The challenges of receiving an education are especially difficult in Guatemalan villages like San Martín, where money is scarce and children are often needed to work in the fields or tend to siblings. Illiteracy rates reach 80%.

In San Martín, many children who do have the opportunity to be in school struggle because they speak Mám in their home, rather than Spanish which is spoken in school. Parents often cannot read and are unable to assist with studies, and there is limited access to textbooks and school supplies.

El Centro de Estudios (Study Center) being launched this summer provides the children of San Martín with a comfortable, safe place to study, read, do their homework, and talk with one another about books and ideas. With donations and small grants, we have begun to furnish the Study Center and have purchased school texts and materials.

Of course, to make the study center complete, we must also fund the instructor who supervises the room and assists the children. The chosen instructor -- a young woman whose education was supported through PEX ("Proyecto Educativo de Xela Aid"), the Xela Aid tuition program -- recently graduated with a teaching certificate. Juana Lopez Gomez reads and writes both Spanish and Mám, knows the children in the village, and wants to work with us to develop programs whereby the children can work with one another and can use El Centro de Estudios to its fullest advantage.

We thank the following individuals who have generously sponsored the launch of El Centro de Estudios, so far:

The Ehlers Family (room sponsor)

John and Carol Dickensen (library sponsors)

Sponsors, so far, of teacher and supplies:

Leslie C. Baer

Maury and Helen Basile

Ellen Caldwell

Elizabeth Fontaine

Diana Guerin

Susan M. Hunter

Judi Jorge

Michael Kiger

Don Kiger

Sandra Peterson

Carolyn Winters-Hazelton

We understand how easily our hearts (and wallets) can get pulled in many important directions. We hope that this project may touch you, and we invite you to send any contributions that you are able (one-time or annual gifts) to provide a salary for the instructor and to assist with additional books and supplies. At the time of this mailing, we are less than $700 away from having funding on hand for a full year!

Checks should be made out to Xela Aid, with "El Centro de Estudios" indicated n the memo line of the check, and mailed to: Sheryl Fontaine English Department California State University, Fullerton Fullerton, CA 92834. (Soon, you will be able to make a contribution specific to El Centro de Estudios online.)

Sheryl I. Fontaine at sfontaine@Exchange.FULLERTON.EDU

Debi Lyn Esquivel at desquivel@fullerton.edu

Coordinators, El Centro de Estudios