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Fundación Rigoberta Menchú Tum, PeaceJam, and Guatemala |
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Posted 1/26/2010 at 4:59 PM by Michael A |
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Recently, I traveled with University of Colorado-Denver professor E.J. Yoder through Guatemala to visit with la Fundación Rigoberta Menchú Tum (FRMT), and form a three-week student service-learning trip for this May. We not only met with members of and toured the Foundation in Guatemala City, made connections with other excellent organizations, but also learned McDonald's apple pies are so much better in Guatemala (I only eat them there, well Costa Rica, too - who would have thought the most American of foods at the most American of places tastes superior in Central America?)
The office is a well kept house in Guatemala City, a Guatemalan version of the PJ Headquarters - except more tortillas at lunch and with a constant flow of coffee. With about 20 daily workers they do quite a bit here and are always working hard. Rigoberta's assistant, Aury, besides from being incredibly kind and one of the most wonderful people to talk with has not 1, not 2, but 4 phones at her desk. Wielman, the director of the educational section of their programs is an intelligent, kind and caring human being - I suppose that comes with years of working with children on the streets of Guatemala City. These are just two of the phenomenal people that make up FRMT and are working to create real and positive change in Guatemala.
It will be a joy to return in May with students from UCD to perform valuable service and to meet again with la Fundación Rigoberta Menchú Tum.
For more information on May's service-learning trip, contact kate@peacejam.org
And for the foundation visit http://www.frmt.org
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