Help us build a new Community Learning Center

Link

I am ending 2010 with a BANG!!! First, on a personal note I am thrilled to share that I received an acceptance letter from my first choice - Columbia Business School! Getting in to a top school was a goal that I set for myself back three years ago when I applied to Peace Corps, and so, seeing this dream become a reality right as I finish my second year could not be more exciting, satisfying, amazing! And, to make it even cooler, the Assistant Dean of Admission who called me with the good news told me that she was also a Peace Corps Volunteer when she was my age. Awesome all around, and thank you to everyone who supported me throughout the process.

Now, this by no means is meant to imply that I am done doing great things here in Guatemala. In fact, I kind of have a full plate. One project, however, is very close to my heart, and for the first time I am going to use this blog to ask you all to get involved!

My counterparts and I have a dream that we have been discussing since I arrived in Chilascó. A major necessity we have identified in the community is a lack of access to information and technology. There is no library and most people can't afford books. Although internet access is available, nobody has it, because there are no computers and the service is too expensive. Without access to the world's information the students here encounter a major obstacle when trying to learn; trust me, they knock on my door daily asking to use my computer for homework purposes. I have helped do research on everything from the 2012 Mayan Prophecies to how to make a piggy bank out of a two-liter bottle; but I won't be here after next April, and these kids deserve the opportunity to learn, uninhibited by socio-economic circumstances that are out of their control right now. So, I have teamed up with some fellow Ohio State Alums and...

We are going to create a new COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTER! The community development association owns the building pictured above and is planning to convert it into a learning center. The town members are chipping in their time and money to build the infrastructure needed (i.e. shelves, desks, chairs, etc.) The women's group and the tourism project have agreed to donate money to help obtain 2,000 books from a Guatemalan association. And with your help we are going to purchase 10 new computers for the learning center!!! The association is going to purchase internet service and sustain it with the tourism income. We will also be contracting INTECAP, a Guatemalan governmental institution that specializes in technical skills training, to come to town and train 15 young men and women to manage the computers. These youths will then be given jobs maintaining the learning center and will give classes to the rest of the town. The plan is to create a sustainable, developmental and educational community center that will do world's of good for generations to come.

We are budgeting $5,000 for the purchases and installation of the computers and necessary software. You can donate by heading to the website I built for the project:

http://www.empowerships.com/computerlibrary-project.html

The money will then be directly donated to ADESOCHI, which is a registered Guatemalan NGO. Therefore, if you would like a receipt for tax deduction purposes please write me at agbrindisi@gmail.com with your name, address and amount donated, and we will mail you one. I will update the total donated on a daily basis until we reach our goal. I will also be keeping up this blog with the progress of the project and many pictures so you can see where your donations have gone.

I believe everyone deserves the chance to obtain a quality education, to work to reach their potential, and to pass the fruits of their efforts on to the future generations. By helping create this new facility you are facilitating these opportunities, and giving the motivated people of Chilascó a fair chance. It would mean so much to me if you all could chip in and help us make this dream come true. Thank you for making a difference!

Please pass the word on and share the link for this project.

http://www.empowerships.com/computerlibrary-project.html

Happy Holidays to everyone!!!