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New Project on the Horizon: Centro Escolar Virgen de Guadalupe

by John Nelson

TLAU employee Walter Ulloa has sent information regarding the Centro Escolar Virgen de Guadalupe in the small village of Cutumay Camones in the department of Santa Ana. Thanks to a donation from Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Newton Grove North Carolina and the continued beneficence of all TLAU supporters, the future of this school and the young minds that rely upon it just became brighter.

cecvirgen-de-guadalupe-2.jpgVirgen de Guadalupe currently has 100 students in kindergarten through sixth grade. With hopes to serve more of the village’s children, the school has solicited the support of TLAU to build two classrooms, an office, a storage room, and a small covered play area (similar to the one in the picture) to keep the students out of the hot equatorial sun.

I’m not sure if you can tell from this picture or the ones linked to below, but Cutumay Camones is a very poor area. According to Walter, most of the students at Our Lady of Guadalupe come from families that root through trash at a nearby landfill, hoping to find something to sell on the street. Hopefully, your help with this school will begin to chip away at the vicious cycle of poverty and delinquency that afflicts so many Salvadoran youngsters.

There is still one problem, however. Currently, Bishop Romeo Tobar Astorga of the local diocese does not have title to the land that is needed for this project. He says he will start the process of petitioning the government for ownership of the land, and because this project would definitely improve upon Cutumay’s existing educational infrastructure, he will likely succeed. But as always, a few prayers wouldn’t hurt.

For more photos of Our Lady of Guadalupe, click picture above.

TLAU Becados 2007

by John Nelson

The 2007 Salvadoran School year starts on January 7th, and in addition to TLAU’s 9 former becados who have yet to finish their high school education, 13 new students have been chosen to begin their first year of “bachillerato” with the help of generous donors in the United States and around the world.

BecadosFor those of you who are in any way unfamiliar with our scholarship program, here’s a little background: Students of the parochial school in Santo Domingo de Guzman who harbor aspirations to professional or semi-professional career paths may apply for full scholarships to attend high school or trade school in their town or in the adjacent large city, Sonsonate. Applications are given to TLAU employee Walter Ulloa, who compiles profiles of each student containing their background information, economic necessity, aspirations, and grades. With an OK from TLAU officers such as myself, Leonard, or Father Keane, the foundation covers the costs of tuition, books, uniforms, supplies, and transportation to and from school. If this seems excessive in any way, remember that without your help, there would be no possiblity of post-grade school education for these young men and women. Furthermore, an entire year of education with all such expenses factored in amounts to a whopping $500, which is nothing compared to education costs for many Americans.

I am currently working on posting pictures of all the becados (so called because a scholarship is called a “beca” in El Salvador) and some profiles on a few to give you an idea of their extremely poor backgrounds. These young men and women have remained diligent and dedicated to their futures in the face of extreme adversity, providing an example for us all.

Pictures and profiles may be found HERE.