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The Blackboard
The Monthly Newsletter of Avivara
June, 2010
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Embracing Guatemala...
(by Tara Byrne)
Two months ago I said goodbye to family and friends and boarded a plane for Guatemala to begin my three month internship with the nonprofit organization, Avivara. While envisioning how my journey would unfold, I greatly underestimated the depth and breadth of the experiences I would have and the bonds I would develop with this new community.
Currently, I am teaching English in the Mayan village of El Yalu where even Spanish is a second language. I have been befriended by an amazing group of teachers, one of whom gives me a ride to school on the back of his motorcycle so that the students at his school can learn English. I am also seeing first-hand the state of education in Guatemala through other school visits with Avivara. It is disheartening to walk into make-shift schools and see bare walls, shoeless students, and empty seats where children could be. (They are most often out in the fields with their families.) Yet, at the same time it is incredible to meet teachers who endure traveling long distances, and teach with few resources because they believe so much in the power of education.
 I have also had the privilege of meeting Avivara scholarship students who strive hard for educational opportunities that are taken for granted in the United States. One example is a family of parent-less siblings who are raising themselves and have encouraged their middle brother to take advantage of an Avivara scholarship in order to have more job opportunities and be a role model for his younger brothers and sisters. Each scholarship student I have met has an equally touching story. As you probably know, the programs of Avivara are geared toward helping individuals and schools in poverty-impacted rural villages, which are also communities that are predominantly Mayan: which I have found out from my studies are one of the most oppressed groups in history.
Over the last two months, I have been witness to the many injustices and ironies of Guatemala. It is rich in agricultural products, including many fruits and vegetables exported to the U.S., yet 49 percent of the children suffer from chronic malnutrition. The majority of its peoples are indigenous, but are virtually unrepresented in any of the higher levels of government. It is a country full of green and fertile mountainsides, yet few Guatemalan can claim land as their own. It contains many bright
potential leaders, but can barely maintain an educational system that
graduates only 3 percent of its high school age students. It’s quite
tragic to see the hope of a better future scorched by so many young
minds put to work in the fields rather than in developing their skills
and their voices for their people through education.
While Guatemala is one of the most impoverished nations in the Western Hemisphere, it is
inhabited by one of the most optimistic groups of people I have ever
met. Every time I go into one of the rural villages, I feel very lucky
to experience an indigenous culture so well preserved by its people. There is something amazing about entering a world where the women wear
indigenous clothing tracing back to hundreds of years of tradition,
where a Mayan dialect is the main language spoken, and where running
water, electricity, and appliances are not yet part of daily
life. It’s also a place where families and communities matter most because
it’s one of the few resources these village have.
 I’ve learned here that
Guatemalans
are as familiar with tragedy as they are with the game of soccer. I have experienced this most profoundly in the aftermath of the recent tropical storm, Agatha. Within the last month alone, I’ve been through two earthquakes, a volcanic
eruption, and one of the worst tropical storms in half a century. During
this time, I’ve heard countless heartbreaking stories. I shoveled
mud out of a house where a mother, with a baby still bundled to her
back, was discovered under several feet of mud in the next room. I stood atop a landslide in the village of Xepanil where a family with
5 children and their mother had been buried in their sleep only a week earlier. I observed
the sorrow of the father and only survivor in that family and learned
that nearly every Guatemalan can speak of a similar tragedy in their lives.
However, as I have now encountered first hand, most Guatemalans experience
and accept tragedy as a part of their lives much differently than we
Americans. This is due partly to
their lack of confidence in a government they see as riddled with
corruption
and maintaining a status quo that primarily benefits the Guatemalan military and economic elite. It is
also based on living for hundreds of years under economic and political
oppression and having been silenced by death, disappearance and
intimidation
when they have spoken out against injustice and inequality in the past.
 Despite these
challenging
conditions, through Avivara I have experienced a deep sense of joy as
well as hope. I’ve seen the looks on faces after Avivara has given
a much needed curriculum book to a teacher, fulfilled a parent’s wish
by providing money for their child’s education, or, most recently,
collaborated with others in the community to distribute food, clothing, household goods and other relief supplies to families with little more than the clothes on
their backs. I have watched the Avivara staff approach these situations
with thoughtfulness and deep respect for the dignity of each person, always acknowledging the dreams, capabilities and perspectives of the people
receiving
their assistance. I have also seen in a world where resources
are so very scarce, how every dollar can make a significant difference
in a child’s future and the well-being of an entire community.
 In another month I will say goodbye
to my new friends here in Guatemala and board a plane
returning
to Seattle. Having seen the impact made by Avivara and its supporters,
I feel good knowing that others, despite maybe never having been to
Guatemala, understand that we are all part of larger human community and that most of us simply want a fair opportunity for our children and our families. Where
a child is born should never dictate whether they are to lead lives of
privilege
or oppression.
Tara is currently working toward completing her doctorate in Non-Profit Leadership at Seattle University and will be helping our Board coordinate the Avivara fall fundraising dinner in Seattle this coming November. If you would like to read more about her experiences in Guatemala, please visit her blog,
The Aftermath of Agatha: An Update...
(By Gary Teale, Executive Director)
It has now been nearly a month since the tropical storm Agatha slammed into the western half of Guatemala leaving in its wake death, destruction and sorrow. During that time many countries and organizations have come forward to offer aid and support to the Guatemalan people.
We also received a number of contributions from our donors to help with relief efforts in those villages close to our office and the schools we work with. With slightly over $2,600 in contributions, we have been able to provide a significant amount of food, water, clothing, bedding, cooking utensils and other items to families that saw their homes and villages destroyed by floods and mudslides. We very much wish to extend our gratitude to those who compassionately responded to our call for help. If you would like to see more about the aftermath of the storm and how the contributions were used, please see the video on our website, Agatha: The Aftermath
 We are truly grateful that we could help out in the immediate aftermath of the storm, but we also recognize that the reconstruction and cleanup efforts now underway throughout Guatemala extend well beyond our expertise, beyond our limited resources, and beyond the overall scope of the Avivara mission to improve education for the children of Guatemala. Therefore, we are no longer asking for contributions to come through us for disaster relief. If you would like to make that type of donation, we encourage you to do so through AmeriCare, Catholic Relief Services, or other similar organizations.
 On the other hand, donations to support our student scholarship program, provide educational materials for our schools, and purchase supplies for our after-school learning centers still remain as needed as ever. Historically, the summer months in the United States are our lowest revenue months, yet the schools here in Guatemala are in full swing, with us continuing to provide student supplies and classroom teaching materials to over 100 teachers and 1200 students. Even a small contribution this time of year helps us to get through these "lean" times. For information on how to make a contribution, please see the Donate to Avivara page on our website.
Are you, or do you know a Washington State employee?
Avivara was just recently approved as a recognized charity by the Combined Fund of Washington State. That means that any Washington State public employee or University of Washington employee may now make contributions directly to Avivara using a personalized payroll deduction plan. If you are a Washington State employee and would like more information about this, please see the Combined Fund of Washington website.
Final Thoughts...
In light of the recent events here in Guatemala we end this issue with the following quote:
"Even hundredfold, grief is divisible by love."
- Terri Guillemet
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We are called...
...to act with justice and love tenderly.
Because we have been devoting much of our time over the last several weeks to providing disaster relief to the victims of Tormenta Agatha, we were unable to put together our usual "Monthly Quiz" in this edition of the Blackboard. Look for it to return in our July issue.
To learn more about the impact of the storm and our work over the last several weeks, please view the video,
on our website.
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Embracing Guatemala... 
