Dear Friends:
Hoping that this finds you well, we wish that our midyear letter to you could capture all the news and updates we have. To see those and to become a true MEF Insider, please sign up for our E-bulletins and follow us on MEF’s social media, all found at www.mayaedufound.org
2024 MEF Highlights so far include:
56 students, formerly in two other MEF programs, are now being served by our own staff under the administrative umbrella of CIRMA in Antigua, Guatemala. We are very grateful to CIRMA’s leadership and accounting department and excited about this new collaborative venture called Programa de Becas Mayas MEF. We look forward to a large MEF student gathering this month. More on that soon.
• We thank the Daniele Agostino Derossi Foundation for underwriting 30 university scholarships this year for Maya students in Guatemala and Mexico. In memory of an exceptional person, they will be known as the Joan Robinson Scholarships. Joan, who was their foundation’s VP, dedicated much of her life to helping people in need.
• This year marks 20 years of ELP-Guatemala. That is a proud achievement and we salute our amazing and intrepid English Language Program volunteers who are already preparing for the next course in Antigua. We thank everyone involved in the program which would not exist without its creators and leaders Jane and Bob Greenberg, in coordination with Armando Alfonzo, Laurie Levinger, Lianne Moccia, and Randhi Wilson. If you’d like to show them and all the volunteers your appreciation, consider a special gift and mark it “for ELP”. Stay tuned about more on ELP-Guatemala and ELP-online in our next E-Bulletin.
• We feel honored that Yax Te’ Books selected MEF to receive a donation of their remaining stock of great Maya books by Gaspar Pedro González, Victor Montejo, and Fernando Peñalosa. We will leverage the books to raise funds. Therefore, if you are interested in any of the titles (see info at www.mayaedufound. org), just contact us. Thank you, Hana Muzika Kahn for making this happen.
As you can imagine, summer is a rather quiet time for donations but we hope you will want to make a midyear charitable contribution in support of Maya students anyway, especially since students in Mexico and Belize start off their next academic cycle at this time of the year. These students are counting on us. To counter the summer lull, we’ll inject some excitement by entering each donation that we receive between June 1 and August 31, 2024 in a MEF Tombola. In early September, after all August donations are in, fifteen names will be drawn at random to receive a Yax Te’ book of their choice. Make sure to include your contact information so we can let you know if you have won. The scholarship students who are able to continue their studies because of your support are already winners. On the next page, you’ll see some of these Maya students. Thank you!
Meet Some of our Current Students
You can see many more throughout the year on our social media at www.mayaedufound.org
Akisha is a second-year student. Her dream is to become a teacher, inspired by her belief that the younger generation holds the key to the future and will be the voice of tomorrow.
Give young people in Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize a chance by supporting their education.
José Domingo is already in his practice year, studying for a Licenciatura degree in zootechnics in Guatemala’s Alta Verapaz province.
Yoselin studies environmental management engineering and is a Diane Nelson scholar. She also attended ELP.
Damian is studying sociology in Chiapas. He is researching the role of local youth in the process of social change. He wants to guide more young people to participate and to become changemakers.
Marta Cristina recently graduated with a Licenciatura degree in social work. She is from Todos Santos Cuchumatán and so happy to have reached her goal after years of working hard.
