CONGRATULATIONS TO THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROGRAM-GUATEMALA VOLUNTEERS!
Dear Friends of MEF:
2024 marks 20 years of ELP-Guatemala. This is indeed a proud achievement and we salute all our amazing English language volunteer teachers. We thank everyone involved in the success of the English Language Program over the years, especially its original creators and leaders Jane and Bob Greenberg, in coordination with Armando Alfonzo, Laurie Levinger, Lianne Moccia, and Randhi Wilson, as well as our support staff in Guatemala.
During the pandemic, as you may remember, ELP saw a successful pivot to online English classes, thanks to Randhi who partnered our students with the Beaverton Literacy Council (BLC), a local nonprofit in Oregon. Now our Maya students can take advantage of twice weekly ESL classes online with professional ESL instructors, in addition to the 2-week English immersion in Antigua.
English is required for many majors and extremely helpful for professional development for all our scholarship students. Some thoughts from Randhi: “The ELP volunteers and the BLC instructors have noticed and commented on a major increase in confidence in these students. It was very gratifying last ELP, because in the past, the students have been so shy to interact with those outside of their comfort zones, i.e., anyone who wasn’t Maya. This lack of worldview and fear really holds them back in the world, in my opinion. So, their comfort and confidence level with their learning and with those outside their world was stunning and so cool. In the BLC classes, they are thrown into interacting with people from all over the world. In my class alone, there are students from S Korea, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Ukraine, Thailand and Iran. We are entering into our 3rd year with the Beaverton Literary Council classes in Oregon, and it’s been obvious to many the impact these classes have had on our students. Not only are their English skills greatly improved with consistent long-term classes, but the majority show an amazing uplevel in confidence in their English learning.”
MEF thanks all volunteers, past and present for this amazing outreach to benefit Maya students.
Our annual fundraiser is now underway for ELP-online and for ELP-Guatemala. If you’d like to show your appreciation to the fabulous volunteers and want to support the participation of our hardworking Maya students, please consider making a special contribution “for ELP.” $65 covers a student for online for a year, $250 covers the homestay of a student for two weeks in Antigua. THANK YOU!
Sincerely,
Elisabeth S. Nicholson
My name is Elvia Verónica, I am 18 years old, my native language is Kaqchikel, I also speak Spanish. I study on a MEF scholarship and am in my second semester towards a Licenciatura in Computer Systems Technology at the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala. The important changes that I have had in my life are academic, social, personal, family development, advanced knowledge about technology, improvement of academic skills. I participated in the intensive English course ELP 2023, in Antigua Guatemala, it was a very good experience because I learned to read in English, grammar, and how to pronounce words correctly.
Marvin Jerónimo is a MEF scholarship recipient, studying the second year of the Licenciatura in Medicine. He had the opportunity to participate in the ELP 2023 program and is studying online in the BLC program.
Vivian Roxana is also a MEF scholarship recipient, studying first year of the Licenciatura in Medicine. It is the first time that she has participated in the two-week course where she was able to take advantage of studying the English language in the best way, because the volunteer teachers’ native language is English. She was able to learn pronunciation, writing and reading correctly. She is currently studying online in the BLC program.
Sandy María is a MEF scholarship recipient, studying in her 4th year towards a Nursing degree. She participated for the second time in ELP 2023 in Antigua and is currently also studying in the BLC program. She shared her experiences with us. Sandy is excited and encouraged to continue learning this language. It will be her third language since she already speaks the Mayan language Awakateko and Spanish.
THANK YOU FOR HELPING MAYA STUDENTS LEARN ENGLISH AND FOR SUPPORTING THEM WITH YOUR DONATIONS TO MEF.
In case you did not yet see it, here is a link to our midyear letter.
Donating to MEF is easy, by check or by phone. For safe, online donations, one-time or recurring, please go to www.mayaedufound.org and click on the orange Donate Now. Our partner Network for Good will process your donations to MEF securely and quickly and give you an instant e-receipt. Consider becoming a recurring donor. Your regular, tax-deductible contributions to MEF, even modest amounts, will add up and make a difference in the lives of Maya students. And, remember that you can also donate stocks or IRA/401-K required distributions to MEF. Thank you.
