A bike ride on the coastline of Victoria, BC inspired Matthew “Gus” Gusul with our idea. It involves the passions of his two best friends, epic bike adventures and helping others. Inspired by Cody McNalley and his partner Geneviève Perreault-Murphy who had recently biked near the length of our great country, and by Anne-Marie Jamin who had been working for a free clinic in Guatemala, the idea for Pedals 4 Pasos was born. A Bike Trip which will stretch across an entire continent from Edmonton, Alberta to Quetzaltenango, Guatemala to raise funds for Primeros Pasos, a free clinic in rural Guatemala pioneering in preventative health care. Primeros Pasos is partnered with Change for Children Association, a local charity based in Edmonton.
Pedal 4 Pasos will take place June - August 2009 and will cover over 5000 KM. The bikers are all looking to gather support from the world community for Primeros Pasos. We are seeking to raise money for the operating budget of Primeros Pasos, awareness of Pedals 4 Pasos and to raise corporate and personal donations for the bike trip.
Primeros Pasos is located in the highlands of Quetzaltenango, serving a valley of 15,000 Mayan residents. Its goal is to provide free medical service, medication and basic health education to all children in the area as well as very affordable medical service and free health education for adults. The passion and dedication of staff and volunteers inspired Ms. Jamin to remain involved with the clinic through funding development after returning to Canada. To assist with fundraising and the transfer of money to Guatemala, Anne-Marie decided to work with Change for Children Association where Mr. Gusul is a member of the Board of Directors.
Change for Children, an Edmonton based organization, partners with communities in developing countries that are struggling against poverty and hardships to improve access to basic human needs, healthcare and education. With their partnership and support of Primeros Pasos, the local community in Guatemala can be linked to our Canadian community here in Edmonton.
Want to be involved… we’re taking care of the hard part, the whole biking through the elements across an entire continent. We are asking for is your support. For more info about Pedal 4 Pasos check out the website www.pedal4pasos.com or email at pedal4pasos@gmail.com. You can also learn about Change for Children Association at www.changeforchildren.org.
The construction
of a 4-classroom primary school in a rural community in the municipality
of Comitancillo, San Marcos, Guatemala will enable 360 children
to attend school in their local community and receive instruction
in their own Mayan indigenous language.
Support
Primary School Construction and Bilingual Education in Comitancillo,
Guatemala
Access to education has improved in Guatemala in recent years,
but despite this progress, cultural and economic gaps persist.
Today, only 30% of rural students complete third grade, and 2/3
of Maya first graders are taught by instructors who neither understand
nor speak the children’s maternal, indigenous languages.
In addition to lack of access, poor teacher training, insufficient
resources and regional disparity plague the system.
In Guatemala, nearly
two million children (ages 5–18) do not attend school; and
few children are enrolled in preschool (43%), junior high (28%),
and high school (16%). Poor teacher preparation and insufficient
resources cause 76 percent of all rural children who enter first
grade to drop out before completing primary school. The situation
is exacerbated by poor health conditions, child malnutrition,
and child labor, since many poor children must contribute to their
family’s income. Almost half of all students in Guatemala
fail grade one.
These children are
more likely to fail again and eventually drop out. The poor—
particularly girls and rural indigenous children of both genders—
have less access to primary school education. Only 19% of indigenous
students have access to intercultural bilingual (Spanish and Mayan)
primary school education.Though 60 % of urban students will complete
third grade, only 30 % of rural students will do so. This legacy
persists throughout life, since primary education is insufficient
preparation for modern jobs in the globalized economy, and the
average rural worker has been schooled for only 2.1 years.
In the Mayan-Mam indigenous
region of Comitancillo, Change for Children works with AMMID (the
Mayan Mam Association for Research and Development) to strengthen
indigenous capacity in many ways. One of these ways is through
the construction of primary schools which offer bilingual education
and increase access to education for rural indigenous students.
We are currently collecting
donations for the construction of a four room primary school,
which will provide for the education of 360 indigenous children
in one of the poorest regions of the country. Here, only one-in-five
children currently have the chance to attend school and girls
are typically excluded from access to education. A primary school
will ensure a prosperous future for the community and contribute
greatly to the long term needs of the indigenous population.
Ensuring that
the indigenous populations are educated, enables them to chart
their own course for development and define their participation
in the Guatemalan economy and global economy.
School
Construction in Guatemala
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Project:
Pedals for Pasos
Project:
Primary School Construction in Guatemala