Sailfest 2023 February 12 to 27th., two weeks of fun!
Tentative schedule of events is posted here
Projects so far:
Colegio Bachilleres Coacoyul – new bathrooms for the boys are almost complete and the new classroom is ready for the roof.
The kitchen is fully operational thanks to Cindy and Terry for their donation of equipment.
28 laptops were purchased for students who would never be able to afford them with the proceeds from the home music concerts as well as fund the music program Music in my Zihua for another year. The concerts will begin again in late October or early November.
Primary School Pestalozzi received new blackboards, Frida Kahlo Secondary received new toilets, a water tank and paint to refurbish the school. The parents paid for the labor and construction of the new bathrooms. We like cooperative projects like this!
Kindergarten in Colonia La Joya above Centenario de la Revolución has 3 shiny new classrooms.
Good news- Today we met with our mayor Jorge Sanchez Allec to review the projects needed this year. Of 52 requests we selected 20 to visit and then prioritize 3 or 4 for completion. Jorge generously upped his donation of half a million pesos to match whatever we spend so we will be able to complete far more projects than we anticipated.
It has been unseasonably cool at night here with temperatures dropping to 18 degrees C or 64 degrees F. On May 8 I saw the first lighting and found a land crab on my lawn and a SAPO toad in the yard. He was just a baby only about 6 inches long! The heat has been turned on and the rains are near! These cute little guys are very poisonous to dogs.
We have 18 students who have really high marks who are graduating from high school and have no hope of attending university without our help. I think it is criminal if a bright young student ends up selling tortillas or working in the market when they could become professionals with just a little financial help. A state university, and we have two of them in our area, costs less than 20 USD per month plus books, transportation and meals. Fees can be paid monthly or annually via our website.
Anahi has two years left and thinks she will have to leave school because she is struggling financially. She has a 9.6 grade point average out of 10. She is just one of many. The sacrifices these kids have made already just to stay in school are incredible. So close to the end but yet so far.
You can even choose your student from a variety of profiles. It is heartbreaking when a student who really wants to better themselves can’t afford to do so.
