Las Manos De Christine Inc.

“Expenses office supplies 37 bank fees 323 teach stipends 14,500 state franchise tax 10 books & supplies 7,470 webpage 167 non-investment depreciation 846 total 23,353”

“17,033 38,733 less accumulated depreciation 1,133 1,980 total 15,900 36,753”

“Our bilingual montessori style preschool program serves 4 to 5 year olds. The las manos teachers in el hato work side by side with public school teachers to provide an integrated program which meets requirements of the national curriculum and allows children the freedom to learn and explore independently. We provide fun, creative, and quality english classes to the students of el hato from preschool through high school. We also incorporate english into our after school library, art, and summer camp courses. We work with the public school to provide a library space equipped with books and materials for the students in the community. All of our students have the privilege of borrowing books to take home and have been respecting the books and grateful for this opportunity. In 2013, we were able to provide all of our students with toothbrushes and toothpaste, and we were able to provide the preschool and kindergarten students vitamins. Health and hygiene lessons are incorporated in the curriculum and our preschool students have the opportunity to groom themselves at the hygiene corner during independent work time each day. The classroom is equipped with facial wipes, nail clippers, a brush, and comb. Water in the village is inconsistent, so our students feel comfortable knowing that they can freshen up when they get to school. In addition, we provide the public school with basic hygienic materials they wouldn't otherwise have available, such as extra clothing in case of emergencies, toilet paper, soap, lice treatment, and cleaning supplies. Due to the poor access to water, we have been working on water solutions which have included installing three rainwater tanks and fixing the bathroom plumbing and drainage. As for nutrition, we collaborate with earth lodge to provide a healthy snack to each of our students. Eight years ago a few motivated local teachers had the desire to provide the opportunity for higher education (above 6th grade) to the community. El hato became a satellite site of the instituto guatemalteco educativo radiofonico (iger) program. This program offers primary through bachillerato (high school) courses and is geared toward working adults. This is the only high school equivalent program around and students travel from the villages above and below to attend. Las manos provides support to iger through english and art classes, and by providing materials for carpentry and sewing courses. This program is completely run by volunteers, and changes in response to requests from students and the availability of volunteers. We currently teach art after school twice per week and as part of the secondary school curriculum once per week. The library is open after school for students to seek extra help in english, reading, or to work on a puzzle. During the winter break, we run a six-week summer camp which ranges in activities such as sports, dance, art, yoga, english, and math. Often the school in el hato lacks funding for investment in and ongoing maintenance of quite basic services. Las manos has initiated special projects to raise money to fix some of these problems and to manage the implementation of the solution.”