We are excited to announce that the Mataderos Tribal Council has approved a plan to build another Junior High School in the lower villages for students who cannot reach the Junior High (Centro Básico) which we built in the village of Mataderos. This will mean that all students graduating from 6th grade in the tribe will have access to further education.
As you may recall, we started the Mataderos school after deciding that it was too expensive to send students to our boarding house in the town of Yoro for post 6th grade education. Furthermore, we could only offer the opportunity to a few select students due to the limited space in the boarding house. This school was built room by room to standards set by the Honduran government so as to be certified and supplied with teachers by the government. The cost was about 3500.00 per room. In addition to general support from individuals like you, this school was made possible by the East Side Congregational Church in Binghamton, NY, without whose support this would have been impossible, and Judy Toner (perennial trip participant), who has labored tirelessly for and given generously to tribal education.
This year’s February group, with your help, hopes to break ground on the new school. We are asking once again to our education supporters to get behind this effort! Education is a major key to lifting the tribe out of poverty. This has been proven over and over again the world over.
This is not to diminish the importance of supporting Dr. Comstock and the medical clinic which are equally important and require continuous support.
Please consider getting actively involved in our funding raising efforts for all the projects in which we are engaged.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS,
NY/HELP Core Group
