How can I help Guatemalan students through Progresa?

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First and foremost, you can help our students help themselves by financially supporting them as they strive to obtain an advanced education. Because of the low cost of living and the advantageous exchange rate of the dollar, a small donation can make a huge difference. For about $100 a month or $1200 per year, you can fully support a university student. Medical and dental education is slightly more costly.

The Scholarship Loan Program is happy to accept your monthly or yearly pledges of support. If you can't afford to sponsor a student entirely on your own, we welcome contributions of any size. Or you may be interested in forming a small group of friends to jointly sponsor a student. If you are interested in doing this contact us for ideas and information you could use to form a "Sponsorship group".

Contribution checks should be made out to Redwood Forest Friends Meeting and mailed to: Guatemala Scholarship/Loan Program, P.O. Box 1831, Santa Rosa, CA 95402. To facilitate the processing of your donation please write the word "Guatemala" in the memo section of your check. Contact Harriet Lewis at <hlewis@sonic.net> for more information.

Additionally, you can help the program through the sale of Guatemalan products. This benefits Guatemalans and the program in many ways. The local artisans who produce the products receive much needed cash to help support themselves and their families. Sales income is used to support students. Additionally, those who buy the products often are moved to contribute to the program,. Truly a win-win situation for all involved.

If your meeting, church or other group would like to help raise funds for the program through the sale of Guatemalan products, please e-mail us at <mardugan@earthlink.net> or at <progresar@hughes.net>. At your request we will purchase and mail to you a variety of handmade Guatemalan items which can include shirts, bags and table linens. Whenever possible, we buy directly from local cooperatives or individuals so that your money will provide maximum support for the individual artisans as well as for the scholarship fund.

We mail the products directly to your church or meeting. We ask you to determine the appropriate prices (we can provide guidelines), sell the materials, and send the proceeds directly to Redwood Forest Meeting. Since the regular mail to Guatemala is slow and frustrating, we limit our sales program to groups that can communicate with us through e-mail.

We invite you to visit us in Guatemala, either on your own or by participating in one of our Study Tours. For more information about our tours, visit our tour information page or contact us by e-mail at <progresar@hughes.net> or by phone in the US at 805-965-9995

For most of our students finishing a career without our help would be impossible. This is the case of Lorenzo Jeteyá (left) who lives in San José Chacayá in the department of Sololá. 

Samples of textile products we sell with the colaboration of many friends.

Most of our textiles are handmade and use the same technics that Mayas have used for centuries. In the picture one weaver from Sololá is using a belt loom.