an education. Sometimes the families do not support their children attending our school because they would prefer that their children work to get money for the family. Sometimes the children start working as young as 5 as there is no law in Guatemala to prevent children from working. To get such a positive response from the families on the first day means that we must be doing something right in helping the families see the long-term benefits of an education.

2009 also marks the first year we will start with pre-kindergarten, which means we just added yet another level of cuteness to our school! These kids are only 3-4 years old and they are so tiny that we have to watch where we step! It is a rare opportunity in Guatemala for kids this young and of a low socio-economic background to get such an opportunity for an education. This has been planned for some time as our philosophy is to try to start educating children at a very young age so that they can easily develop a life-long thirst for learning. To see these little ones walk through our doors was really precious.

The parents seemed as nervous as their little ones as this was the first time in their lives that they will be away from their children. Familial relationships in Guatemala are very important and the bond between mother and child is particularly strong. The parents spent some time with the children in the classrooms so they can get used to the environment. But when it came time for the parents to leave, it was really difficult at first because some children were crying uncontrollably for some time because they didn't want to let go of their parents. However, after some time, we slowly ushered the parents out as the children got more comfortable. It will still get some time for the parents to get used to being away from their children as many still hung around at the front gate wondering if their children were going to be all right.

But it didn't take too long for all the kids to be comfortable being back at school. The kids played games, sang songs, and laughed a lot. After a week of emptiness and silence while we were preparing the school, it was like beautiful music listening to the laughter of children ring through the property again.

The children who come to our school do not get much opportunity to laugh or play outside of our doors. Back in the harsh reality of their community, they face challenges such as miserable living conditions, the need to work to support the family income, and sometimes living in homes with no love or affection. In addition, if these children were to get any education, the families will need to pay for uniforms, administration fees and supplies so that they can attend the local public shool. The families we service cannot afford those things that we often take for granted in Canada. The fact that these children have the opportunity to attend our school and have access to a safe and loving environment, free of charge, is a dream come true for a lot of these families.

The first day was a hectic day in getting everything organized but it was well worth the work. Knowing that we are giving another generation of children the chance to break the cycle of poverty is very rewarding. Once we get through the cultural and economic challenges by getting them through the door is the first step. Now it is up to our excellent staff to do the rest.

Our Teaching Staff

The Directors

Newfoundlanders Introduce Tiddley to Guatemalan Village!

2008-09-17T13:09:00.000-07:00

In September 2008, a team of 14 brave men and women with tremendous hearts trekked all the way from Newfoundland, Canada to the land of Guatemala to meet the needs of the poor. They built six houses for needy families who needed shelter, prepared more than 100 food bags for needy families who needed food, freely gave away much needed clothing for needy mothers and their newborn babies, and, if that wasn’t enough, taught an entire community of village children a great Canadian game…no, not hockey…Tiddley!

I know you are probably asking, what on Earth is “Tiddley”?? That is exactly what we were asking, and much to the disappointment of our Newfoundlander friends, we have never heard of such a game. However, admittedly we are not very familiar with Newfoundlandiana (See: www.heritage.nf.ca-dictionary)

Tiddley, originally a children's game enjoyed by both boys and girls, is played where a stick, balanced on a rock or over a hole, is hooked or flicked into the air and struck with another. It’s played by using two sticks; one about a foot long (the tiddley stick) and another about three feet long. Two stones are arranged so that the ends of the tiddley stick rest on them. The other stick is used by the “batter” to flick the tiddley stick as far as possible (this action is called a TIDDLE). If a member of the opposing team catches it, you’re out. The batter also has 3 chances to hit the stick before being called out. Points are measured by the distance the tiddley stick is flung from the batter, which is marked by rocks.

When the team visited Pampay, a small indigenous village in the middle of lush trees and rolling hills, a couple of the men on the team decided to play soccer with the local children. It wasn’t long when the soccer ball got punctured and the game was over. Since the children were still itching to play and were getting bored, these same men came up with the brilliant idea to teach them the game of their childhood. The best part was that no equipment was needed. They simply found some sticks and a rock nearby and suddenly, Tiddley was born in Guatemala!

Below are exclusive photos of the first Tiddley game ever played in Pampay, probably even in Guatemala (to our knowledge). As one team member prophesized, don’t be surprised if in a hundred years you will note a reference in the pages of Guatemalan history of how the world-renowned game of Tiddley was first introduced to Guatemala by a band of 14 Newfoundlanders on a routine mission trip. You read it here first!

Mid-term Report from Guatemala!

2008-08-04T19:08:00.004-07:00

It is hard to believe that 6 full months have already past and that we are already halfway through our 1 year assignment here in Guatemala! We’ve learned so much and had many rewarding experiences. We’ll try to summarize the past 6 months in this one blog entry!

As Director of Education, Sandra is responsible for further developing the education system in the school and she was able to introduce a lot of ideas based on her graduate studies in education and from her experience as a teacher in Canada.

For the past 6 months, Sandra has been developing and conducting training workshops for the school staff, including the principal and 9 teachers. These workshops are essential because the teachers have very little formal training on teaching in a classroom since a university degree in Education is not required to teach in Guatemala.

Sandra's first workshop was on multiple intelligences, where teachers received instruction on enhancing the learning environment in their classrooms. She also held workshops on: creating educational visual aids; capturing the reading interest of students; active science in the classroom; and, how to provide students with clear objectives and expectations. She will continue to hold workshops almost on a weekly basis until the end of the year.

Sandra also developed a reading program for the entire school. It is not common for a lot of the poorer people in Guatemala to pro-actively read books on their own, which poses a real challenge when it comes to developing their literacy skills. Furthermore, children at our school are not exposed to books because it is likely that their parents cannot read and/or the household cannot afford to purchase books. In order to nurture a habit of reading, Sandra developed a reading program that required each grade to spend 30 min a week in the new library. The program started by introducing students to genres of literature where they had to determine the characteristics of a given genre. This involved the students reading a sample from that genre and then completing a fun activity related to the text. As part of the reading program, Sandra created CHILE, which stands for: Creciendo (growing); Hablando (speaking); Imaginado (imagining); Leyendo (reading); and, Entendiendo (understanding). This program is designed to allow students to freely choose a text of their own to read independently, or with a friend, and then discuss their opinions on the texts they read.

A program that we’re really proud of is the English program that Sandra developed for the Kindergarten, Grade 1 and Grade 6 classes. The program includes lesson plans, instructions for the teacher, songs and even games for the children to learn basic, conversational English. The children at the school come from impoverished backgrounds and just to have an opportunity to go to school is such a blessing. On top of that, introducing the children to English gives them an advantage and opens their doors to more opportunities that allow them to break their cycle of poverty. Formal English classes are only available to those families with money, but we are giving these children the same opportunity for free. Check out a couple videos below of our Kindergarten children singing...in English!

Perhaps one of Sandra’s most important responsibilities is to be a mentor to the education staff at the school. A number of the teachers are quite young (average age of 20) and they have a great opportunity to come to Sandra for guidance and support. Sandra also provides advice to the principal of the school in managing the staff and the school’s curriculum.

As Assistant Director, Steve is responsible for supporting the AOJ Directors in their management duties. One of Steve’s responsibilities is the management of volunteer teams that come from across Canada and the United States to volunteer in Guatemala. These teams range from 10 – 20 adults and they come for a week to build houses for needy families, distribute food bags or interact with the children at the school. Steve is responsible for determining the team’s schedule, prioritizing their projects, and directing the team’s activities during their stay in Guatemala. For example, since arriving in February, Steve has organized and coordinated the construction of 38 houses for needy families in the rural areas of Guatemala (like the one pictured here). To date, a total of 6 teams through our regular AOJ network and 4 teams through other non-profit organizations have come to volunteer with us in Guatemala. This does not include the individual non-affiliated volunteers who work with us on a part-time basis to take on various tasks in AOJ. Through networking and advertising efforts, we are now experiencing a steady stream of volunteers to help us meet our mission objectives. Steve is also responsible for managing these volunteers and their activities.

Steve also has been helping the organization find efficiencies within its management structure. As the mission continues to grow, the ability to make critical management decisions are becoming more necessary and frequent, particularly as more sponsored children are added to the school and a higher pace of operations brings its inherent challenges. In response, a management committee comprised of senior staff was created to handle these decisions in an efficient and effective manner. Steve is now advising and supporting this committee on different aspects of management through workshops on various management themes. His first workshop was how to make decisions based on a risk-management system, which Steve custom designed with the organization’s needs in mind. Future workshops will discuss themes such as how to effectively manage committee meetings, communication in an organization, and being effective leaders.

Steve is also responsible for managing the new Centro de Capacitación (Development Centre), which includes: a computer school; a beauty salon school; and, an artisan craft school. This is where students from elementary grades to high school can learn specific skills and trades that they can use to earn money. Generally people would need to pay a lot of money to take these courses but our students, who obviously do not have that kind of money, have free access to these courses to give them a hope to find a job or even start their own business. Some of the skills they learn include: basic computer operations; making textiles and souvenirs; sewing; and, cutting hair. Steve also created a “Children’s Market” that is run through the Centro de Capacitación. This is where students sell the various things they have made to the teams that come to volunteer at AOJ. This “market” teaches the students how to manage money and the value of having a marketable skill. To date, we raised more than 5100 Q from the market sales that will be invested in school projects and materials. The Centro de Capacitación also includes a health clinic that employs a registered nurse who looks after the medical needs of the students and staff of the school.

A customer "trying" to negotiate a better price.

The Market Team with some happy customers
in the background.

In addition to our respective responsibilities, we manage a number of joint projects as well. The library is our biggest project and you can follow its progress on our other blog entries that are devoted entirely to this project. We also coordinated a clothing distribution program to hand out donated items that arrived in a container shipped from Canada, courtesy of WARM in Alberta. This container was filled with bicycles, clothes, toys, office furniture and much more needed items for the people in Guatemala.

We determined a schedule to distribute the donated items to all the sponsored families at the school (at least 400 families) and all our staff, who also come from very humble backgrounds and are not much more economically well-off than our sponsored families. Everyone was very grateful and overjoyed that they were able to receive these gifts. The items were distributed over several days, with staff and families arriving to the distribution room on an hourly schedule. At times it was very hectic but we were fortunate to have our friends from Ottawa, Canada visit us during that week. They offered to help in anyway they can so we gave them responsibility to manage the schedule and the distribution of items. They did an amazing job with all the people coming and going and helping them choose their items. It made the experience much more special as they were our close friends from our home town!

We also had a lot of fun projects involving the children of the school. Whether it’s judging a regional aerobic competition, taking pictures of the students for the sponsorship program or giving out annual donations such as shoes, these less serious activities make our jobs fun and that much more rewarding.

Steve giving his best Simon Cowell impression.

Grade Six children receiving a pair of brand new shoes.

One of the annual sponsorship photos - just 399 more children to go!

We also made meaningful relationships with community members from poor rural areas in Parramos and Pampay. One of our goals was to really connect with these communities so that they can be comfortable with us and don’t see us as foreigners who do not want to mingle with the locals. We’ve tried hard not to visit as much “tourist attractions” and attend more local cultural events (see blog entry: “Mother’s Day in Pampay”) and experience the personal lives of the friends we made here. For example, Sandra participated in an indigenous engagement party for one of the teachers at our school, which was really interesting as we got to witness the two families “negotiate” the wedding details of the future bride and groom.

We have really enjoyed our time here thus far. The only difficult part is being without our family and friends back in Canada. However, we are fortunate to have directors such as Rafael and Claudia Araneda who welcomed us warmly and gave us the flexibility to put our ideas into action. The rest the staff at AOJ has also been very kind to us and made us feel at home. We feel part of a new family here in Guatemala (Steve even found a Mini Me!) and their faith in us has given us the opportunity to truly be part of something special.

Stay tuned for more updates for the rest of the year! Yes, we are trying to post more frequently…!

Steve and his Mini-ME

Canada Day in Guatemala!

2008-07-03T20:38:00.000-07:00

July1st is Canada Day, where we celebrate the day Canada gained independence. We´re both pretty proud Canadians and we sorely miss the huge celebrations that take place in Ottawa on this day. But, just because we´re living in Guatemala now, doesn´t mean that we can´t celebrate being Canadian!

Of course in Canada, we wouldn´t need to do go to work but that didn´t let us down. We just got dressed up in our Canada Day gear, armed ourselves with lots of Canadian flags, and took the Chicken Bus to work! We did get some strange looks, but hey, we´re Canadian, eh?!

We basically painted the school red and white (although Steve is wearing all black but he claims that those were all the Canadian clothes he has! At least his shirt had a red maple leaf!) We brought lots of Canadian candy and gave a treat to every child in the school. The kids were so excited and said ¨thank-you¨in English everytime with big smiles.

Living here has made us realize how fortunate we really are to be Canadian. We were born in a great country with great opportunity. We´ve been truly blessed to have grown up in an environment were we had access to an abundance of resources that the children here do not . To give a little of what we have to bring a smile to a child´s face is truly rewarding.

Of course the students were not the only ones who would fall victim to our Canadian invasion. To the right is a picture of our Head Social Worker and the school´s principal. They were great sports and were more than willing to help us celebrate Canada Day in style! Although we miss all our Canadian friends and family back home, it is good to know that we are not alone here and have some new friends in our adopted country.

Although we never expect any gifts on Canada Day, we were really surprised to get a special gift that we will never forget. The Grade 5 class made a large mural on the school in honour of Canada Day! Apparently they did the research and made all the materials in the morning and by lunch time, we were greeted with such a beautiful display of Canadiana!

Yes, we weren´t in Canada but it ended up being one of the greatest Canada Days we ever experienced! We are very fortunate to have people here that care about us and our country. So happy Canada Day everyone, wherever you may be living!

Mother´s Day in Pampay

2008-05-19T19:50:00.000-07:00

May 10th was Mother´s Day in Guatemala and although we sad because we weren´t able to spend the day with our moms, we were able to spend a special day with the warm people of Pampay.

Pampay is a small village that is about a 40 min drive from the city of Antigua. It is situated in a deep valley surrounded by dense forest and farming land. Access to Pampay is limited to only two unpaved roads that can only be travelled via a large vehicle, such as a 4X4. There are only about 300 people living in Pampay, who are mostly indigenous and live in poor conditions.

AOJ has been providing essential services to this community, such as: organizing volunteer teams to build houses for poor families who cannot afford one; organizing the first ever child sponsorship program for the community that will provide essential food and clothing for the children and their families; finding and organizing volunteer teams to come to the village to carry out development projects or even just play games with the children who do not posses any games or toys; and, working with the community elders to develop projects to help the community. More on our work in Pampay in future blogs, but for now, back to Mother´s Day....

Mother´s Day in Guatemala is very special. Mothers are treated with high regard and admiration in Guatemala. The festivities for mothers are carefully planned and are often held on a large scale. The elders of the community invited us to participate in their Mother´s Day festivities and it was great timing because a volunteer team from our home church in Ottawa happened to be in Guatemala during the same week. We were able to watch several performances put on by the children of the school and had a delicious lunch hosted by the elders of the community. One of the most precious performances was a traditional indigenous dance put on by the kindergarten class. You can see from the pictures that they looked adorable in their traditional clothing. We were amazed that they were able to memorize a complicated 15 min routine!

Members of our volunteer team were also able to participate in the festivities. Below are some brave Canadians listening to instructions from Sandra before they start the "lime dance" with some local mothers. The object of the game is to dance with their partner to traditional Mayan folk music without dropping the lime. The big joke was the guys were so tall that they had to practically stoop to their knees so they can dance at head level. It was quite the site!

Another fun activity was the "toilet paper mummy". In this one, some of the mothers competed with each other to see how fast they can wrap their children in toilet paper! All of them did a pretty good job but there can only be 1 winner and the mother on the left ended up winning the contest. You probably can't tell, but that's her 5 year old daughter wrapped in toilet paper!

The festivities ended with some closing remarks from the local Mayor. Pictured below is the Mayor speaking to the crowd with Sandra at his side translating in English. The Mayor particularly thanked the volunteer team from our home church and AOJ for all the work we are doing in Pampay.

It was a great day for all as we really bonded with this community. Although we were foreigners and they did not have many financial resources, the community still invited us for food and hospitality. Pampay is a special place with people who have very warm hearts. We are both very excited to continue to work with the people in this region throughout the rest of our year in Guatemala so stay tuned for more updates from Pampay!

Library Update!

2008-04-26T14:47:00.000-07:00

Our library project started last month and we’re making excellent progress! When we first started, we only had enough books that occupied a small amount of space (see blog entry: “Help Us Create A New Library in Parramos!”). Now we’re receiving more and more books through the generous support of our donors. We have a beautiful building (pictured below) that is surrounded by trees and gardens and can be easily be expanded to 2 levels.

As soon as the first books arrived, we started to use the library right away! When we first opened our doors, the children peeked through the doors out of curiosity but they didn’t touch any of the books. This was the first time where there was such a place where they had free access to books and they weren’t sure what to do. First we were disappointed that they didn’t come in to read but we patiently waited. Then one day, one girl shyly poked her head in and asked if she can go in the library and take a book to read. “Of course!” we both exclaimed at once! We were both really happy and even more happy to see her followed by more children shortly after. Below are pictures of the first students who came into the library and seeing them take out books on their own to read for the first time in their lives really touched us.

Sandra also created a reading program for the children in every grade. Each class needs to spend at least 30 min a week in the library either listening to the teacher read to them or doing literary exercises where the children have the opportunity to express their ideas and discuss issues based on books they read in the library. These type of activities are truly valuable for the children as this is the first time for many of them where someone has read them a book. It is also the first time they have had the chance to express themselves, giving them an opportunity to tap into their creative potential.

We’re really proud of our first project here in Guatemala but with your help, we can do more. From the pictures you can see that the bookshelves are still somewhat empty. Also, only a quarter of the space in our building is being used due to lack of furniture and books. But with your help, you can really help us fill the rest of the library with much needed books and furniture.

If you’re interested in donating to this cause, please contact us at Tharakan.steve@gmail.com. Together, we can bring the gift of reading to this poor community - a gift that will last a life time!

Help Us Create a New Library in Parramos!

2008-02-24T16:46:00.000-08:00

Our first major project here is creating a new library in Parramos, which is a small city where the illiteracy rate is high and the economic conditions are poor. The purpose of the library is to provide a comfortable, multi-purpose environment where students in the AOJ School and the general public can have free access to reading material. The intent is to promote and encourage the habit of reading in the local community, which is necessary for further educational development. The ultimate objective of the library is to benefit and develop the whole community of Parramos and not just the students of the AOJ School.

The AOJ School has been operating since 2001, when it started with 35 children in grades one to three. In 2007, the school grew to 450 students in grades one to six. There is currently an inadequate supply of reading material to encourage reading amongst the students given the exponential growth. There are approximately 200 books currently servicing 450 students at the AOJ School and the majority of these books are in English as they are usually donated by teams and churches that visit the school and see the need. The picture above shows the current state of the library. As you can see, we are in desperate need of more books and some furniture to have a comfortable environment for the children!

In a country where the literacy rate is only 69%, there is an essential need to obtain Spanish language books so that students are encouraged to read at an early age and to instill the habit of self-development. We have just completed the construction of a room that can accommodate at least 3000 books, including space for learning centres to facilitate specialized activities and computers for internet research. If the library grows as planned, it will become the only such facility in the entire region servicing 1500 students in the public school system in addition to the students attending the AOJ School.

We are calling this project 'Leer Para Crecer' (Read to Grow) and have determined that we need to raise $10,000 US to start. If you want to receive more information about this project, including specific reading material required, please contact Steve Tharakan at tharakan.steve@gmail.com. Please note that all financial contributions are eligible for income tax receipts. With your help, we can make a difference by giving the simple gift of reading to a community that is starving for this opportunity!

Adventures on the "Chicken Bus"

2008-02-13T17:39:00.000-08:00

It is halfway through the our first full week at work and getting there has been somewhat of an adventure. Every morning, we catch the local bus from the main bus terminal. Most buses here are converted school buses that are painted with bright colours. We have been warned about the buses here in Guatemala, nicknamed "chicken buses", because commuters bring whatever they can, such as laundry, plants, tires, bicycles and yes, sometimes chickens! But the one thing that we always heard, and what worried us the most, was how fast these buses go (nothing like our tame buses back home in Canada).

The first morning, we boarded the bus with our now fellow Guatemantecos. The bus was half empty so we had plenty of space...and there were no chickens! We thought this was a good start. The bus also travelled at a slow pace, trudging along as it picked up stray passengers on the way. This seemed like it was going to be a breeze for us and we sat back to enjoy the scenes of Antigua as they slowly passed us by. Perhaps what we heard about Guatemalan buses were just rumours. But as the driver picked up more passengers, the bus started to get pretty full. Pretty soon, the bus was jammed with people standing in the aisles and baskets of food spilling from the over-head compartments. A large man decided that the tiny 2-seat bench that we were sitting on can really fit 3 people. As Steve's new "friend"squeezed in and the bus became jammed to capacity, the driver suddenly kicked into a higher gear. All of a sudden, we started racing through the streets of Antigua, narrowly missing pedestrians, cars and the odd tuk-tuk!

Our bus ride suddenly became a rollar coaster and Sandra firmly gripped the handle bars with both hands. Steve decided to make a snide remark, which he regretted when the bus leaped over a bump and he shot up a couple of feet in the air! To top it off, the bus was so full that we couldn't see where we had to get off. Steve reached for the bell but Sandra reminded him that he was no longer in Canada. Since there are really no bus stops, we made a guess and told the driver where we wanted to get off. The bus came to a "rolling stop"and we had to leap off before the bus sped off to its next destination. Unfortunately, when we looked around, we guessed wrong and ended up walking 30 min to our work...what a great start to our first day of work!

If that adventure wasn't enough, the next day Sandra had to go to a meeting but the bus was so full that she couldn't get a seat. In fact, she couldn't even get inside the bus so she had to hang off the second step! She always wanted the wind in her hair but she never imagined it would happen while riding off the side of a chicken bus!

We feel relieved and exhilarated when we come home after our chicken bus adventures. One day, as we got off the bus feeling kind of whoozy, one elderly Guatemalan gentleman, who probably felt sorry for us, gave us a warm smile. We smiled back, admiring his shirt that said "World's Best Grandma". And so ends another day in Guatemala.

Settling In Our New "Home"Country

2008-02-06T18:55:00.000-08:00

We had no problem with our flight from Ottawa to Miami to Guatemala City, despite warnings that our luggage might get lost. It was great to arrive under sunny skies with a temperature around 24 C, especially considering we left Ottawa when it was -15 C! After arriving in Antigua, where we will be staying, we spent the last couple of days checking in our temporary accommodations (a guest house in the centre of Antigua) and visiting the staff in Parramos, where we will be working.

When we visited the school where most of our projects will take place, the staff gave us a very warm welcome. It was very touching to see the smiles on the children again, especially how they each ran up to us and gave us huge hugs! We couldn't of asked for a better welcome to Guatemala!

There is a lot to do here. Our first job is to create a library where people of all ages (kids to teens to adults) can have a safe place to go and enjoy the gift of reading. If you or your school is interested in contributing to growing this libary, please contact us by email.

We will also create programs for students to learn skills such as sewing, hair-dressing, and basic computer operations. These courses will be housed in the newly created trade school. And that's just to start! Stay tuned for progress on these projects and the new ones we will be staring shortly.