See the Pictures of our latest trip to Colima! Click on
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Project Amigo Winter 2006 E-News
First Annual Retreat for University Scholars
“I didn’t know such poverty existed. What I didn’t like was that
I felt impotent when faced with such injustice. Now I know I can
make a difference.” These are the words of 20-year-old University of
Colima Project Amigo scholar, Magdaleno Martinez Castro.
Magdaleno was one of eighteen university scholars who attended
the first annual Project Amigo retreat and enjoyed staying at the
Project Amigo headquarters in Cofradia. Long-term volunteer Kathleen
Zamboni from Arcata, California, led the planning, preparation and
actual implementation of the activities as well as follow-up
workshops. She helped the scholars explore their feelings, their
attitudes, and their potential power as they designed a perfect
community together.
The goals of the retreat were to raise the students’
consciousness, to help them value and participate in Project Amigo
in the future, and to do so with a clearer and stronger sense of
their own important roles and responsibilities both now and after
graduation. Within this larger context, secondary goals were for the
students to have opportunities to strengthen their friendships with
each other (since they come from all around the state of Colima and
many of them had not met before). In addition, they were encouraged
to explore the values of altruism and volunteerism, share a common
community service activity, and finally, to share in the preparation
of meals and the joy of eating together. (Please see
www.projectamigo.org/WHT.htm for photos.)
The students spent several hours at the sugar cane cutters’ camp
in Queseria: taking a census of the families at the camp, playing
games, helping the children make smoothies (and learning that
bananas are sweet enough without sugar), teaching personal hygiene,
and meeting the families. Here are some of the students’ comments
about their experience at the labor camp:
It was a beautiful experience, a lesson in life for me, I
appreciate the opportunity to participate--it was a beautiful gift
for me.
I liked the retreat, I would like to continue going to Queseria
on my own, and it was a great group!
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to know Project Amigo
better, to know my classmates better, to know myself better and to
learn more about the conditions in Queseria.
Now I am clearer and more aware of the kind of person that I want
to become--it helped me to become a better person.
I learned to give a little more love and affection to the people
who need it.
I realized that I can be a useful person, it helped me to help my
peers. I learned more about some aspects of my life, the importance
of human values and that I can help other people.
Scotiabank Mexico Lends a Hand
Two hundred twenty-six primary school students and 70 higher
education scholarship recipients received new calculators in the
fall, thanks to multi-time work week volunteer Linda McLean from
Comox, BC, and her connections with Scotiabank in Canada. She used
her link to coordinate with Luisa Algara de Hayashi of Scotiabank in
Mexico City. Luisa, working on behalf of her boss, Mr. Antol Von
Hahn, sent a generous contribution of $17,027.00 pesos to Colima for
the purchase of the calculators for our students.
We and the children are all indebted to the efforts of Linda and
Luisa, and to Scotiabank. You can see the kids with their new
calculators at www.projectamigo.org/KID.htm. Click on “Calculators
for Kids.”
Literacy Work Week Delivers
Sixteen mini-libraries, each containing 120 individual book
titles, brought cheers and smiles to the children, and tears to some
of the teachers who said they had been praying for such books in
their schools for years. A small but mighty team, led by Rotary
District 5110 Past District Governor Bill Mickelberry of Greater
Albany Rotary Club, came from Sun River, Coquille and Albany, OR,
and from Mexico, MO to provide hundreds of primary school children
with fun children’s books.
All of us appreciate the value of learning to read for fun. The
young students who gave the speeches of thanks to the visitors
included such phrases as “books bring the world to us”, “books help
us understand ourselves and make us better people”, and “thank you
for bringing us this wonderful gift.” The teachers were even more
eloquent in their personal thanks for finally receiving the tools
they need to carry out story hours, and to help children practice
reading with something fun, colorful and interesting.
One couple wrote of their week: “Working with terrific people,
doing work that is really important, has opened our hearts to the
goals of Project Amigo, and to the children and families that PA
serves. It was never work, and always fun.”
On their last day, the “relax day,” the team visited a Turtle
Preserve at Cuyutlan and got to participate in the release of new
hatchlings to the sea.
Please see www.projectamigo.org/VOL.htm and click on “Literacy
Work Week” for a close-up view of the November work week.
There will be a special work week February 11-18, 2006 to
complete the deliveries. To reserve your place on this exciting
adventure, please see www.projectamigo.org/VOL.htm and click on
“reservation” and “registration form.”
Bubble Gum and Community Development
Project Amigo’s scholarship recipients at Colonia Rotaria
combined forces to create an event for the children of their
community – which turned into a real family affair. The moms got
into bubble gum blowing competitions among themselves, as well as
with their children. The scholars were amazed at how such a simple
event could bring about such laughter and group harmony. One scholar
shared with Children Service’s Director Jorge Torres that she had
learned a valuable lesson from this community service activity: that
there are many ways to serve, and that serving others can also be
fun. (Please see www.projectamigo.org/KID.htm and click on
“Activities” for photos of the bubble-gum contest.)
They used the multi-use center, which was built for purposes such
as this, by Colima’s sister city, Redwood City, CA. Pete and Ginny
Hughes of Redwood City Rotary Club, who initiated the fund-raising
effort to create this building, would have been proud to see the
community center being put to such a great, unifying community use.
The center serves as the meeting place for the weekly homework
club of Colonia Rotaria scholars and houses the community’s sewing
school where the women of the community learn a viable trade and how
to clothe their families.
21st Annual Christmas Fiesta
From the minute they walked off their busses and into the
cheering double greeting lines of volunteers, to the last
light-fantastic juggling act of volunteer Tyler Parks, 150 first-
through sixth-graders and junior high and high school scholars
enjoyed an action-packed afternoon of games, piñatas, and dancing.
December 17th was the 21st annual Christmas Fiesta of Project Amigo,
and 21 volunteers came from all over the US to make it happen.
Susanville (CA) Rotarian Boyd Taylor attended his eighth-in-a-row
annual Fiesta, accompanied by grown son William. Boyd said “it just
gets better every year;” while William said “thanks for helping me
have one of the most rewarding vacations I have ever been on.”
The Christmas Fiesta continues the tradition of the first event
carried out by Project Amigo – even before it was officially
“Project Amigo.” Over the years, it continues to be our flagship
incentive program, and it honors children who remain enrolled in
school. (Please see www.projectamigo.org/VOL.htm and click on
“December 05 Work Week”.)
From Fun to Higher Learning
The goal of incentive programs for children enrolled in school is
to keep them actively engaged in learning and in having fun at the
same time. After years of incentive programs, and watching little
children go on to junior high school, then to high school, we’re
delighted to report that eighteen of these “children” are now
students at the University of Colima!
Thanks to all of you who have been so supportive of our
children’s and scholarship programs over the years. We hope you are
as proud of these kids’ successes as we are.
2006 Wish List
A server for the Project Amigo headquarters’ computer network in
Cofradia - $1,500 usd.
Children’s vitamins (to be brought in suitcase brigades by
visitors)
Long-term volunteer, Spanish/English speaker, who can
manage/teach computer networks
Long-term volunteer(s), Spanish/English speaker(s) to be the
2006-07 work week season’s innkeeper(s).
Donations to our College Endowment Fund
Happy Holidays
All of us at Project Amigo wish all of you a wonderful Holiday
Season and a 2006 filled with all the love and caring you have shown
for those less fortunate. Our world is a better place because of
your good will.
