idealist.org

Dear friends,

El Nahual Community Center is reaching a critical juncture in our development as an organization. Thanks to support from donations and dedicated fundraising efforts, we were able to purchase a plot of land near our current location on the outskirts of Quetzaltenango back in 2007. This land is the site of our future community center, which we are building day by day, brick by brick. Having our own building will ensure that we will no longer lose a substantial portion of our income every month, as we rent our present location. We are committed to expanding our current programming in this new building, which will house the Manos de Colores El Nahual after-school program, an accelerated primary school for adults who never had the opportunity to complete their formal education, a free or low-cost primary school for local children, a family health clinic, a free public sports field, a community garden and kitchen, and workshops for the community on skilled trades, nutrition, and microenterprise, among other things. Our philosophy is ¨education for social development¨, and we are dedicated to serving these children and families through the thoughtful, creative, and innovative instruction they may not otherwise receive.

However, we cannot accomplish any of these important objectives without your help. Construction of our new building has progressed to the point where we need to purchase items of substantial cost and size in order to continue building. These basic necessities include doors, windows, flooring, a roof, and walls. We are asking for any help you and your friends and family are able to give us. One door costs US$230; a meter of tile flooring is US$60. Once again, we must stress that without the installation of the above listed items, construction cannot continue. Please consider donating as much as you can, and asking your friends and family to do the same. If 10 people you know decide to give just $10 each, the construction of the new El Nahual Community Center comes closer and closer to completion!

For your ease we have established an online Click & Pledge system, which you can access via the following link: http://www.languageselnahual.com/svprogram.htm. This allows you to calculate the total costs of your donations in US dollars and wire the money directly to us via a secure server. Please note that we are charged administrative fees for the use of this online system, so we ask that you calculate 6% over your total sum in order to cover these fees (example: for a $50 total donation please pay $55 to ensure we are not charged). For those who prefer not to wire money, we can also accept checks in dollars or quetzales. Simply send your post via airmail to:

Asociación de Centro Idiomas El Nahual, 27 Avenida 8-68, Zona 1, Quetzaltenango, Guatemala

We thank you for all of your help as we continue to expand our programs and offer creative, thoughtful instruction and social support to families in Quetzaltenango. We could not continue this important work without the ongoing support of our incredibly dedicated and talented group of volunteers and staff.