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Quetzaltenango

Guatemala

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On Wednesday, June 27th of 2007, the students of Casa Xelajú and the community of La Pedrera celebrated the opening of the long-awaited computer lab, located in the recently constructed second story of the hilltop school.
The ability to offer the community of La Pedrera access to computers and internet has long been a dream of the Project, but the hurdles to overcome were many. Before an electronic library could be set up, a space had to be created, meaning the construction of a second level to the small schoolhouse. The expense of the construction was Q 41,905.43 or $ 5,400 - despite all labor being donated by the families of the community.
Enter Wayne Hess, retired certified personal accountant who began working with the Project seven years ago, four years after his first trip to Guatemala. It was during that initial visit that Hess had the privelege to spend Christmas with an indigenous family, and fell in love with the country and people of Guatemala. Says Hess: "They grabbed my heart, and simply haven´t let go yet." In 2000, Hess met to Teresa de León, founder and director of Proyecto La Pedrera and was introduced to the children of La Pedrera, who affectionately call him Don Wayne. Overwhelmed with the wish to assist in their education, he established a Private Donor´s website and began soliciting donations of many kinds - school supplies, clothing, dental supplies and finally computers. It was this acquisition which made the construction of a space to house the electronic library a necessity. Hess began raising money for the construction of the second story, raising about $1000 by October of 2006. The computers arrived in Quetzaltenango in December, courtesy of the Rotary Club of Oregon, without whose help the transport of the fifteen desktop computers would have been an insurmountable expense for the non-profit organization.
Under Hess' guidance and with the tireless organizational and motivational efforts of de León, construction began in March and was completed by the end of May. The most difficult hurdle was connecting the computers to the Casa Xelajú internet server - but that too was overcome and the school was connected. June was an exhausting month of painting the school inside and out, sanding and repainting the furniture in anticipation of Don Wayne's arrival on June 27th. The mothers of the children of the community helped endlessly, and finally the big day arrived.

That morning, the students of Casa Xelajú and their Spanish teachers were invited to join the community at the schoolhouse for the official inauguration of the carefully completed space. As they hiked up the dusty path, the children eagerly greeted them and invited them into their newly bright blue building. Once seated, the attendees were welcomed by a student representative, who proceeded to introduce the many speakers that followed.
Several students delivered speeches of gratitude as well as offering the audience a brief history of the Project and its efforts. Wayne Hess, in attendance with his son Stuart and grandson John, spoke about his connection to the project and Guatemala and gave his blessing to the school and the people of the community. Julio Batres, General Manager of Casa Xelajú also made the trip down from the U.S. headquarters in Minneapolis for the occasion. He spoke to the importance of this community project for Casa Xelajú, recounting the history of the project and marveling at its incredible growth and continuing success: "It is with great pleasure and gratitude that I see this community receive access to computers - and what's more to the internet! In this age of information, access to the internet is crucial in order to survive competition in the market. This addition to the school will help not only the children, but will serve the adults in the community as well."
Lourdes Xicará, Administrative Director of Casa Xelajú, reminded us of what this accomplishment means for the families: "The expense of books is no longer a concern for these families; the children are spared long trips from Pedrera to the library in the city". A representative of the teachers of CX echoed Xicara's sentiments, adding how impressed the teachers were at the advances of the community project, and reminiscing about the time when the school had just 9 students and a tiny facility.
These addresses were followed by representatives of the mothers and children of the community, who expressed their gratitude and excitement. "It is rare to find people who are willing to give and give, and want nothing in return," said one of the mothers. They presented awards of recognition and thanks to Batres and Hess, as well as sending some Guatemalan goodies to all the people who made donations, and thereby made this dream come true. Finally, the students of La Pedrera demonstrated some of their recent afternoon class work in English by performing "Old MacDonald Had A Farm" and "The Wheels On The Bus".
The ceremony concluded, the ribbon was cut, and the computer lab and electronic library was proudly displayed. The PCs were geared up and students browsed the internet and gazed out at the remarkable view of Quetzaltenango. Downstairs, the guests were served typical Guatemalan fare: Recado de Pepian, rice, chicken and tamalitos. The beautiful weather held just long enough for everyone to enjoy the delicious food and beautiful ambiance of La Pedrera before departing and heading down the hill.

Computer classes at La Pedrera began last week; basic typing skills and instruction in the use of Microsoft Office and the internet. De León hopes, however, that not only the children but the youth and adults in the community might soon be able to receive instruction as part of the project's Social Education Program. Ever trying to find ways to educate the entire community, the coordinator hopes to give a greater percentage of the community access to this great resource.
The great generosity of people such as Hess is still sorely needed in the lives of the families of La Pedrera. As well as running the after-school program, the Project also works to find sponsors for the children's tuition, allowing them to attend school and receive medical care. Donations are gratefully welcomed as well - no matter what their source; the computers that reside in the school house were in fact used by the U.S. military. Remarks Batres: "How wonderfully ironic that these computers that could not serve the war effort can do such good in spreading peace and improving the lives of people here in Guatemala."

Julia Lindpaintner