School Project, Lake Atitlan, Guatemala
Harbord Insurance supports Mayan school-aged children in San Pedro La Laguna on the shores of Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
While traveling in Guatemala, you will often see young children walking along the roadside with a parent and they are dwarfed by the loads of firewood or coffee or corn that they're carrying on their backs. The language of commerce in Guatemala is Spanish but many of these Mayan families do not speak Spanish and therefore are very limited in their possibilities for employment. With very limited family incomes, the young children must go to work in order to eat. That means that they are not in school. That means that they are doomed to work as labourers only.
If they could afford to go to school, they would learn to speak and write Spanish. They would be able to work in the growing economy of the country.
This school project pays for school tuition + school supplies + a monthly food allotment for the child; our assistance enables that child to lift themselves (and their family) out of poverty. It costs about $325 per year per child and 100% of the money is delivered to the child and the parent. There are no administrative fees charged. Our goal is to fund these children through basic schooling and into a two-year career training which is available in their community. For more information visit www.innovativecommunities.org. If you would like to contribute to this project contact billy.robson@gmail.com
|
Some other things we do to help:
Christmas Hampers -
Each year, in the spirit of giving, Harbord Insurance along with our staff contribute food and gifts to local families in need of assistance. Our goal is to provide a complete Christmas meal along with gifts for the whole family.
Other charities we support include:
BC Paraplegic Association -
www.bcpara.org
Boys and Girls Club Services of Greater Victoria -
www.bgcvic.org
Fairfield Community Association -
www.fairfieldcommunity.ca
Garth Homer Foundation -
www.foundation.garthhomer.com
Saanich Peninsula Hospital Foundation -
www.sphf.ca