UPDATE: Donate Now!

A great update for you all! I will be taking Paypal donations through the website now. As you can may have read in the most recent posting, funding was challenging. The money for the scholarships was mainly out of my pocket. I think some people who were possibly interested in donating did not feel comfortable sending a check or felt it was more convenient doing it via a service like Paypal. Now, this will be the best way to donate. While Paypal does charge a small amount, it will definitely be the easiest way to donate to the scholarship fund. I will be able to take the money and then send it via Money Gram. ALL funds will go exclusively to the students. If you have any questions about this, please feel free to contact me at: huehuescholars@gmail.com or nightingalean@gmail.com. Thank you!


_____________________________________________________________________________________


If you are interested in making a TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATION, write a check to Friends of Guatemala and send it to:


Friends of Guatemala
P.O. Box 33018
Washington, D.C., 20033
*"Huehue Scholars-Cat.II" must be written in the memo. 


Friends of Guatemala is a non-profit organization that has been working with Peace Corps Volunteers in Guatemala for years, allowing children and youth to continue their education and improve their lives. Friends of Guatemala or FoG, as it is also known, provides scholarships and also serves as medium to collect and distribute donations. 


Checks are the only payment method available currently. PayPal charges for its services, thus, to ensure that all donations go to the students, we are not using PayPal as a payment method. 

Huehue Scholar, Lucky and me, Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, Anna Nightingale

Meet the Scholars 2011

Antony (far left); graduate from INEB San Lorenzo

Antony is 14 years old and graduated from middle school this past October at the top of his class. He plans to study accounting at a private high school in Huehuetenango. He is a shy young man but is an extremely hardworking and motivated individual that has been able to overcome many obstacles in his life. He comes from a very low-income family where his grandmother is the sole provider for him, his younger sister and his mother who suffers from a mental disability.

Antony needs approximately $520 to continue his studies at the private school of his choice.

Lucky (far right); graduate from INEB San Lorenzo

Lucky is 15 years old and also recently graduated from middle school at the very top of her class. She plans to go to high school to study elementary education. Lucky comes from a family of 6 brothers and sisters of which she is the youngest female. Her father passed away when she was a toddler and since then her mother has supported the family by washing clothes by hand. Lucky has earned top grades and participated actively in her church, school clubs and summer camps.

Lucky needs approximately $520 to continue her studies at a private school of her choice. 

Melvin (front and center); graduate from INEB San Lorenzo

Melvin is 15 years old and graduated from middle school this past fall at the top of his class. He plans to study to become a teacher and go on to get a Bachelor's degree. He loves sports and drawing and has been a great role model for his peers. Melvin is an amazing, charismatic young man that gives his best to everything he does. He is a deserving individual that takes his studies very seriously and is sure to succeed in high school.

Melvin needs approximately $120 to continue her studies at a public school of his choice. 

Vanessa (middle); graduate from INEB San Lorenzo

Vanessa is 14 years old and graduated from middle school this past fall at the top of her class. She plans to study education at the local public high school. Vanessa is a sweet and introspective young lady that loves art and writing. She comes from a single-parent home and lives with her mother and four other siblings in a rural community.

Vanessa needs approximately $120 to continue her studies at the local public high school.

Selvin (front and center); graduate from INEB Chimusinique

Selvin is 18 years old and recently graduated from the middle school of the community I lived in. Throughout his middle school career, he received top honors for his grades. He is an intelligent and studious young man. He is also on the city's youth cycling team and has competed in races throughout the country. Selvin would like to study accounting and business management. He hopes that his studies will allow him to start his own small business and help his family financially.

Selvin needs approximately $520 to continue his studies at a private school of his choice. 

Oneyra (front and center); graduate from INEB Chimusinique

Oneyra is 17 years old and from a poor rural community in the hills of Huehuetenango. She recently graduated from middle school and hopes to continue her high school studies to become an preschool teacher. As a student, she was always a hard worker, going above and beyond what was expected of her. Oneyra hopes to be like some of the teachers she has admired over the years, providing quality education and helping young children fulfill their dreams.

Oneyra needs approximately $520 to continue her studies at a private school of her choice. 

Huehue Scholars 2010

Esdras Samayoa (above)
Second year at Instituto Nacional Mixto Alejandro Cordova


Esdras is 16 years old and recently finished his first year of high school where he is studying to become a teacher. Esdras is a thoughtful and resilient young man. He is a hard worker and is committed to being successful in his studies and life. Every semester in 2010, Esdras would contact me to show me his report card and let me know his progress. At one point, Esdras was scoring a bit low in two classes and he was very worried that he was dishonoring the individuals that had given him this great opportunity. I assured him that I nominated someone who I truly believed in. With some needed one-on-one attention, Esdras was able to raise his scores. Not only is Esdras committed to his education, but he is constantly looking to help his classmates and community. Esdras has been nominated for a scholarship renewal for the 2011 academic year.

Marvin and Doris Velasquez (left and right respectively) 
Second year at Instituto Nacional de Educacion Basica Aldea Chimusinique


Marvin and Doris are siblings from a rural, indigenous community near Huehuetenango. Marvin and Doris are great students that ask questions and go the extra mile to turn in quality work.  At the beginning of the 2010 academic year, Marvin and Esdras stopped coming to classes. Their little sister had to have a serious operation, leaving the family with costly medical bills and forcing Marvin and Doris to stop coming to school because they couldn't afford the transportation and supplies for homework projects. Furthermore, right around the time that this happened, their father was in a tragic accident were he was left bed-ridden for several months. Through the generous donations of friends and family, I was able to provide two small scholarships for them to continue their studies. In October 2010, the siblings finished their first year of middle school with good grades. They hope to continue their studies this coming school year.

Candidate Selection

The Huehue Scholars awards scholarships to middle school students that meet the following requirements: 

1) They must have financial need and come from a low-income family.

2) They must have high academic standing and have plans to continue their studies. 

3) They must have a positive attitude and behavior towards their classmates, teachers, parents and community in general.

4) They must demonstrate leadership.

5) They must commit to planning and carrying out a small community service project that will directly benefit youth and/or their community. 

The candidates are recommended by their respective teachers and principals. Students are then asked to write responses to four essay questions pertaining to their current situation and future aspirations. As the Peace Corps Volunteer that worked actively with each youth, I made the final decision, taking into account the teachers and principals' suggestions, the above requirements and the youth's responses.