Latest Happenings @ Saludos Niños - Winter 2025!
- Brian Swan
- Mar 9
- 3 min read
Updated: Mar 10
Sheila, Brian, and Ann & Kent from Mayan Partners have just returned from a very productive visit to Guatemala and the Saludos Niños school. It was a whirlwind visit in which so many important tasks were accomplished. Here is Sheila’s trip diary to bring everyone up to speed on the latest.
Getting Organized & Meeting Friends
While visiting the project, we stayed with Fred and Bonnie (friends and long-time supporters) at an Airbnb in Panajachel, the gateway to Lake Atitlán and the villages that surround it. Our central location gave us the opportunity to reunite with and make purchases from many of the street vendors who have become good friends over the years.
Bonnie and I gathered and sorted the donations of shoes, clothes, eye glasses, and school supplies that had been shipped down to SuDen-entraide, one of our partner organizations. SuDen is run by Suzanne and Denis, friends of ours from Quebec, and it was lovely to catch up with them too.
Visiting Saludos Niños
Rosario helped plan for our stay in San Juan and coordinated our van transportation for our trips up to Panyebar each day. She was also instrumental in coordinating all the activities of the week.
We adored reuniting and visiting with all the teachers and kids at Saludos Niños. Our friend and longtime supporter, Mateo, was visiting from Montreal and spent time at the school. His excellent Spanish and dedication to the project has always been such an asset. The teachers and kids were thrilled to have time with Mateo after a few years without seeing him. Another friend and long time supporter, Justin, was also visiting from Canada and spent an action packed day helping out at the school.
During our visit, we distributed donated items to kids and their families. The kids were busy each day with school projects, crafts, and learning activities.
Medical Clinic
This year's free medical clinic, operated by a team of 2 doctors and a nurse, assessed 45 kids. Other family members who needed an examination were assessed as well. Medications were prescribed and provided to those who needed them.
Parents waited outside to have their children seen by the doctors. Many of the kids were taken into a free class room do create various crafts or play with Lego or puzzles as they waited their turn to be seen by a doctor.
Our cook, Maria, and her daughter prepared lunch for our group and the visiting medical team.
Water Filters
This year, 8 new and 13 replacement water filters were given out to families of the project who needed them. Rosario coordinated a demonstration for parents regarding how to use and clean the water filters.
Teacher Training
Our Saludos Niños teachers participated in a ‘Haula Magica’ 3-day professional development workshop in Panajachel. The workshop was an excellent opportunity for Juana, Aracely, and Dolores to interact with other teachers and come away with a package of new teaching ideas, complete with ready to use class craft items. The workshop was underway while we were visiting (Brian & Sheila + Ann & Kent from Mayan Partners) so we were lucky enough to be able to sit in on some of it.
That's A Wrap
Our visit flew by in a whirlwind. We always love our visits to the project and to Lake Atitlán. For those of you who have kept up with the project for a while, you’ll know that we used to spend our winters in the village of San Juan. This year, we were floored by the significant changes in the village. There is a new boardwalk from the dock leading up the hill to the market area and so many new vendor stalls and eateries. It is much more crowded than it used to be but beautifully colourful and music plays from early morning until evening.
How You Can Support Saludos Niños
We continue to work hard to raise much needed funds for Saludos Niños. Our annual costs include infrastructure repairs, teacher and staff salaries and training, food for the children, water filters, learning materials, etc. Your donations make a huge difference in the
lives of so many children and families.
To support Saludos Niños, you can make a donation by cheque or e-transfer. Thanks so much to each and every one of you who have contributed to this project in some way.
For any questions about Mayan Partners and their role in this project, don't hesitate to reach out to Ann Moriarty at kentann@hotmail.com!
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