Please help us win $5,000 US for the San Antonio feeding program...

Hi Everyone,


The race for the $5,000 prize is still on! The charity that garners the most user reviews this month will receive $5,000. We have only 4 more days to write a review or rally Mayan Families supporters to write reviews. Mayan Families has 142 Reviews.

The more 5 star reviews Mayan Families gets, the closer they are to win. Write a 5 star excellent review.

If Mayan Families wins, the money will be used to help the San Antonio Preschool continue.

Please go to the following link to write your review and pass it on to all who know Mayan Families.

http://www2.guidestar.org/organizations/20-8433997/mayan-families/review.aspx

We can all make an effort in giving Mayan Families a chance at winning the $5000 if we rally people to just take a few minutes to write a review.
Thank you for spreading the word!
Bonnie

Please help us win $5,000 US for the San Antonio feeding program.

Hi Everyone,




The race for the $5,000 prize is still on! The charity that garners the most user reviews this month will receive $5,000. We have only 4 more days to write a review or rally Mayan Families supporters to write reviews. Mayan Families has 142 Reviews.



The more 5 star reviews Mayan Families gets, the closer they are to win. Write a 5 star excellent review.



If Mayan Families wins, the money will be used to help the San Antonio Preschool continue.



Please go to the following link to write your review and pass it on to all who know Mayan Families.



http://www2.guidestar.org/organizations/20-8433997/mayan-families/review.aspx



We can all make an effort in giving Mayan Families a chance at winning the $5000 if we rally people to just take a few minutes to write a review.



Thank you for spreading the word!



Bonnie

Violence against Women

This is an article from PBS.....http://mayanfamilies-sharon.blogspot.com/2011/02/violence-against-women-is-epidemic-in.html



It is especially meaningful to us this week. Saturday night I had the mother of two of our sponsored students come to the house. She was desperate, she has two small children and a boy who is 15yrs old. She married this man 5 yrs ago and since then he has treated her very badly. He began beating her, verbally abusing her and worse than that for her, abusing her son. He originally gave him a small room to live in but recently kicked him out of the room and won't let him sleep there, his sponsor sent him a bed and he also won't let the boy have the bed assembled...it is still leaning against the wall.


Recently he started hitting the 5yr old girl. The mother decided that she couldn't endure it any longer....the man was aware that she wanted to leave but she had no where to go so he would taunt her with that and tell her to "get out". Her mother is elderly and unwell and she didn't want her mother to know how badly things were going for her.



She only had her sister to turn to and her sister was helping her by paying her a small allowance to pick up her 4yr old niece and mind her while she was working. The husband refused to let the little girl in the house the other day and made her sit outside.



He also was not giving her enough money to feed the children so she was working. Whenever she went out of the house he would accuse her of looking for a boyfriend when in fact, she was ironing clothes in a private house and making just enough money to buy a little food for her children.


Her 15yr old son was working in the river before school, digging out sand , so that he would be able to buy food and extras for his schooling.


But the beatings continued and became worse. The mother was worried about her health and eventually, Saturday night decided that if she stayed, something may happen to her and then there would not be anyone to care for her children.



I arranged for her to talk to Sandra, our social worker on Monday morning.... Sandra arranged a legal aid to accompany the mother to the judge's office and she made a denouncement about the reasons she was leaving her husband. The judge signed a paper giving her the right to remove the small refrigerator ( she makes jello in small bags to sell ) , the bed that Mayan Families had given them, a two burner gas stove , their clothes, dishes etc.



When she came back to our office with this paper, we arranged to pay the first month's rent on a room for her.


This took all Monday to organize, first thing Tuesday morning she was back at the office. We had arranged that Mayerlin, who works with us and is a staunch defender of women's rights would accompany the mother to the police station. The judge had signed a paper saying that the police would accompany her to the home to be able to remove these goods. But we knew if we sent her alone she may sit for many hours at the police station before any action was taken.


We sent the Mayan Families pick up and three of our biggest, strongest looking men to move the furniture....the police would not help move the furniture, that is not their job...and if the husband came home it could be very difficult.



The husband did indeed hear that his wife was moving out and he came to the house.....he asked her why she was going....and the men were surprised how gentle he seemed and non violent. I explained to them that he was a coward and would only beat women and children....that with the men there and the police that he would not be violent. But he did tell his wife that he would start looking for another woman to fill her place.....I wish we could warn this poor woman whoever she will be!



I am sure that we have not heard the last of him. But I am so glad that this woman was brave enough to take the steps to move out....but I also know that without the support of Mayan Families she probably would not have done it. So, once again, we thank you for all that you do. We couldn't do any of this without your support.


This mother will need help to pay her rent for a few months and she will need help with food .....but I know she is a hard worker...she had already organized her own birth control because she did not want to bring another child into this violent situation. She will go onto have a better life and so will her children.


Thanks to you!
Sharon

Valentines Day was a great success!

Hi there! Just a little note for those of you who purchased Valentine's Day cards for a loved one:

I was fortunate enough to be in San Antonio for the decorating of the Valentine's Day cards. I just want to tell you that not only was this a great fundraiser for Mayan Families (yay!) but the children had SO MUCH fun! Not very often do these kids get to just sit down and be kids for a few hours, but they really enjoyed this. They were all so excited to get out the markers, tissue papers, and especially the 'brillante' (I'm told Spanish for glitter!). The glitter was a huge hit and I think we were all sparkly by the end! I loved to see the laughter and joy on their faces as they completed their Valentine.

Also, just as a side - I was so impressed by how valuable the preschool program and the after school programs are. The after school program really gives these kids a chance to work with peers on homework which is so important in a community where many of the parents can't help. Also, they get a meal which is also incredible for them. I literally saw children who ate 3 times as much as me - I know that this was probably their only meal of the day.

I'm so happy that Mayan Families was able to get these programs going, but I know that they really need funding for them to continue. Anyone have any great fundraising ideas??!!

Best wishes,

Lisa C

Valentines Day was a great success!

Hi there! Just a little note for those of you who purchased Valentine's Day cards for a loved one:

I was fortunate enough to be in San Antonio for the decorating of the Valentine's Day cards. I just want to tell you that not only was this a great fundraiser for Mayan Families (yay!) but the children had SO MUCH fun! Not very often do these kids get to just sit down and be kids for a few hours, but they really enjoyed this. They were all so excited to get out the markers, tissue papers, and especially the 'brillante' (I'm told Spanish for glitter!). The glitter was a huge hit and I think we were all sparkly by the end! I loved to see the laughter and joy on their faces as they completed their Valentine.

Also, just as a side - I was so impressed by how valuable the preschool program and the after school programs are. The after school program really gives these kids a chance to work with peers on homework which is so important in a community where many of the parents can't help. Also, they get a meal which is also incredible for them. I literally saw children who ate 3 times as much as me - I know that this was probably their only meal of the day.

I'm so happy that Mayan Families was able to get these programs going, but I know that they really need funding for them to continue. Anyone have any great fundraising ideas??!!

Best wishes,

Lisa C

This is national Spay Day 2011

Hi, everyone,
Today is the U.S.'s national Spay Day 2011. Organizations all over the world
are joining in and they can have their own Spay Day at any time. Sharon
recently posted about an upcoming spay/neuter clinic. I'm sending out a
challenge to all animal lovers on the list, to donate to spay or neuter one pet
or street animal, or to have one vaccinated. Last year over 50,000 animals were
spayed or neutered on Spay Day and this is the 17th year of the program.

I've told Sharon many times, that nowhere in Guatemala are the dogs and cats as
prosperous as they are in Panajachel and surrounding villages, and it's all
thanks to Mayan Families' spay/neuter programs. Even if you're not an animal
lover, the benefits of participating are far-reaching for public health and
safety ie rabies prevention and keeping poison meant for dogs off the street and
also out of the hands and mouths of unsuspecting children.

Someone correct me if I am wrong, please but I believe that $25.00 will spay or
netuer a dog or cat and $5.00 will sponsor their vaccinations. Go here to
donate: www.mayanfamilies.org/DonateNow If you want to sponsor a dog or cat
in memory of a beloved pet, you can do that too.

For more information on Spay Day, go here:
http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/spay_day/

And if I can put in a plug for this - if you're thinking of adding a pet to your
family, please consider adopting from a local shelter or animal rescue group, or
even from Mayan Families! Yes, they ship! To paraphrase a Humane Society
slogan: "Until there are no more unwanted pets dying in shelters or on the
streets - UNTIL THERE ARE NONE, ADOPT ONE!"

Our experience with violence against women.

This is an article from PBS.....http://mayanfamilies-sharon.blogspot.com/2011/02/violence-against-women-is-epidemic-in.html  
It is especially meaningful to us this week. Saturday night I had the mother of two of our sponsored students come to the house. She was desperate, she has two small children and a boy who is 15yrs old.  She married this man 5 yrs ago and since then he has treated her very badly. He began beating  her, verbally abusing her and worse than that for her, abusing her son.  He originally gave  him a small room to live in but recently kicked him out of the room and won't let him sleep there, his sponsor sent  him a bed and he also won't let the boy have the bed assembled...it is still leaning against the wall.
Recently he started hitting the 5yr old girl.   The mother decided that she couldn't endure it any longer....the man was aware that she wanted to leave but she had no where to go so he would taunt her with that and tell her to "get out". Her mother is elderly and unwell and she didn't want her mother to know how badly things were going for her.

She only had her sister to turn to and her sister was helping her by paying her a small allowance to pick up her 4yr old niece and mind her while she was working.  The husband refused to let the little girl in the house the other day and made her sit outside.

He also was not giving her enough money to feed the children so she was working. Whenever she went out of the house he would accuse her of looking for a boyfriend when in fact, she was ironing clothes in a private house and making just enough money to buy a little food for her children.
Her 15yr old son was working in the river before school, digging out sand , so that he would be able to buy food and extras for his schooling.
But the beatings continued and became worse. The mother was worried about her health and eventually, Saturday night decided that if she stayed, something may happen to her and then there would not be anyone to care for her children.

I arranged for her to talk to Sandra, our social worker on Monday morning.... Sandra arranged a legal aid to accompany the mother to the judge's office and she made a denouncement about the reasons she was leaving her husband.    The judge signed a paper giving her the right to remove the small refrigerator ( she makes jello in small bags to sell ) , the bed that Mayan Families had given them,  a two burner gas stove , their clothes, dishes etc.

When she came back to our office with this paper, we arranged to pay the first month's rent on a room for her. 
This took all Monday to organize, first thing Tuesday morning she was back at the office.  We had arranged that Mayerlin, who works with us and is a staunch defender of women's rights would accompany the mother to the police station.  The judge had signed a paper saying that the police would accompany her to the home to be able to remove these goods.   But we knew if we sent her alone she may sit for many hours at the police station before any action was taken.
We sent the Mayan Families pick up and three of our biggest, strongest looking men to move the furniture....the police would not help move the furniture, that is not their job...and if the husband came home it could be very difficult.

The husband did indeed hear that his wife was moving out and he came to the house.....he asked her why she was going....and the men were surprised how gentle he seemed and non violent.  I explained to them that he was a coward and would only beat women and children....that with the men there and the police that he would not be violent.  But he did tell his wife that he would start looking for another woman to fill her place.....I wish we could warn this poor woman whoever she will be!

I am sure that we have not heard the last of him.  But I am so glad that this woman was brave enough to take the steps to move out....but I also know that without the support of Mayan Families she probably would not have done it.  So, once again, we thank you for all that you do.  We couldn't do any of this without your support.
This mother will need help to pay her rent for a few months and she will need help with food .....but I know she is a hard worker...she had already organized her own birth control because she did not want to bring another child into this violent situation.  She will go onto have a better life and so will her children.
Thanks to you!
Sharon

Violence against women is epidemic in Guatemala....PBS article.

	Violence Against Women is Epidemic in Guatemala
	Posted: Feb. 22, 2011	PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION: PDF

	In the small Latin American country of Guatemala, violence against women is a widespread problem girls deal with from a young age.
		A local Guatemalan woman and her baby.
	Parts of Guatemala have the highest murder rates in the world, according to the United Nations, especially along drug trafficking routes that lead from South America into the United States.  The culture of violence has resulted in an epidemic of domestic violence, sexual abuse and rape, sex trafficking and femicide – the murder of women. In Guatemala, on average two women are killed every day.  “Culture of Terror” formed in decades of civil war A map of Guatemala Guatemala is located in Central America, sandwiched between Mexico to the north and Honduras to the south.  The country was colonized by the Spanish during the 16th century and became fully independent in 1839. Leadership switched hands between conservative dictators such as Rafael Carrera and more liberal presidents such as Juan Jose Arevalo who introduced a social security system and redistributed land to peasants. The trend towards socialism in the 1950s concerned the Central Intelligence Agency in the United States, as the Cold War against Soviet communism played out in other countries around the world.  In 1956, the CIA backed a military coup and the country fell into a decades-long civil war that left more than 200,000 civilians dead. During that time, the U.S. helped train Guatemala's military in counter-insurgency techniques. In 1996 a cease fire agreement was reached between the insurgents and the military.  The Archbishop’s Office for Human Rights discovered that over 400 massacre were committed by the Guatemalan army. A 1999 United Nations-sponsored report stated that government officials and the military were responsible for 93 percent of the human rights violations committed during the war, including rape, torture and murder of indigenous Mayan populations. Responding to the report, U.S. President Bill Clinton stated that the U.S. "was wrong" to have provided support to Guatemalan military forces that took part in the brutal counter-insurgency campaign. Male-dominated patriarchy limits women's rights A typical Guatemalan family. The legacy of violence from the civil war is combined with Guatemala's traditionally male-dominated society. Women do not have the right to own property and are often neglected by police and the legal system. Although over 10,000 women report being raped or sexually assaulted in Guatemala every year, the medical organization Doctors Without Borders, predicts that the actual number is drastically higher. “We have a history of 30 years of civil war which has not been solved,” says Mayra Rodas, psychological coordinator of Doctors Without Borders in Guatemala. The ones who suffer most from this violence are women. “We live in a machismo and patriarchal society. Women are treated as objects which can be taken. To be a woman here is like being garbage. This is what our patients tell us," Rodas said. The PBS NewsHour global health team recently returned from Guatemala reporting on the femicide crisis and violence against women. The Guatemala Human Rights Commission estimated that in 2008, over 700 women were violently murdered.  Norma Cruz, director of the Survivors Foundation commented that women in Guatemala are afraid to report abuses by spouses or others since the perpetrators often are not punished and the women can be further victimized. Organizations train men to prevent violence against women Men Can Stop Rape Ad Campaign International organizations such as Amnesty International, Human Rights First and the United Nations have encouraged the Guatemalan government to adopt laws that will protect women. In April 2008, the “Femicide Law” was passed that outlawed violence against women. Other organizations in many countries try to change the culture that allows such behavior.  Through youth related services, public service campaigns and leadership training, the DC-based Men Can Stop Rape (MCSR) attempts to empower men to redefine masculinity as a tool to prevent men’s violence against women. Stay tuned for more in-depth coverage on this issue from the PBS NewsHour global health unit.