GVI Phoenix Project

Facts and figures

On an annual basis we aim to provide:
First time education or educational reinforcement to almost 2000 children in primary school
Secondary education to over 200 children and adults
Employment to over 75 local people; more-so indirectly
100 energy saving wood-burning stoves and 15,000 trees planted
Around 100,000 teaching hours
Over 500,000 pieces of fruit
1,000’s of pens, pencils, pencil sharpeners, colouring pencils, work-books and erasers
Over 300,000 whole or subsidized meals
Daily education in 16 communities across Latin America
Direct benefits to over 500 families

Sunday, June 15, 2008

4th Anniversary in Santa María de Jesús, Guatemala

Time flies in Guatemala, and to celebrate our 4th Anniversary in Santa María, the parents wanted to do it in style.

Since January, they got together and started to put aside a little money that they could from the harvests to make sure that the day, celebrated on 13th June (the anniversary is on 14th), would be one to remember!

I wasn't to know, although apparently all the volunteers this year have been in on it, and I was summoned to a "meeting" with Santiago and the fathers to discuss crops.
All the parents of the children were there, having been preparing since the early hours, along with the volunteers, making tortillas, Pepián and decorating.

The children, after weeks of practise, performed poems and excellent folkloric dances, continuing our tradition of keeping indigenous culture to the fore.

Speeches were made and a beautiful "tejido" was presented.

Then the food was distributed to everyone, more than 200 people: over 1000 tortillas were made and pepián for everyone. And we musn't forget the rum...yep, it flowed!

An amazing day and thanks, primarily to the parents of the children, Santiago and Petronilla, and also thanks to the many volunteers we have had over the past four years, to make the Santa María project so special, and we look forward to the next four years, and even longer!