Guatemala: Rincon de los Planes
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Guatemala |
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Rincon de los Planes Background - In 2000, we began purchasing coffee from a small group of 75 farmers who live in the Mataquescuintla region. Being a certified organic farm, we knew that Los Planes was already environmentally conscious and have since helped them to become as socially responsible as well. 2001 - This year was spent constructing a new school known as the Doña Barbara. 2002 - The school officially opened after construction finished in May (see picture). The annual budget also allocated money to cover teachers’ salaries, school supplies, and to ensure that the school is properly maintained. RCF committed to funding a breakfast and lunch meal program for all students as well. Total spent: $20,000 2003 - In 2003, two more classrooms were built to expand the Doña Barbara school. (The community decided to name the school after Barbara Rogers.) An additional room was added to the one-room clinic and medicine and a computer were bought to equip it (see picture). To continue upgrading local nutritional levels, the Community Aid program began planning to help purchase cows so that students would have access to fresh milk. Meals and school supplies continued to be supplied to Doña Barbara. Rather than continue to expand the Doña Barbara, construction began on a new, six room school known as San Francisco in the neighboring community. 2004 - Two new schools opened this year in the San Francisco and Zarzal communities that replaced the exposed sheds that had been serving as classrooms (see pictures on next page). For the San Francisco community, funding finally made a breakfast and lunch meal program possible (see pictures on next page). At Doña Barbara support for the lunch/dinner meal plan was continued, and bookshelves, cubbyholes, additional desks, and educational materials were supplied. Aid was also allocated to maintain San Francisco’s newly tiled medical clinic and to pay a doctor to provide one year’s worth of service to the community. Because each school also functions as a community-wide clinic, after the new school was completed, the Zarzal community also received funds to cover a doctor’s salary. Total spent: $42,750 2005 - 2006 - The Zarzal school opened and a meal plan was begun for its students. The meal program in place at the Doña Barbara and San Francisco schools was continued as well. Financial support was also provided to meet the needs of each community’s school and clinic. Total spent: $39,795 |
