Heading toward our 15th year in operation, Xela Aid is in an
exciting growth phase. This year, we expanded our clinic staff,
founded a preschool, grew our educational sponsorship program,
and much more...including launching this electronic newsletter
and a new website. We hope you will enjoy hearing from us in
this format which will allow us to be in touch more often while
reducing costs. We are proud to be able to get a full 95 cents
of each dollar contributed to the people we serve who need it
most. Read on, enjoy, and click through! (Note that you'll need
to enable html viewing and, in some cases, be online to see
images.)
CLINIC BRINGS RELIEF, HOPE
Readily available health care is relieving some of the
burdens of post-Stan life
Since it opened five days a week earlier this year, Xela
Aid's June Russel-Glennon Clinic has served more than a
thousand people in the San Martín area. Topping the list of
ailments treated have been parasites and bacterial
infections, especially in the wake of Hurricane Stan which
struck last fall. The midwifery practice has been booming.
Dozens of babies have been delivered by Nueva Alianza
cooperative midwives in homes, and three were born in the
clinic in the past several months. In July, Direct Relief
International delivered a generous shipment of medicines and
equipment for which U.S.-based Xela Aid and our partner
organization Asociación Xela Aid (Guatemala) are exceedingly
grateful. The clinic has been dubbed locally, "Centro de
Apoyo Comunal" (Communal Health Center). The clinic got a
new room and received tender-loving maintenance during this
summer's group trip (see related story following and click
through to see our gallery of photos).
The new facility delivers learning, a safe play environment
and hot meals to some of Guatemala's neediest toddlers
Thanks to the generosity of Xela Aid supporters, the efforts
of Amalia Vasquez, Xela Aid Coordinator in San Martín; and a
seed grant from the Guatemalan government, Xela Aid was able
in January of this year to launch "San Martín Tots" Pre-
school ("Guardaria San Martín"). The facility offers care,
instruction and hot meals for pre-elementary-age children
each weekday in a circular classroom which is the next
evolution of a structure used for more than eight years as a
weaving cooperative (designed by Wolfram Alderson and
donated by June Russel-Glennon). Children learn about
traditional subjects as well as hygiene, get to enjoy the
"Raquel Vargas and Friends Playground," a safe and
supervised environment; and receive two hot meals each day
in a kitchen facility sponsored by Mel Dinkel. In a pueblo
where pre-schoolers have never had the opportunity to get a
head start on learning, mothers are overburdened and meals
are commonly delayed or missed, the new preschool is
tremendously appreciated. Our thanks to these donors and
others who are supporting San Martín Tots.
A diversity of projects kept volunteers happily engaged
A distribution of educational funds, construction, repairs,
organizing medicines, painting and Spanish study were some
of the activities of the more than 20 Xela Aid volunteers
who served over a month-long period this summer. Notably, a
full traditional kitchen was added to the clinic facility to
accommodate the caretaker family living there. Storage space
was greatly expanded, with shelves being installed and
filled immediately with medicines and supplies kindly
provided by Direct Relief International. Plans are already
underway for Xela Aid's 15th Anniversary Summer Trip (see
Quick Link above, left) which promises to be filled with
special surprises. Join us! Photo: Volunteer Hillary with
PEX- sponsored Oscar Garcia. The two worked with other Xela
Aid volunteers and villagers to organize medicines on just-
installed shelves in the storage room.
Xela Aid is partnering with community leaders to help make
San Martín a model town
Unsightly, and sometimes dangerous waste can be found along
streets in rural Guatemala. Until recently, there were no
public trash cans in San Martín Chiquito. During this
summer's trip our volunteers changed that with the
installation of the village's first trash can directly in
front of the Clinic. It's a sturdy, steel can with supports
cemented into the ground, and with hinges for easy emptying.
Local community leaders will install additional trash cans
at key locations as we fund them. Our goal is 30 across the
town by the end of 2006.
Great design and navigation make it easy to learn about Xela
Aid and how to make a difference
If you haven't clicked through yet, please do so you can
enjoy Xela Aid's new website. Web consultant and friend of
Xela Aid Laura Bokesch out did herself with her beautiful
design and navigation. On the new site, you can read in
greater detail about all the projects featured here, and
more, or even donate your old cell phone or car to support
Xela Aid's work. Also, look for galleries of photos and
ideas for volunteering all year long like hosting events,
assembling infant packs with project coordinator Alana
Jolley, and more.
Long-time participant will be first from San Martín to
graduate from college
More than 50 children sponsored for school expenses through
Xela Aid's PEX program received their assistance in July.
Grateful parents thanked all PEX sponsors ("padrinos" and
"madrinos") and praised the program for the difference it's
making in the number of children who are able to read and
write in the village. The decade-old program is paying big
dividends this year, as several young women progress in
technical schools (secretarial, administration and nursing)
and one young man will graduate from college. This December,
Oscar Garcia - eldest son of Midwife- Weaver Amalia Vasquez
- will receive a civil engineering degree. Oscar will become
the first native Mám speaker from San Martín ever to
graduate from Xela's private college! On a sad note, PEX
lost two youngsters this summer who left the village to seek
employment in the United States. One can hope that the years
each child had in school as a result of PEX sponsorship
helped prepare them for the challenges of their journey, and
those challenges they will surely face in months and years
to come. (Several children have already applied for the open
spots and more information is soon to come regarding the
full list of children wishing to be sponsored.) In a village
where some children don't go to school at all, and few
children stay in school beyond fourth or fifth grade, all
PEX sponsors should be proud of what they are making
possible. Heartfelt thanks to each of you for your
commitment.
You've read about some of the exciting progress Xela Aid volunteers
and Asociación Xela Aid partners in Guatemala have been able to make
so far this year. In the aftermath of Hurricane Stan last October,
and skyrocketing oil prices that have driven the cost of essential
goods to all- time highs, conditions in Guatemala are extremely
challenging. The assistance we are delivering is more needed than
ever, and is being made possible through the generosity of
supporters like you. We thank you, and hope you will share Xela
Aid's good news with others (made easy below, left, with a
forwarding link.)
