Development is rapidly contributing to the loss of indigenous cultures and languages, in addition to contributing to environmental devastation throughout central and south America . Western societies such as the EU and USA have become established upon a few centuries of trade and economic relations with developing countries. Western society depends on the natural resources and cheap labour forces of deveolping countries such as Central and South America, Asia and Africa. Our quality of life must not be taken for granted as we are living comfortably from the poverty and suffering of underprivaliged people in "third-world" countries . Therefore, it is our responsibility to help protect and preserve indigenous cultures and ecologically vital ecosystems. Providing poor people with quality resources necessary to for them to have a sustainable way of living. We can deliver such support to the centre of poor indigenous communities by actively supporting the poorest schools and providing essential teaching materials and by promoting environmental education.
Ecology class for children aged 8 to 10 years old.
Our projects are designed to pro-actively tackle these issues. We work with indigenously owned organisations with deep community roots. Forging strong partnerships through networking with indigenous organizations which inturn forge stronger social networks within local indigenous communities. Our current activity is based within the highlands of rural Guatemala. San Pedro la Laguna is a complex social case study, as the Mayan Atitecon Indian community is fractured due to religious, social and environmental issues reflecting development. Our environmental education project aims to create some harmony within the community by delivering education workshops and other opportunties for the indigenous community to aid problems such as environmental pollution and deforestation.
A destroyed classroom at Humberto Cortez school
Saving Humberto Cortez school
The Humberto Cortez School serves 390 of the poorest Mayan children, in the centre of San Pedro la Laguna town, situated next to the local market. The school is over 50 years old and also functions as a cultural centre/meeting point for local people as well as serving basic education to over 390 children who attend the school. Unfortunately, due to recent events, we need your help to keep this school open.
On 15th November 2006, the school was severely and violently vandalized by the local Mayor and Municipal (police): all of the windows were destroyed and the classrooms left in ruins. The destruction took place while teachers and children were present throughout this ordeal. The perpetrators of this vandalism intended to destroy the school in order to make way for a new and larger tourist market, without the legal consent of the school directors. The Municipal and Town Mayor built a new school further out of the town in an attempt to force families to go to the new school. The current school is centrally located and has free subscription for poor rural families, while the newly constructed school forces the families to pay 60 quetzals a month to send their children to the new school as it is located further out of town, and for these families it is a struggle to find such finances. Families also have to pay for all the school materials as the Guatemalan government does not provide support for teaching materials.
The hallway and classrooms are very noisy as there are now no windows.
The People of San Pedro la Laguna who own Unica Escuela Publica , do not want their school to be replaced with a larger market which will function as a tourist market. There are other options to improve the current market instead of destroying the school.
A protest banner.
The Humberto Cortez school lacks financial support because they choose to be neutral and do not want to be financially dependant on institutions that chastises the teaching of Tz'utujil the local Mayan language and other Mayan practices which would also mean that they have to sacrifice teaching Mayan philosophy and culture. This is a choice the school directors made to protect their Mayan cultural identity.
An ecology class for children aged 11 to 14 years old.
These are the directors of the school who function as the “Directia de Padres de Familia”:
- Jose Antonio Hernundez – President
- Professor Samuel Cotuc, - Retired Director who has been teaching at the school for 30 years.
- Enok Chauajay Cotuc
- Jaime Martin Chipir - Vice President
- Oseas Juurez
- Juan Sequuec Perec-Vocales
- Juan Peneleu Tuch
The Directors, Antonio and Samuel and myself.
The Directia de Padras de Familia represent the families of the 390 children who attend the school. They want to keep the school open as it is so valuable to the mayan communtiy, we have been teaching ecology and art to the children in teh school and have started a recycling project to help bring some funds in for teaching materials. The School term lasts from January till October when there are exams and vacation is from November till mid January.
The Directors appealed to the Governedor cultural heritage department for protection from the Mayor’s plans to develop a tourist market. Presently, protection has been granted for the school as a place of “cultural heritage”- although within the same building of the Governedor offices the education department objected to this appeal. Therefore, although the Governedor of Guatemala city has warned the Mayor to leave the school alone, we remain anxious and we are seeking further assistance.
More ecology lessons on food chains.
The cost of repairs necessary for the school to be re-opened has been estimated at around 15 000 US dollars. Despite the Municipal and the Town Mayor’s actions they refuse to pay for the essential repairs even though they are supported by the most financially powerful family “Guiguermo Batz” of San Pedro la Laguna.
- Fundraising events to help with cost of repairs to the school .
- We ask for donations of second-hand refurbished computers with Windows Microsoft Office or Linnux packages installed . Teaching the children computer skills enhances their education when they leave Humberto Cortez School, thereby increasing the children’s’ future education and employment opportunities.
- We are providing an environmental education syllabus to raise local awareness for the local community and the children to protect the environment. This includes activities such as recycling and tree planting in addition to environmental education workshops and ecological advice and support for local land cultivation
- We are looking for volunteer teachers intersted in teaching our ecology syllabus and art.
- To help support the problem of lack of school materials, we need children's spanish text books, pencils, crayons, books and other materials and toys.
HOW TO MAKE A CLEAN WATER FILTER FROM COFEE GROUNDS & CLAY
-Download step by step guide pdf file here