The feeding/tutorial program has started

Last Monday my daughter was able to oversee the first day of the feeding and tutorial program. We fed 70 children and their teachers K-6th grade and tutored 35 of the oldest. The program starts at 12:30 and ends at 4:30. We had a nutritious soup with lots of veggies and some meat and a fruit. The kids brought tortillas from home. If we were to make the tortillas we would have to hire a second cook that we can not afford as they are so labor intensive. Tortillas are about the only thing besides beans that they get at home so we were not too worried about it. Thank you to all who donated silverware, bowls, cups and plates. My daughter helped to cook the soup to make sure the cook was not overwhelmed. She also shopped with the cook for a couple of days helping her see the best foods both for health and economics. The older children helped distribute everything and all the children washed up their utensils afterwards. They ate it all but were thrilled about getting a banana. You would think that in a country that grows so many beautiful fruits and veggies, the poor children would get their fill. But the fruits and veggies are the most expensive and are grown to make money from the wealthier hispanics. The Mayans can not afford them. So we are focusing on that trying to improve the health of the children. Erin also interviewed the applicants for the teaching position and choose a 22 year old Mayan woman who has a teaching certificate. Erin met with many of the children's mothers to try and make sure they had input. They actually wanted this woman as she was Mayan and would not put them down like the hispanic teachers do. Erin liked her best also. The moms thanked us over and over for what we were doing as they did not feel the children learned alot in the regular school. Erin was very impressed with their concern for their children's education. I will try and get some of the many pictures Erin took up on this blog.
If you would like to be part of this program financially we can increase our lunch/ tutorial days from MON/WED/FRI to add TUES and THURS. We only have enough to do three days right now. Also we could start tutoring the younger children.
Erin also met with Anselmo who has the 16 and 17 that one of our donors is sponsoring in school. She met with the children also. She said Anselmo was so emotional about the help he was getting. They were all so thankful. We still need sponsors for many more children.
Our water maybe in. I need to ask Pedro. I know he has the toilets and sinks and showers in and it is almost hooked up because it got to that point while Erin was there.
We have had some great volunteers stay with us in Los Robles. Thank you so much for all your help. And mant thanks to Erin for taking a week off from her family and helping to get this going.
20.vicki@gmail.com
Vicki