[spacer height=”20px”]Facing Challenges Many of us remember feeling quite insecure and overwhelmed when we entered 7th grade. Nicolás Fund for Education scholars are no different! Our NFE scholars also have an added challenge of coming from primary schools with far fewer resources than more urban schools. We even found out a few years ago that the villages of La Bendición and La Esperanza did not even have textbooks! (Thanks to a generous NFE supporter, we were able to supply those two village primary schools with their first set of primary school textbooks.) Innovation at Work In our first few years of operation, we noticed that our NFE scholars really struggled to keep up academically in the first few months of 7th grade. With extensive after school tutoring provided through NFE and lots of hard work on the part of the students, the students eventually caught up. Our Country Director, Ivan España, searched for a better plan that would be less stressful for students and would be more cost-effective for NFE. Thanks to the work of Ivan España, Nicolás Fund for Education subsequently developed a program three years ago called Winter School to help prepare our 7th-gradestudents for academic success. While Winter School camps are more common in urban Guatemala, this concept is new in the Ixil region. Winter School is four weeks long and takes place in November after the academic year ends at the end of October. Making the Grade This year, Winter School took place on our Nicolás Christian School campus and involved students from five villages! Eighteen 6th grade students attended winter school. Computer, English, and language skills are the focus of Winter School. We have definitely …
Thank you to our #GivingTuesday Donors and Volunteers!
Thank you to all our volunteer social media ambassadors that participated in #GivingTuesday! And a really BIG thank you to the donors who responded! We raised $6,250 (some matching funding still pending may increase that number) that day because of your generosity. Those donations will help to provide quality education for Ixil youth that will enable them to compete economically, politically and to better provide for their future families. It is not too late to donate! Donations are very welcome. You can donate at Nicolás Fund for Education.
Thank You to our Donors, Supporters and Prayer Warriors
[spacer height=”20px”]At the conclusion of our first year of operating Nicolás Christian School, and the 5th year of NFE’s existence, we want to give thanks to God and to those people who helped make it all possible: our donors, supporters, and prayer warriors! You have faithfully partnered with God in his plan to lift the Ixil region out of poverty through educating Ixil youth. This year alone, eight students have graduated from high school, one student graduated from weekend school and one student graduated from her distance learning program!! May we all continue to listen and follow God’s plan for our work in 2017! We wish all of you a hope-filled New Year!
Nicolás Fund for Education Explores Social Entrepreneurship
[spacer height=”20px”]Social entrepreneurship occurs when individuals and companies develop, fund and implement innovative solutions to social, cultural, or environmental issues. [spacer height=”20px”]One example of a social entrepreneur is 2006 Nobel Peace Prize recipient Muhammed Yunis, the man that popularized the micro-lending concept in India to provide small loans to poor women to start small businesses. His objective was to help poor people escape from poverty by providing loans on terms they could understand and manage, and by teaching them a few sound financial principles so they could better manage their finances. Social entrepreneurs must have a good understanding of how a problem impacts people, particularly the marginalized and poor, in order to develop creative solutions and identify available resources to solve those problems.[spacer height=”20px”] [spacer height=”20px”]Unlike traditional businesses, the goal is not profit making but instead to provide solutions that benefit society. If there are any profits, those are usually reinvested to expand the business to serve more people. Businesses must be designed to be financially and ecologically sustainable, however. Global organizations have developed to support and encourage innovation and leadership through social entrepreneurship. [spacer height=”20px”]These organizations offer technological and business consulting expertise to create comprehensive, well researched, successful small business plans. These organizations can provide start-up capital, promote networking, collaboration, and partnerships and assist with media communications to tell the story effectively, to teach and to promote greater impact. In November, NFE Vice Chair Kathy Riper, NFE Treasurer Lolo Levy and her sister Sara Wells and team member Dave McKnew met with Andy Lieberman to learn more about social entrepreneurship opportunities in Guatemala. [spacer height=”20px”]Mr. Lieberman is employed by Santa Clara University in California, which has a commitment to …
July Trip Registration
[spacer height=”20px”]We are now accepting applications for our July 21-31, 2017 Impact Trip. [spacer height=”20px”]The application and enrollment instructions can be found here. We will be hosting a regional Teacher Professional Development workshop on this trip, so educators are especially encouraged to come on this trip. If you have never been on a mission trip, an experience like this will deepen your relationship with God as you serve him, as well as creating lasting relationships with our NFE scholars and your fellow team members. Make this your 2017 New Year’s Resolution!
NFE Textile Sale December 4th
[spacer height=”20px”]Come and join us! [spacer height=”20px”]NFE is having a special event on December 4th at 11:30 am where Guatemalan and Mexican textiles will be sold at Evergreen Covenant Church in the Fellowship Hall. NFE has a special friend, Hazuki Camp, participating in our sale. Hazuki used to attend ECC when she was attending school in Seattle. Hazuki volunteered at Agros during that time. She is from Chiapas, Mexico where Agros has villages. Hazuki now lives in Beaverton, OR with her husband and three young children. She works with Trebol, which is a coop of women who make beautiful, handmade leather and embroidered products. Hazuki will be donating a percentage of her proceeds to NFE. Following the Textile sale, a Trip report will take place.
Nicolás Christian School Graduation Held November 15th
[spacer height=”20px”]Ten senior high students graduated from Nicolás Christian School on November 15th in our very first graduation ceremony! Eight students graduated from high school, Juanita graduated from a distance learning program administered through Nicolás Christian School and Juan Ismael graduated from a special weekend básico program (somewhat like a GED) that allows the student to work during the week and attend school on the weekend. Graduates included Ana Cordova, Pedro Davíd, Magdalena Sara, Antonio, Maria Abigail, Andres Israel, Miguel Julio, and Domingo Marvín. Gold honor cords were awarded for academic excellence to Ana Cordova, Magdalena Sara, Pedro Davíd and Miguel Julio. In addition to our graduating high school students, six students graduated from junior high school on the same day. The graduating 9th-grade students are María Yat, Isabel Rebeca, Pedro Isaías, Sylvia Lucrecia, Isabela Elda and Andrés Noé. It will be exciting to follow the progress of these new high school students next year! It was a very worshipful ceremony with praise music and scripture readings. In Guatemala, we were told that it is traditional for graduation ceremonies to name their graduation for a specific person. Nicolás Christian School students chose NFE vice chairperson, Kathy Riper. Kathy gave a short speech expressing her gratitude for what God has achieved through Nicolás Christian School in the lives of the students. A PowerPoint about Kathy’s life was part of the ceremony. Brand new royal blue graduation robes and caps were accented with bright red sashes that had the school logo embroidered on one side and a traditional Ixil weaving pattern embroidered on the other side. Graduates, staff, parents and guests were treated to a sumptuous lunch after the ceremony ended. Several …
Give A Gift That Changes Someone’s Life For The Better!
[spacer height=”20px”]Support Nicolás Fund for Education through the Bellevue Presbyterian Church Alternative Gift Market this Christmas! [spacer height=”20px”]Buy a share of a laptop computer for Nicolás Christian School for $60, or purchase shares of musical and sports equipment for $40/share. (Our dream is to amass enough musical instruments to form a marching band for Nicolás Christian School! ¡Marching bands are muy popular in Guatemala!) AGM shares can be purchased with checks or cash at Bellevue Presbyterian in the lobby on December 4, 11, and 18th. If you buy in the BelPres lobby, you will be given a gift card to share with the gift recipient. Alternatively, AGM purchases can be made online with a credit/debit card. Thank you for your support of NFE! The AGM catalog print version can be picked up at Bellevue Presbyterian Church.
July 2017 Impact Team Trip
Our November team is just about to depart on November 10th to attend and celebrate our student’s graduation ceremonies. Please keep them in your prayers for safe travels and no lost luggage! Our February 2017 Nicolás Fund for Education Impact Team is currently full. Sign Up for the July 2017 Impact Trip [spacer height=”20px”]We are now accepting applications and deposits for our July 21 – 31, 2017 trip . Members of that team will spend time with junior and senior high students at Nicolás Christian School, assist with our Teacher Professional Development Workshop and will visit the student’s villages. For more information, contact Becci with the form below.
Ixil Textile Sale and November Impact Team Report
[spacer height=”20px”]Join us on December 4th at 11:30 am for our Textile Sale to purchase beautiful and colorful hand-woven textiles from Guatemala! [spacer height=”20px”]The textile sale will be in Fellowship Hall at Evergreen Covenant Church on Mercer Island. We will also be hosting July and November Team trip reports that day in addition to the Textile Sale and snacks will be served. Come and hear how our school’s first graduation ceremonies went! The Trip Report will be in ECC’s Fellowship Hall on the second floor. Parking available in the main parking lot, upper parking lot and on the street.
