[spacer height=”20px”]Thanks to several generous donations from Nicolás Fund for Education supporters, the newly formed Nicolás Christian School Worship Band now has instruments, guitar amps, and a choir!  This is a very exciting development that has been on the hearts of Nicolás Christian School students for some time. Devotions are held each day after lunch, and students participate in leading these devotions. Members of our July NFE Impact Team trip will have the first opportunity to hear the worship band as we worship with students and staff.  The July team will be in Guatemala July 21-31.

[spacer height=”20px”]Students and families of VH1 raised their own funds to purchase soccer uniforms for their newly formed soccer team. Juan Samuel, the teacher at the VH1 school, is coaching the soccer team. The village has now started construction of their very own soccer field! The addition of a sports field will undoubtedly be an exciting addition for the students at VH1!

Nicolás Fund for Education is grateful for the generous donations made in response to our 2017 Fulfilling a Dream (FaD) fundraiser! [spacer height=”20px”]Thanks to our supporters, we were able to raise $136,000 that evening to help fund our 2018 academic year! Without your help, many of our NFE students would not have been able to pursue education after the sixth grade. In her talk, Ana Córdova, FaD’s keynote speaker and an NFE graduate, described her years of hard work; perseverance in her pursuit of her educational dreams; and her loyalty to her family. Ana Córdova’s gratitude for her education – a blessing only possible through NFE supporters – delivered a compelling case for the mission of NFE, and we were personally touched by her message. NFE still has work to do to obtain an additional $50K to fully fund the 2018 academic year, but we feel confident that with God’s help and provision we will reach our final goal by December 31.

[spacer height=”20px”]Nicolás Fund for Education is a very lean organization. NFE spends only 6% of our income on fund-raising, and Charity Navigator’s rankings indicate that organizations that spend 10% or less on fund-raising earn their top score for their fund-raising percentage metric.  NFE has no paid USA employees. NFE does contract with grant writers and a virtual assistant who helps our Board organize meetings and communication. In Guatemala, NFE employs a Country Director, Ivan España, to administer our program.  NFE’s Guatemalan employees include our school Principal, Braulio, eight teachers for Nicolás Christian School, two teachers for the remote village of Villa Hortencia 1, a cook, and a security guard. We have contracts with three part-time school bus drivers. Through these employees, NFE now serves over 100 students from six villages in the Ixil region. Almost your entire donation goes directly to student programs and services.  [spacer height=”20px”][spacer height=”20px”] [spacer height=”20px”]To explain our pie chart, the following may be helpful: Teachers and School Staff (32%): Employee salaries, payroll expenses and contracted staff. In Country Management (19%): Ivan España’s contract and related expenses as Country Director for NFE. School Equipment and Supplies (18%): AV equipment, computers, classroom supplies, PE and art supplies, materials for student construction of new desks and chairs for school and building maintenance costs. Transportation (12%): We have contracts with 3 part-time drivers who use their own microbuses to transport students from villages to school and back. Tutoring and Other Village Costs (8%): Remote schools administered by Nicolás Christian School in Villa Hortencia 1 and San Nicolás, and village tutoring of 5th and 6th graders expanded in 2017 to five villages. Fundraising (6%): Transportation for Fulfilling a Dream fundraiser …

[spacer height=”20px”]Nicolás Fund for Education is partnering with Seattle Pacific University this summer in their inventive SPRINT program. SPRINT (Seattle Pacific Reach-out International) provides a variety of international immersion trips for their students designed to help participants engage in issues around community development, justice and reconciliation. Participants have an opportunity to live outside their usual comfort zones and are paired with international specialists devoted to working in their communities. The SPRINT program is facilitated by student leaders under the mentorship of John Perkins Center staff, who serve as advisors for those student leaders. The objectives of the SPRINT experience are to: Explore cross-cultural impact; what is the role for Western Christians in faith-driven global engagements? Examine and apply diverse perspectives to complex subjects. Study the history and culture of the host country. Discover Christian faith-driven leadership and community development practices. Learn principles of Christian Community Development as a framework for justice and community development. Critiques the history of Western Christian missions and factors contributing to effective, meaningful short-term mission programs. Nicolás Fund for Education and Nicolás Christian School will be hosting a team of four SPU SPRINT students beginning August 1, 2017 and students will be staying in the Ixil region for four weeks. They will be staying in both Nebaj and in the village of La Esperanza.  The SPU SPRINT team will have their orientation in Antigua.  The team will stop for a visit to Chichicastenango on their way up to Nebaj. During their stay, the SPRINT team will stay at a hotel in Nebaj so that they are close to Nicolás Christian School during the week.  The team’s main task, while they are in Nebaj, will be facilitating …

[spacer height=”20px”]Enduring Relationships Develop Between Team Members & Villagers Our teams have traveled to La Esperanza for more than a dozen years, and in that time enduring relationships of love and trust have been made between team members and villagers. One such relationship emerged between an anonymous team member and Juana, a widow in the village. Juana is the adopted mother of Bernabé. Juana has been doing her best to raise Bernabé as a single mom. On each of the anonymous donor’s trips to the Ixil, he would make a point to seek out Juana to give a special word of encouragement. Bernabé’s Life Seemed Destined for Trouble In the past few years, Bernabé’s life seemed destined for trouble and this has been a source of great pain for Juana. She prayed for a solution. Bernabé was frequently truant from school and eventually dropped out altogether, had fallen in with a “bad crowd” and was both disrespectful and physically and emotionally abusive to Juana.Bernabé had been in 4th grade for 3 years prior to dropping out. Fincas are Fertile Ground for Gang Recruitment Bernabé was traveling to the fincas (plantation farms) to work for periods as long as five months, and fincas are fertile ground for gang recruitment. On Bernabé’s last trip to the fincas, he returned with no money and no explanation. This came at a particularly difficult time for Juana, as she has developed a severe eye condition that causes pain when she is exposed to bright sunlight. This eye condition was making it impossible for Juana to plant or harvest crops. NFE Recognized This Problem and Devised a Plan Our Nicolás Fund for Education National Director, Ivan España, recognized this problem and devised a plan. Nicolás Fund for Education began providing an NFE personal tutor for Bernabé to help him catch up with the school that …

[spacer height=”20px”]The families that Nicolás Fund for Education serves all have one Spanish word in common: superado. This word means that they have overcome or improved their condition in life. It is easy to forget that their lives were in peril only a few decades ago. From 1960 to 1996, the Ixil people were targeted for genocide by the Guatemalan Army.  Leftist guerillas fighting the Guatemalan Army also targeted the Ixil for supposedly siding with the enemy. The Ixil were caught in between and suffered mightily. Those of you who have traveled to the Ixil with an Impact Team have probably noticed that there are almost no old men to be seen, as most of them were killed during the war years. How and why did this happen? According to the Holocaust Museum Houston, Guatemala, “…was once at the heart of the remarkable Mayan civilization, which flourished until the 10th century AD. When Spanish explorers conquered this region in the 16th century, the Mayans became slaves in their own homeland. They are still the underprivileged majority of Guatemala’s population. Civil war existed in Guatemala since the early 1960s due to inequalities existing in the economic and political life. In the 1970s, the Maya began participating in protests against the repressive government, demanding greater equality and inclusion of the Mayan language and culture. In 1980, the Guatemalan army instituted “Operation Sophia” which aimed at ending insurgent guerrilla warfare by destroying the civilian base in which they hid. This program specifically targeted the Mayan population who were believed to be supporting the guerilla movement. Over the next three years, the army destroyed 626 villages, killed or “disappeared” more than 200,000 people and displaced …

[spacer height=”20px”]Please come and join us for our Nicolás Fund for Education Fulfilling a Dream dessert event on May 6th at 7:00 pm! Our event will be held at Evergreen Covenant Church, 3200 78th Ave SE, Mercer Island, WA 98040 in the Sanctuary. [spacer height=”20px”]This year, Nicolás Christian School graduate, Ana Córdova Cedillo, will be our featured speaker. Ana Córdova’s story is one of perseverance and hard work, devotion to helping her family and exceptional achievement. In addition to being named the #1 pea farmer in the Ixil region, Ana Córdova was top of her 2017 class and had the best grades in the entire school at Nicolás Christian School. Ana Córdova is now attending the University of San Carlos in their weekend school program. Ana Córdova is from Casa 14 in La Bendición and her proud parents are Catarina Cedillo López and Juan Córdova de la Cruz. She has 4 sisters: Mat (married adult), Magdalena, Juanita (2017 NCS graduate now pursuing art studies) and Natividad (7th grader at NCS). Presentations at the event will bring you up to speed on the phenomenal progress achieved with your donations. Did you know that NFE is now serving more than 100 students in 2017! One of the delightful features of our Fulfilling a Dream event is that all our desserts are homemade and donated by a fantastic team of NFE supporters. Would you like to join their number and contribute some delicious baked goods? Contact Becci Merritt below to sign up! This event has also become an excellent opportunity to reconnect with NFE and JWAV supporters across the years. Catch up with friends from past Impact Teams! We are a community of love …

San Nicolás Students from left to right, Nicolás Jacab, Jesus Eliseo and Francisco Ezequiel [spacer height=”20px”]Nicolás Fund for Education is delighted to announce that an anonymous sponsor has been found for three 7th grade students from the village of San Nicolás to attend Nicolás Christian School this year!  In the photo, the San Nicolás students are meeting with Professor Braulio Bach from Nicolás Christian School to discuss the plans.  These are the first students from San Nicolás to attend our school. NFE is now serving six villages in the region: La Bendición, La Esperanza, Villa Hortencia Uno, Belén, Los Angeles and San Nicolás. NFE Tutoring is taking place in La Esperanza (Ana Otilia is the tutor there), La Bendición (Antonio Eber is the tutor), Belén (Domingo Marvín is the tutor), VH1 (Pedro Davíd is the tutor) and in San Nicolás (Petronila Tabita is the tutor). If our school and all our programs are combined, NFE serves over 100 students now! In the photo, the San Nicolás students are meeting with Professor Braulio Bach from Nicolás Christian School to discuss the plans. These are the first students from San Nicolás to attend our school. NFE is now serving six villages in the region: La Bendición, La Esperanza, Villa Hortencia Uno, Belén, Los Angeles and San Nicolás. NFE Tutoring is taking place in La Esperanza (Ana Otilia is the tutor there), La Bendición (Antonio Eber is the tutor), Belén (Domingo Marvín is the tutor), VH1 (Pedro Davíd is the tutor) and in San Nicolás (Petronila Tabita is the tutor). If our school and all our programs are combined, NFE serves over 100 students now! NFE is now serving six villages in the …

[spacer height=”20px”]It is well established that students succeed in their education when caring adults in the school are involved. Certainly, the teachers employed by Nicolás Christian School are of the highest caliber and genuinely do care for our NFE scholars. Students who feel connected to their school also perform better and are less susceptible to risky behaviors such as drug use, early sex or crime.  We want our students to feel that they “belong to” and have pride in Nicolás Christian School. What can NFE supporters personally do to create a culture of connectedness to Nicolás Christian School and help our students feel cared for? Participate in Impact Team trips to personally meet and encourage the students. Attend monthly prayer meetings to pray for each student by name and for staff at Nicolás Christian School. Develop a personal relationship with a particular student and family through sponsorship.  Obviously, this is best accomplished through Impact Team trips but other means of communication is under development with NFE. For example, Zoom video conferencing is available so that you can have a personal conversation with a student. Sponsor to student written communication can be carried by the three teams traveling to the school.  NFE does not permit the giving of gifts to individual students, however. Your provision of education is the most important gift that you could ever give a student. We want ALL students to feel cared for.  Work with other friends in a project to prepare greeting cards with encouraging messages or scripture bookmarks for all of our students. These cards or bookmarks would be carried to the school by Impact Teams.  This is a great project for a small group or …