photo by Andi Alexander
A Letter from KGAP Coordinator Connie Vanderhyden
May 17, 2020
Dear KGAP friends and supporters,
I hope that this letter finds you safe and healthy, enjoying the benefits and beauty of springtime wherever you are! At this time of the year we usually publish a KGAP newsletter but this year we have chosen to send a simple letter with a short update from Chaculá and an appeal for a specific purpose based on the current conditions in Guatemala.
First, I would like to inform you that I was unable to visit the community in January due to a family concern and we also had to cancel our March delegation due to the coronavirus. Since early March the Guatemala borders have been closed and communities are on lock-down. Fortunately, so far there are no cases of the virus in Chacula.
Recently we have been able to communicate with various leaders in the community. Teachers have informed us that Guatemalan high school students, as in many other parts of the world, are continuing their studies online. As you can imagine, this is at times very challenging in rural communities like Chaculá, but the teachers have assured us that our scholarship students are working diligently to stay on track. In Chaculá, the Instituto Básico teachers continue to communicate with their middle school students, distributing assignments and copies of materials when possible. Again, this is very challenging because even acquiring paper for copying is difficult due to the quarantine.
The health promoters, nurses, and midwives who staff the Chaculá Health Clinic have received part of the annual KGAP emergency fund and anticipate using it to address critical needs that emerge from this crisis in the months ahead. They have communicated that the most pressing issue right now is FOOD INSECURITY and have applied some of this KGAP emergency fund to purchase food for many families in dire circumstances. The teachers have also confirmed this critical need for basic food supplies and have described how the various committees and leaders are coordinating efforts to donate, purchase, and distribute food where most needed in the community.
Recently KGAP received a generous donation from Jane Benton, Youth Initiative High School senior. Jane coordinated a fundraiser for KGAP in anticipation of her participation on the March delegation to Chaculá and she raised $1,911! Since we were not able to go this year, Jane has generously donated her fund for emergency medical needs and FOOD SECURITY. We are very grateful to Jane and this has inspired us to strive to increase the fund NOW and collaborate in addressing these critical needs in Chaculá. With your help we hope to double or triple Jane’s donation.
PLEASE JOIN US IN THIS FUNDRAISING EFFORT FOR FOOD SECURITY AND MEDICAL EMERGENCIES IN CHACULA!
In gratitude and solidarity,
Connie Vanderhyden,
KGAP Coordinator
I hope that this letter finds you safe and healthy, enjoying the benefits and beauty of springtime wherever you are! At this time of the year we usually publish a KGAP newsletter but this year we have chosen to send a simple letter with a short update from Chaculá and an appeal for a specific purpose based on the current conditions in Guatemala.
First, I would like to inform you that I was unable to visit the community in January due to a family concern and we also had to cancel our March delegation due to the coronavirus. Since early March the Guatemala borders have been closed and communities are on lock-down. Fortunately, so far there are no cases of the virus in Chacula.
Recently we have been able to communicate with various leaders in the community. Teachers have informed us that Guatemalan high school students, as in many other parts of the world, are continuing their studies online. As you can imagine, this is at times very challenging in rural communities like Chaculá, but the teachers have assured us that our scholarship students are working diligently to stay on track. In Chaculá, the Instituto Básico teachers continue to communicate with their middle school students, distributing assignments and copies of materials when possible. Again, this is very challenging because even acquiring paper for copying is difficult due to the quarantine.
The health promoters, nurses, and midwives who staff the Chaculá Health Clinic have received part of the annual KGAP emergency fund and anticipate using it to address critical needs that emerge from this crisis in the months ahead. They have communicated that the most pressing issue right now is FOOD INSECURITY and have applied some of this KGAP emergency fund to purchase food for many families in dire circumstances. The teachers have also confirmed this critical need for basic food supplies and have described how the various committees and leaders are coordinating efforts to donate, purchase, and distribute food where most needed in the community.
Recently KGAP received a generous donation from Jane Benton, Youth Initiative High School senior. Jane coordinated a fundraiser for KGAP in anticipation of her participation on the March delegation to Chaculá and she raised $1,911! Since we were not able to go this year, Jane has generously donated her fund for emergency medical needs and FOOD SECURITY. We are very grateful to Jane and this has inspired us to strive to increase the fund NOW and collaborate in addressing these critical needs in Chaculá. With your help we hope to double or triple Jane’s donation.
PLEASE JOIN US IN THIS FUNDRAISING EFFORT FOR FOOD SECURITY AND MEDICAL EMERGENCIES IN CHACULA!
In gratitude and solidarity,
Connie Vanderhyden,
KGAP Coordinator