.wp-caption
{
float:left;
margin-right:10px;
}
.clr
{
clear:both;
}
The Venice, Florida, Interact Club, a group of 40 high school students, is working with Adopt-a-Village in Guatemala by supporting a scholarship for an indigenous student at our Mayan Center for Education and Development.
The club’s goal is two-fold—alleviate hunger by supporting a scholarship in sustainable agriculture. In the remote indigenous villages in Guatemala, little opportunity exists to gain an education past 6th grade, due to the extreme poverty of the region. First, the Interact scholarship will put a Mayan student in an accelerated program, enabling him to complete three years of schooling in just two. A diploma opens doors to university studies, professional training, or management of a small business. Second, the scholarship, by providing specialized training in sustainable food production, will benefit hundreds of indigenous children with nutritious food, thus helping to stem the severe malnutrition in the region.
Interact students sell Guatemalan crafts
Jane Mendola, Lead Interact Advisor and Rotarian of the Venice/Nokomis Rotary Club, says, “By training one student, our Interact Club is clearly helping to combat malnutrition of Guatemalan children. The country suffers from the worst level of chronic child malnutrition in Latin America and the fourth highest level in the world. Chronic malnutrition limits physical growth with the result that children’s bodies are stunted and highly vulnerable to disease and illness. It causes irreversible brain damage—leaving them unable to function well in school or in later life”.
Manuel wins a scholarship
Imparting one student’s expertise in growing food sustainably can positively impact at least 100 villagers. Every student at the Mayan Center of Education is required to share his/her training in how to produce “super foods” (for instance, vegetables with the highest nutritional values). From “growing” soil (using green composting methods)—to using special planting techniques, to harvesting seeds for the next year’s crops—parents can change the health of their children for the better.
The motto “Train a student, transform a village,” is being marched out to the Venice and Nokomis communities where Interacters are selling hundreds of hand crafted Guatemalan key chains to raise funds. Their one-of-a-kind international project just hit its midway funding mark last month, thanks to the enthusiastic participation of club members. Their final goal—raise $2,000 for the annual scholarship.
Mendola says, “our Venice Interact Club is not just helping one student, it is helping entire villages—they are doing something vitally important that is improving the lives of many. The Interact Club has really taken this project to heart and our facilitators at Rotary and Faculty Advisor at the Venice high school are very proud of them.”
If you belong to a group that would like to support a student, please Frances Dixon guatvillage@aol.com.
