Rita Nazaret

With the help of our friend, Rebekah Delling, Mayatan is raising awareness of and scholarship support for 8th-grader Rita Nazaret.

Rita's scholarship at Mayatan gives her to chance to overcome her health issues and her parents' financial struggles. She has big dreams that include going to college and becoming a professional--perhaps a psychologist--which is exactly the type of person our community needs.

Rita and her family have been involved in Mayatan since the early days, when her mother taught here, her sister enrolled in one of our first kindergarten classes, and her father started driving the bus to and from nearby Santa Rita. It is important for Rita to find sponsorship now because scholarship opportunities are much more limited in our new high school program, which does not have full funding yet.

Watch the video below, share Rita's story with your friends and family, and contribute if you can at any level. We are using Kapipal and PayPal to pool our resources and make Rita's dreams come true.

Rebekah Delling

I learned about the Mayatan Bilingual school while studying Spanish in Copan Ruinas, Honduras in 2008. The son of my host family was one of its many scholars. So when an opportunity arose to sponsor a campaign, I jumped on it. Now with your help and the help of my massage practice's good works program, we can give Rita the education she deserves.

Thank you in advance for your support of Rita and Mayatan.

Fondly,

Rebekah Delling
Owner/Head Therapist
Words & Bodyworks Massage Therapy

View on Idealist

The Mayatan Foundation, which owns and operates the Mayatan Bilingual School in Honduras, seeks a volunteer fundraising and communications director to start in April 2012 and continue at a minimum until June 2014. Training will be from April to June 2012 with the outgoing Fundraising Director. Applicants must be able to commit to living and working in Honduras for two years.

This is a full-time, paid, volunteer position located in Copán Ruinas, Honduras. It is an excellent opportunity for a multi-talented, adventurous, self-starter to live and work abroad, become part of the local community, and master numerous aspects of running a well-established but small non-profit organization. The Fundraising and Marketing Director will work closely with the school’s academic and administrative directors, development director, accounting staff, and teachers.

Mayatan bilingual school is a non-profit, independent, PK-12th grade school in a Western Honduran town known for its UNESCO World Heritage Mayan ruins. Tourism and coffee production are the main business of the town. Mayatan was founded by local mothers in 1991 as a one-room schoolhouse. Today we teach some 300 students from all economic backgrounds, 45% of whom receive scholarships and the life-changing opportunity to learn English and receive a world-class education. We are affiliated with Hope for Tomorrow, Inc., a 501(c)3 organization in the United States. Our teachers are a combination of a permanent Honduran staff and volunteers from the United States who commit a minimum of one year.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Solicit contributions to the school’s scholarship program and special projects from individuals (tourists, visitors, Hondurans, and foreigners).
• Seek out, solicit, and manage donations or grants from foundations , private companies, and governments (when applicable) from Honduras, the United States, and elsewhere.
• Manage the school’s Learning Abroad at Mayatan program, a study abroad program for foreign high school students, the proceeds of which support scholarships at Mayatan.
• Administer scholarship program, including reviewing applications and selecting recipients with administration, tracking student performance, and reporting to sponsors on student progress.
• Manage relationships with friends, donors, volunteers, and students past and present.
• Manage communications and marketing projects for the school as an extension of fundraising activities and developing donor relationships:

-School website (post photos and write and edit news items, profiles of students seeking sponsors, and general information).
-Facebook.
-Quarterly e-newsletter and occasional e-mail updates.
-General inquiries sent to the school via the website.
-Create and distribute promotional materials (brochures, posters, tourist maps, etc.)
-Create and distribute video slideshows and other multimedia materials to promote the school in general and campaigns for specific students and projects.

• Work with the current Development Director to:

-Maintain contact with current, former, and prospective donors, friends, and volunteers.
-Provide tours of the school to visiting individuals and tour groups.
-Coordinate communications.

• Provide tours of the school to visiting individuals and tour groups.
• Work with other administrative staff and directors to develop and plan long term school projects and special events.
• Report to the Mayatan Foundation board at annual meetings and as necessary.

QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS

Required

• Bachelors degree.
• Fluent in English, with some Spanish skills.
• 2 year commitment to living and working abroad in Central America for a non-profit organization.
• Professional experience or interest in development/fundraising.
• Professional experience or interest in marketing/communications.
• Excellent written and oral communications skills.
• Excellent computer skills, including MS Office, and knowledge of or ability to learn WordPress blogging platform.
• Knowledge of digital design or multimedia tools, such as Photoshop, Gimp, Publisher, Dreamweaver, slideshow and video creation, etc.
• Knowledge of or ability to learn and use online marketing tools (Facebook, YouTube, Vertical Response, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.).
• Self-motivated and capable of setting goals, planning projects, and seeing them through.
• Flexible and able to improvise in difficult or limited circumstances (e.g. power and internet outages).

Ideal

• 2 years or more experience in either fundraising/development or communications/marketing.
• Advanced or fluent in both Spanish and English.
• Some knowledge of web design, multimedia and visual design (digital or print), coding (PHP, CSS, HTML, etc.), or webmastering.
• Interest in pursuing a career in nonprofit administration and fundraising/development.

COMPENSATION

6000 Lempiras ($315) per month salary. Furnished apartment housing provided by the school. Health insurance. Blackberry. Two months summer vacation (half-paid) and 3 weeks winter vacation (paid).  Christmas bonus. Visa renewal.

TO APPLY

Learn about Mayatan's history and working at the school on our website. Send a cover letter, resume, and 2 references to info@mayatanfoundation.org. Your cover letter must discuss your experience or interest in fundraising to be considered. Applicants must be able to commit to two years to apply.

To set the scene, the Mayatan band led the march. Behind them followed the rest of the school, each class wearing a different style of Christmas dress or sporting a banner. In the middle of it all was a truck carrying Santa Claus, who threw out candy to eager kids that lined the sidewalks. Following the march, we gathered in the Central Park for more song and dance. It was a great way to get into the Holiday Spirit before break!

View it online: Mayatan Newsletter December 2011

This was the first run of the Learning Abroad at Mayatan program, which gives teenagers from the United States, Canada, and beyond a chance to spend several weeks volunteering and immersed in Honduran culture. The proceeds from LAM go to student scholarships. By all accounts, it was a tremendous success.

We were lucky to host two amazing students from Ohio, Genna and Marc, who are both in their senior year at a private school there. Although both were in the midst of college application frenzy, they took three weeks during their school's winter service term to travel and volunteer.

While here, Marc and Genna were paired with Mayatan host families. 11th graders Eduardo and Annie were host brothers and sisters to  Marc and Genna, respectively, and the four became fast friends. Throughout the three weeks, they were inseparable. Genna says that she will "always remember Eduardo and Annie because I had so much fun with them everyday after school and every weekend. ... Annie and I got along great from the first hour and became closer during the three weeks." The four teens could always be seen walking to Sarita's for ice cream, hanging out in the park, or heading off on adventures like trips to the hot springs or horseback riding.

Because Marc didn't speak any Spanish, he was particularly reliant on Eduardo to show him around, though Marc did take lessons every day with teacher Miss Yessenia. He volunteered in 2nd grade teacher Marin Jackson's class, while Genna worked with 1st grade teacher Mandy Heredia. Marc and Genna helped out with tasks like leading morning meetings, grading, assisting students one-on-one, and taking over gym class for 1st and 2nd grade jointly. Sometimes they relaxed by shadowing Eduardo and Annie during class, which was also a good way to get to know students their own age.

Both students report feeling welcome at their homestays and in school. Marc remembers that "As I walked through the school I was greeted with many, 'Hi, Meester Marc!'s." He was impressed by the fact that "all of the kids are able to talk toi me in English." He also liked the school's mission and the fact that "there are so many kids here on scholarship. I think that it is really great that they are given this opportunity...."

Genna also quickly felt at home here too. Her home stay was "so welcoming and inviting. My family took me in for their own ... My host mom even introduced me as her host daughter to her parents, cousins, and uncles!" She liked working with Mandy, who made her feel like a part of the classroom, and she reports that "All of the students and teachers were so passionate and fun to be around."

It truly was an experience full of intercultural exchange and bonding. Everyone was sad when it was time to leave, especially the kids. Marc says that "The last two days of school were really special. All of second graders made thank you cards for me ... They were genuinely happy that I was here." And, truth be told, a lot of them cried when they said goodbye.

We wish Marc and Genna the best of luck for the rest of their senior year and wherever they wind up next year. Thanks for choosing to learn abroad at Mayatan!

This year's musical was called "Legacy of Love." It truly was an act of love on the part of Librarian Diana Rivera de Hernández and Marisol Welchez, official secretary. Diana and Marisol translated the words and lyrics from the original English into the Spanish version, "Legado de Amor." Then there were the weeks of the elementary school choir practice and rehearsal with the high school actors.

All that hard work paid off in the end. The packed audience was treated to a touching tale centered on a high school teacher missing his wife at Christmas-time, his students, and a missing laptop computer. Fact mixed with reality a bit on that one, as the students performed in their Mayatan shirts.

There were also some technologically complex flourishes thrown in, such as video footage projected onto a screen. The projections were used to demonstrate times when the students were watching videos on computers that were relevant to the plot, like local news coverage of a service project contest for high school students. Two female students acted as TV presenters in those segments. There was also video documentary of a real-life trip by the high school students to the local orphanage to perform service (service that served as the fictional service project by the high school students in the play).

The most touching part of the night was the end of the play, when the fictional students who wanted to please the teacher who runs their computer lab transformed into real Mayatan students who thanked John Weber in front of the audience. John, among other things, founded Mayatan's high school program and its computer lab.

It was a fitting holiday message and a demonstration of love.

We're happy to announce that we have found full support for Fernanda Sofia, even going beyond the $1100 we hoped to raise on Kapipal! You exceeded our expectations, helping us raise the funds before we'd even finished advertising the campaign!

We're especially grateful to former Mayatan teacher Olivia Ungerer and her sister Rachel Greszler. Olivia and Rachel agreed to become sponsors for Sofia, covering the balance on her scholarship once other donations were taken into account and paying for fees like food and transportation!

Mayatan would also like to thank Sara Raster, Jacque Sharpe, Odile Kory, and others who donated. Many thanks to all of you who forwarded around the link to her campaign on Kapipal!

Watch the YouTube video above to hear the full story. Give this promising girl a terrific head start by supporting her scholarship.

Meet Fernanda Sofia

Sofia is a bright, 6 year-old kindergartener at Mayatan Bilingual School in Honduras.

She loves to draw, is learning to read in English and Spanish, and easily makes friends. We've stretched ourselves to offer Fernanda Sofia a full scholarship.

Sofia shares a tiny mud house with her mother, Maria Eugenia, surrounded by extended family.

Maria is a hotel cook who wants her to be a professional one day.

Things have been hard since Dad left the family. When they were together, the family earned $300 a month.

Sofia plays with her 13 uncles and aunts, many of whom are her age. She helps the family learn English and they sacrifice to pay books, registration, food, and transportation.

Why Fernanda Sofia?

Her mother believes in her education, and so do we.

Maria found a Spanish-English dictionary so she could help Sofia with homework. Before he left, her dad came in weekly to work out his daughter's admission and scholarship.

One thing that helped us take her in was the recommendation of Iris, a Mayatan graduate who works in a managerial position at a local hotel.

We hope that, one day, Sofia will be in a position, like Iris, to help others access the benefits of a Mayatan education.

What We're Doing to Help

Fernanda Sofia is receiving a world-class education from experienced full-time U.S. volunteers and a dedicated Honduran staff.

She will have many more options than her parents had, not to mention a social circle that includes students of all economic backgrounds.

How it Works

This campaign will cover the tuition to send Fernanda Sofia to Mayatan for one year.

Any funds over the costs will go first to Fernanda Sofia's other fees and then to other scholarship students for the year.

We will continue to need support for her scholarship in future years, but we will not remove her scholarship if she does not have sponsors.

Without funding, however, there is less money to offer new scholarships.

More Info

If you are interested in making a long-term commitment to Sofia's education, or if you would like to make a tax-deductible donation, contact us. Instead of using the Kapipal, you can donate here.

Karledi lives in a poor hamlet outside of Copán called Ricon del Buey (Ox Corner). Her father, Tulio, is a moto-taxi driver, which is a poor living. She is an only child, and her mother, Fátima, has great aspirations for her. Fátima is a community leader. She's worked as a waitress, but recently finished her high school diploma in administration, which she hopes will lead to better work even though she hasn't found it yet. Both parents are very involved in Karledi's education. They believe in hard work and hard studying and that, with education, everything is possible. Tulio taught himself some Enlgish to help his work with tourists, and he's proud that his daughter has the benefit of learning the language in school and being prepared for a brighter future.

Thanks to the Parents Association's efforts over the past two years, Mayatan now has its own brand-new PA system. Consisting of wireless microphones, four giant speakers, a mixer, and an amplifier, we're sure to rock the house whenever we need to. We'll also save money without having to rent PAs for special events.

The Parents Association raised money through various activities like bingo, selling food, and special events. And we all know it's  not a special event in Honduras unless you can play music ... LOUD!

This morning a few proud parents and teachers were as eager as kids on Christmas morning to open the boxes and test the system out. "It works ... I said, it works! We're teaching in here." We understand their enthusiasm. The true test will be Friday, December 2nd, when the PA get its first run in the real world during our annual Bingo Fundraiser.