Dear Family and Friends,
I hope that this letter finds you well. As all of you know, I am serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in El Salvador. I have started a project for which I need your help. Two other volunteers that live and work in my community and I are trying to improve the transportation situation for high school students in our municipality.
The municipality in which we live is the 8th poorest in the country and it has a population of 6,584 people, of which, only 627 persons live in the village of Jutiapa itself. Thus, 94.8 % of the population live in isolated rural areas, without easy access to amenities and public services, like the high school. Recently, Non Government Organizations in collaboration with the government of El Salvador offered more scholarships to students who wish to study past 9th grade. Despite this new emphasis on education and the monetary support, 82 students still lack reliable transportation to and from the high school.
The only high school in the municipality is located in the pueblo of Jutiapa, more than 12 miles from some parts of our community. Because there are no school buses, the students’ only option is to walk 3 hours ONE WAY! Additionally, the road they walk is not only dangerous for young girls, but in the rainy season, the students have difficulty keeping their books and themselves dry.
With all of these obstacles, the drop out rate is high. The 3 of us, along with local leaders and the high school director, believe that transportation will increase the number of students who will decide to attend and to finish high school. Our goal is to raise $6,000 to purchase a 4x4 vehicle that will be used exclusively for school transportation. The funds are being raised through Peace Corps Partnership, which relies on donations from family, friends and returned Peace Corps volunteers in the United States. I am asking you to make a tax deductible donation to help improve the lives of the kids in Jutiapa. To donate please go to www.peacecorps.gov/contribute and select our project (Project Number 519-133) and follow the instructions. I will not know who donates or how much. If you cannot donate, please tell other people who might be interested in helping.
Thank you in advance for your support and for all the emails while I've been here.
1 comment:
Grant, when do you need to have the money collected by? I'll be back in El Salvador the second week in August and I would love to do a fundraising event at the US Embassy. It will be easy to put together and I think a lot of cash can come from it! Let me know.
Much Love,
Steph
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