When Las Manos de Christine arrived in El Hato, we were a group of English-enthused educators hot-to-trot on our path of educational supplementation.  However, once we began working with the school, giving the classes we came prepared to give, we discovered the capacity to do much more for the school.  While English education still remains our area of expertise and interest, we have blazed a new path to aid for the school in El Hato.  Through the use of interested guests and volunteers, we have managed to really provide some exciting new extras for the students and staff.
5 Suitcases Full of Claire (January 2011) Seizing the spirit throughout the holidays and beyond, Claire Miller set out on a grand adventure of material-raising, indeed.  Not only did she call upon her friends and family to help her gather masses and masses of materials, but she also visited local businesses in Minnesota and requested bulk donations from them.  And, boy, was she successful.  Claire arrived in Guatemala with more baggage than an airline sees fit to allow (literally).  We have enough supplies now to sustain the art program for probably the next two years, and we were able to give a boat load of crayons, pencils, and the such to help meet the students' annual back-to-school needs.  There are great new prizes for the kids, and she also amassed a generous purse of cash-ola to go towards the art program.  And, stay tuned because the word is that Claire is just getting warmed up.  Nonetheless, thanks for filling our January with post-holiday gifts.


Crazy Monkey Aren't Always a Bad Thing (December 2010)
In an act of oft-paralleled genius (let's not overdo it), Billy Burns, owner/operator of Antigua's famous Mono Loco restaurant, decided to something new this past Christmas: Rather than his staff doing the usual old gift exchange of key rings and Santa sweaters, they used that money to benefit their neighbors in Aldea El Hato.  So, when the Mono Loco staff came to Earth Lodge for their Christmas party, they came bearing gifts galore.  Los Monos Locos helped us supply the school with some 900 notebooks, 1200 writing utensils, 300 erasers, 300 pencil sharpeners, and loads of love.  What an awesome idea and moving thing to do.  Thanks, Billy.  Thanks, Monos Locos--you guys are wonderful.



A Ring from the Southern Belle (November 2010)

Katie, a now long-time supporter of Las Manos [see: "The Older Kids Get Help, Too (July)], decided to involve her friends in the El Hato effort.  Before coming down to volunteer for a week, she collaborated with us to create Katie's Wish List on Amazon.com, and in turn, Katie and her network of friends filled the bill with posters and calendars and art supplies, books, pencils, and how the lists do grow.  Then, our little Carolinian jumped a flight to Guatemala to personally delivered a great collection of cosas (things) for both Las Manos de Christine and the school at large.  In addition, on her visit, Katie helped us keep the local teachers' English classes going, as well as assisted in preparing art project for our Christmas "summer school" activities.  Muchas gracias, Chica!



Bedazzled By Fluff and Feathers, Etc. (August 2010)

Prior to her visit, Sheelagh Gallagher (England) collected an immense collection of fun art supplies to help us continue and give more variety to the after-school art classes.  Additionally, she brought the contributions of a primary schooler--Jacob--from a nearby village.  Additionally, while Sheelagh was volunteering at the school this summer, she had the opportunity to watch the kids using some of the items that she brought.  And, she contributed much, much more.  She started an herb garden near the school's breakfast kitchen, as well as delivered a significant monetary donation, which she acquired by gathering sponsorships to do the tremendously long zip lines near Earth Lodge.  She braved the speeds and the heights so that we might gain a little more financial backing.  What a lass!  Thanks.



The Older Kids Get Help, Too (July 2010)

Out of the blue in June, a young lady, Katie, from South Carolina began exchanging emails with me about donating some things to the school.  Eventually, we settled on buying some supplies for the 4th, 5th, and 6th grade classes.  So, the teachers each compiled a list of materials they'd like, and Katy donated her first hundred dollars towards acquiring these supplies.  Emma and I went in to Antigua a couple of weeks later and were able to buy more than half of the supplies the teachers had listed (about 25% of them had been supplied in Will and Maggie's donation earlier that month).  Thanks to Katy's contribution, the classes now have hot glue guns and a huge bag of glue sticks; board-sized t-squares, squares, and rulers; multiple colors of poster boards; specially requested thin markers; and two books of construction paper each.  Katie plans to visit us in November and complete the lists, as well as volunteer at the school for a couple weeks.


Hoola Hoops and More (July 2010)

Also in July, riding high on our ever-growing contributions, we decided to get a list from the P.E. teacher so that we could refurbish the equipment, both for the sake of physical education and the kids having more fun at their disposal.  Using money raised from our peanut jar at Earth Lodge and a generous donation from an interested guests (thanks Cynthia), we managed to buy a whole plethora of toys and good stuff for the kids.  In the end, we were able to locate some new basketballs, volleyballs, and footballs.  We filled out the hoola hoop and plastic/rubber ball collection and bought a load of jax (teacher's request) for the classes, as well as orange cones, ball bags, balloons, and basketball nets.  We hope to get the school a volleyball net in the near future.


Shelves for the Masses (July 2010)

In the midst of their intro tour of the school, Will and Maggie went into one of the classrooms and came up with idea #2: a shelf full of supplies for each class.  I got to go on one of the most intensely massive shopping sprees in my young-but-aging quickly life.  No less than five different workers scrambled around Office Depot as Will and Bryant sauntered through with lists that stretched longer than Santa's.  In the end, each classroom got equipped with a set of shelves, a bulletin board, a box of boxes of crayons (enough for all), 25 sets of scissors, boxes of pencils, bottles and sticks of glue, and each teacher got a carrying case full of board markers, permanent markers, red pens, teacher-sized scissors, stapler with a big box of staples, binder clips, paper clips, thumbtacks, and notebooks.  The teachers and kids (many of whom insisted on helping us construct the shelves in the schoolyard) all showed great enthusiasm for the new equipment.



The Gardens of El Hato (July 2010)

Will Carter, Maggie Bingham, and I originally corresponded for about a month regarding redoing the flower beds around the school, one of which was simply a vat of mud, another that had more weeds than plants, and the last with an overgrown bud-less rosebush that hung luminously over the steps the little kiddos climb every day.  Somebody was sure to lose an eye, and pirate careers are few and far between here in El Hato. In manner of a couple of weeks in the beginning of July, all three beds got complete garden-y makeover, and Will and Maggie also purchased the pots and plants to start a soon-to-be beautiful collection of jasmine vines along the outer ceilings of the school.  Now, the eyes of the children are back to reasonably safe and, even better, they have something (several things) new and green and wonderful to look at with them.


Outfitting the English Classes (January & February 2010)
After learning of our return to Guatemala, Emma and I--Jonathon--decided to raise a load of materials to bring down to our new base in El Hato.  We set up a "wish list" of around seventy-five items on Amazon.com and, then, sent corresponding letters to our family and friends, asking for donations in the name of the cause.  Within a few days, all of the items had been purchased, and people were thirsty for more.  Consequently, we upped the ante to 100 items, the rest of which were bought and paid for with similarly blinding speed.  Our supporters were so enthused by the El Hato project that people began to send cash donations that added up to purchasing a top-flight printer for making supplementary materials for the school.



We came as an organization specializing in English and the benefits the language can bring to an impoverished community, but we have also carpe diem-ed our way into providing an abundance of just general help for making the place more beautiful, more educational, and more fun. 

If anyone is interested in either helping out with a particular project, via the big bucks or their priceless time, please don't hesitate to contact us for more details.