Project Report
| Aug 14, 2013
Consultant Gives Excellent Rating to Program
By Joan Fuetsch | Board Member
![Yaelle Stempfelet evaluating pilot program]()
Yaelle Stempfelet evaluating pilot program
In July of 2013 Yaelle Stempfelet who is working on a Master's degree in International Education at the University of Massachusetts with a specialty in early childhood development was retained to evaluate our existing pilot project. Yaelle, who is tri-lingual (English, French and Spanish) spent five years as the director of a bi-lingual Montesorri pre-school in Antigua, Guatemala. As research for her Master's thesis Yaelle visited the pilot project in Quiche on a regular basis and evaluated the curriculum and also interviewed the mothers to gain feedback on the existing program.
Yaelle, who expected to have to develop the curriculum, was pleasantly surprised at the high quality of the work that Alba has done. In interviewing the mothers the recurring theme was "more, more, more." Some of the moms also had good suggestions for additions to the program and most emphasized the importance of the nutritional information. It was clear that the moms were very hungry for information on how to improve the lives and opportunities for their children.
With your help we will be able to add to Alba's program and expand it to four other libraries in our network.
![Roberto's mom has been coming since he was 3 mos.]()
Roberto's mom has been coming since he was 3 mos.
![This is our goal!]()
This is our goal!
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May 28, 2013
Big Push for Early Childhood Development
By Joan Fuetsch | Project Leader
![Mom helping her kids to get started.]()
Mom helping her kids to get started.
In just a few weeks a young woman who is pursuing her Master's degree at the University of Massachusetts in international education with a focus on early childhood development will be headed to Guatemala where she is going to evaluate our existing program and do a proposal for expanding the program through the Riecken network of 64 libraries. Mothers are going to be interviewed and children tested in several communities to determine the effectiveness of the existing program and to help design an ongoing program. We already know that the mothers are eager to have nutritional information. Like mothers everywhere they would like to do what is best for their children but often do not have the necessary information. Often the mothers are illiterate which severely limits their access to nutritional information. We are very hopeful that you will continue to contribute to this very worthy project so that soon we might have thousands of children enrolled.
![Handling shapes facilitates letter recognition]()
Handling shapes facilitates letter recognition
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Feb 25, 2013
More Rotarians Coming to Visit Project
By Joan Fuetsch | Member, Board of Directors
![Alba & new supplies purchased with your donations]()
Alba & new supplies purchased with your donations
In early March a team of Rotarians from California will be visiting the pilot early childhood development project. The hope is to develop a large Rotary grant which will provide training for librarians in 64 Riecken Community Libraries in both Guatemala and Honduras. This is very exciting as it could provide real change in Central America by providing early literacy stimulation and nutritional information to, perhaps, thousands of toddlers giving them a much better chance to succeed as students.
A donor has provided the 2013 salary for the project director, Alba Estrada, but there are ongoing expenses to purchase new and replacement materials. In addition, the project provides healthy snacks (along with the nutritional information) four times a week. A recent presentation on the health benefits of vegetables was accompanied by a cucumber and tomato snack.
The hoped for Rotary grant will provide early childhood development training throughout the network of libraries. We continue to need your support to purchase the necessary educational materials. We thank you for your support thus far and hope that you will continue to follow our progress with the littlest and often neediest kids in rural Central America.
Saludos,
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