Yucatan Adventure Geo-Travel Guide and The Maya Foundation In Laakeech A.C.

Help Us Help an Early Education Center for Mayan Children 
at Xcalacoop, Yucatan, Mexico.

(Above photo) How it was: Xcalacoop's Child Care terribly humid classroom in Dec. 2009

Making a Difference in the Life of Maya Children

     Another story of love and faith, where we can help native children living in rural Mayan communities near Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico, started in December 2009, sponsored by Hacienda Chichen Resort and the Maya Foundation In Laakeech.  We need all the support to create a safe healthy environment for 36 toddlers register in SEP Educacion Inicial, a public child-care nursery program under the supervision of Mexico's federal SEP but such public schooling has no proper facilities to be taught; thus, the Hacienda Chichen owners, staff, and friends of the Maya Foundation In Laakeech are taking action to create classrooms and bathrooms that are safe and fully funtional. This Child Care Center is in desperate need to be rebuilt, remodeled with public bathrooms, running water, good ventilation, new roofs, and other important basic needs such as a cleaning the property from dangerous rusted debris, broken glass, etc. as much as a safety fence to protect the children's playing at the child care outdoor patio.  (Please view the photos bellow of current facility) Many of the children cared for in this Child Care Center in Xcalacoop, also go to MFIL Mayan Children Nutrition Center.

      
Above photos: MFIL Xcalacoop's New Maya Child Care Classroom opened on October 2010

     Teacher Blanca Cocom Can (Dec.2009 photo) has worked hard for many years teaching Mayan rural toddlers (age 1 to 4 years old) in various facilities within the Mayan town of Xcalacoop, Yucatan, Mexico.  In recent years she has encountered various difficulties and true hardships to be given a proper facility to continue her education program that caters over 26 rural Mayan children annually.  "Maestra" Blanca Cocom found herself battling with the village political officials (town's major, etc.) for a place to conduct classes for the children as well as a night workshop program for pregnant females to learn how to care for themselves and their offspring.  Ms. Blanca Cocom is a wonderful hard working teacher that supports many young mothers and her work is invaluable for the growth of children and the peace of mind of many working mothers need to increase their income.  However, Xcalacoop officials have not taken her work seriously and have little support to the needs of her Child Care program.  She has been working under terrible conditions with no bathroom facilities for the children to use, and deplorable unsafe classrooms that need a great deal of remodeling and reconstruction; thus Executive Chef Josue Cime took the initiative to call upon the Maya Foundation In Laakeech Board of Trustees to ask for support to rebuild the Mayan Child Care Center at Xcalacoop, Yucatan, Mexico.

    The photos bellow show the Xcalacoop Child Care Center prior to our remodeling and reconstruction efforts, photos taken late November 2009, Mayan rural children were being taught and care daily in this terribly destroyed property with no bathrooms to be use:

    Thus, since December 2009, the Maya Foundation In Laakeech, our sustainable civil non-profit society started a new sustainable construction venture to ensure that native Mayan toddlers, living in small rural villages near Xcalacoop, Yucatan, Mexico, have a proper remodeled Child Care Center in Xcalacoop (a Mayan town near Chichen Itza's Mayan archaeological zone and the hotel Hacienda Chichen Resort.  "We need all the support we can get" said Teacher Cocom, her own SEP association of teachers has granted around USD $5,000 to be used only to buy construction materials, but the labor work was not included as part of the deal.  The Maya Foundation has donated the rest of the money to pay construction, labor, and other needed expenses. Hacienda Chichen staff also pledged to volunteer time to help reconstruct and remodel the old building, build bathroom facilities for the children and for adults, plus create a playground and garden for the New Mayan Child Care.  "This project will take a lot of hard work and time to be finished but we all are here to help," said Abraham Blanco, the Hacienda Chichen Maintenance Supervisor, "we are proud to be part of sustainable social solutions to benefit our rural families," he adds with pride.  "I will supervise all masonry construction and see that our costs are not over the budget," explains Graciano as he smiles; he is working in this project and is the Hacienda Chichen most skilled mason.

 Creating a New Mayan Early Education Center
in the rural Mayan village of Xcalacoop near Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico.

   With the help of many good people and the Maya Foundation In Laakeech founders donations we are reconstructing, repairing and remodeling this public building to create a New Xcalacoop Child Care Education Center. The new Mayan Child Care Center should be finished by the end of February 2010 if all goes well and funds continue helping us do the project. A lot of hard work and goodwill from the Hacienda Chichen and its staff, who donated their time and skills to rebuild the 1940s structure located in the main plaza of the village. Our social support effort are true gifts of love and care to Mayan rural families accustomed to have promises of "help" conditioned to alternative requests such as political gain rather than made in the spirit of support and volunteer care; thus, through our volunteer ventures and supporting experiences, the Maya local families have found true sharing and joyful support from volunteers that give their time with caring hearts. 

  With good volunteering spirit, the Hacienda Chichen's staff and masonry crew are reconstructing the old Child Care Center annex building, changing window and door frames, re-making the concrete terracotta floors, replacing ceilings and walls and building new bathroom facilities for the children! "This is a huge project, the property was in horrible conditions and much work needs to be done," says Mrs. Belisa Barbachano, owner of Hacienda Chichen, who personally goes to supervise the reconstruction advances each week.  "It is so wonderful to see we are all together helping with this venture." You can help us by giving to our efforts too!

"The Maya Foundation In Laakeech has helped so many public social ventures to continue their support to the rural Mayan families, we are happy to be part of it all," expresses Ms. Beatriz Correa, a member of the Board of Trustees who works diligently as a volunteer at the Toh Boutique, our income maker for the foundation social support ventures.  "We hope our readers will also wish to contribute to better the way Mayan children live and are educated," says Mr. Ruben Gutierrez, president of the Maya Foundation In Laakeech, dedicated to the welfare fo the rural Maya communities near Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico. Indeed, we all at Yucatan Adventure Eco-Travel Guide, hope our readers will donate some needed cash, donations of USD $2, $5 or more are truly helpful to continue our work, so please if you can, do pledge a few dollars to help us help! Bellow are few photos of ongoing reconstruction  efforts for the Child Care Center (taken the 1st. week of January 2010):

Thank you for your interest to support our Social Eco-Cultural Ventures!
Kindly take a minute to join the Yucatan Adventure team and help us better
the region where rural  Mayan children live in Yucatan, Mexico.

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