Running the Project Herself

By Anne-Marie Dingemans - Part 4 Lawrence couldn't bear the thought of sending the children home, and decided to run the project herself for the remainder of the school year! We found her some volunteers who were willing to help, and they ran the project by themselves: teaching 40 Guatemalan kids, organizing games and activities and preparing a mid-day meal for all of them. They found sponsors in their home countries that helped contribute towards meal costs and learning material, they negotiated food donations from local restaurants, they brushed teeth, taught math, cuddled the toddlers, made tortillas and a whole range of other tasks. They kept the home-away-from-home open for these underprivileged children. And even better; thanks to their continued efforts back in their home countries, the project received more donations and could re-open again for the next school year. I can only deeply admire Lawrence for the resolve, courage and strength that it took to undertake a challenge like this in a strange country, culture and language.