Lovely lice

One of the many enjoyable things we get to do while working for Mano Con Mano is hosting teams from the US. Last week a team from South Carolina came down and helped build additional rooms and desks for the local public school. Later on in the week we stole a few of the team members to have a 'spa' day with 50 of the kids. We deloused their hair, painted their fingernails (even some of the boys!), applied lotion to their very dry skin, and basically just loved on them. Kids don't get touched or talked to by adults very often in Mayan society so its pretty special just to have physical contact with them. You would think that they would hate the hair washing part but they actually loved it. Probably because none of the home have running water so 'showers' and few and far between. It is days like these that make all the data entry, being unable to communicate anything in Spanish, and 'what is wrong with this country' days worthwhile!

If you didn't already know that we deloused kids last week, then you need to 'like' Mano Con Mano Health Reach on facebook!! Do it now! Please, and thank you :)

MCM Newsletter spoiler

Here is a small article that will be in our upcoming (not exactly sure when) Mano Con Mano Newsletter:

Education is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty. According to UNICEF, educating children helps reduce poverty and promote gender equality. It also helps lower child mortality rates, promote concern for the environment, and much more. That is why this year, Mano Con Mano is putting a specific emphasis on education. We are doing this in two main areas. The first is with a ‘homework club’ that meets at Nim Jay three days per week after our feeding program. Teachers who attend our partner church, Los Olivios, are coming to Yalu to help kids from kindergarten to sixth grade do their homework, teach new concepts, do projects and crafts, and play games. This is allowing kids to not only advance their learning but also have fun in a safe and clean environment. Secondly, we are focusing on education by providing scholarships. This year Mano Con Mano gave out 20 scholarships to students in Junior High and Career school, which is our equivalent of high school but the student have to pick a specific career (ie secretary, engineering, teacher, etc). In Yalu, school only goes to sixth grade so these scholarship students have to travel thirty minutes each way on the public bus to neighboring larger pueblos. Due to a lack of desk or adequate light in their one-room homes, these students are also meeting at Nim Jay in the afternoons to do homework.  By meeting there they can also have access to the internet, our resident doctor, and each other when they have questions. The future is definitely looking bright. Thank you for your support and prayers that make health, nutrition, and education possible for the children of Yalu!

You can check out pictures of our scholarship students and homework club at our MCM Facebook page! You can also 'like' the page to get updates on different projects, happenings, and pictures from Yalu
Isn't technology FUN!?