Nicolás Fund for Education has the BEST, most loyal donors that any nonprofit could ever wish for! The only problem is….we need more of you! Would you help us by spreading the word about why you think NFE is a nonprofit worth supporting? Spread it in whatever way you want this month: word-of-mouth, email, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, TikTok, or Pony Express! Just get the word out to someone who might not know about NFE. We have a special opportunity for you to help us on November 29, Giving Tuesday. Giving Tuesday is a global movement that inspires millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity. Support can take many forms: volunteering, donations, and prayer support. All are welcome! Here are three images that you may use to communicate about NFE to others. You can let people know that our mission is to empower Mayan youth to break thegenerational cycle of poverty in Guatemala through Christ-centered education. Giving Tuesday on November 29th is the perfect opportunity to send a message to your friends and family about why you love Nicolás Fund For Education. Thank you for your help!
Help Us Bring All 150 Students Back in January 2023!
You are making a tremendous impact in the lives of Nicolás Christian School students! Students and Graduates are becoming entrepreneurs, and some are independently securing their grants and microloans to pursue different types of farming enterprises. Our July 2022 team saw more than six greenhouses producing the most beautiful Roma tomatoes. Nicolás Christian School graduate Antonio is working in the greenhouses. Their first harvest was 100 lbs. of tomatoes! Some graduates, like Sucely Jenyfer, are successful business owners in Cotzal. Sucely Jenyfer currently has a plan to go to baking school so that she can open a bakery…in addition to her successful clothing shop in Cotzal! Nicolás Christian School students have options Other students who don’t have a desire to attend university in the future have a new option to transfer to an Intecap trade school after 9th grade. Nicolás Christian School currently has ten scholarships to offer that cover tuition at the Huehuetenango campus. Intecap trade schools have an excellent jobplacement rate after graduation. Our graduates have hope for a better future because of the education you are providing for them. Hope for a better future is key in this part of Guatemala, recognized as the #1 area for youth suicide in the country. To fully fund the 2023 academic year for 150 students, Nicolás Fund for Education must raise$174,000 by 12.31.22. This would require 58 donors to donate $3000 before 12.31.22. We also have a new option for donors to make a total pledge towards the 2023 academic school year that can be paid in installments as long as the last installment payment is received by 12.31.22. For more information, call Becci Merritt at 425.243.3709. Make a donation …
Nicolás Christian School Students Celebrate Mayan Culture in Welcoming Ceremony
The Nicolás Christian School students provided an outstanding B’a’n Etule (Ixil forWelcome/Bienvenidos) ceremony for the Nicolás Fund For Education July 2022 mission trip members. Students shared an unprecedented display of beautiful Mayan traditional clothing from various parts of the Quiché Department and different Mayan people groups in Guatemala. The precious clothing was borrowed from the mothers and relatives of our students for this very special presentation. In the video, students shared traditional clothing from these areas: Elisheva – Cotzal (home to the Ixil Mayan community) Britalin – Nebaj (home to the Ixil Mayan community) Ana – Sacapulus (home to the Sakapultek and K’iche’ Mayan communities) Evelin – Quiché (home to the K’iche’ Mayan community) Madelin – Zacualpa (home to the K’iche’ Mayan community) Yesica – Chichicastenango (home to the K’iche’ Mayan community) Delia – Totonicapón (located in the Totonicapón Department, home to the K’iche’ Mayan community. 37 miles from Nebaj) Teresa -Santa María Chiquimulá (located in the Totonicapón Department, home to the K’iche’ community, 55 miles from Nebaj) Cristel – Xela (Quetzaltenango), home to the K’iche’ community, 46 miles from Nebaj. Brenda – Santiago Atitlán (close to Sololá on Lake Atitlan, 53 miles from Nebaj. Tzutujile Mayan community) Hilda – Cobán (located in the Alta Verapaz Department, 52 miles from Nebaj, home to the Q’eqchi’ Mayan community) We were honored to experience this presentation that accompanied by Mayan dance. It waswonderful to see our students celebrating and sharing their Mayan culture! Take a virtual trip with the July 2022 mission team and browse through our trip photo album. Would you like to experience first-hand the colorful Mayan culture, meet our students, families and faculty, and see the new school being …
Ronaldo & the Carpentry Program
Ronaldo lives in San Juan Cotzal and is a 10th-grade student at Nicolas Christian School. Ronaldo has become one of the top Nicolas Christian School carpentry students and shared with us how his carpentry classes have helped him develop skills that he will use in the future to pursue his dreams. Ronaldo appreciates how the teachers explain the importance of using caution with the tools and machinery. He says, “I thank the teachers who support us when they see that we have difficulty doing something. I want to be improving day by day. What I have learned most is that it is necessary to cut exact measurements so that we do not have mistakes”. What he likes about the carpentry program is that they must devise everything before they start to manufacture a piece of furniture. They make their design for different types of furniture, but with the supervision and help of the teachers who explain how each project should be started. “The skills I learn in carpentry I will use in my future life because my mission is to study and know more about carpentry, and my vision is to become a great construction engineer so that I can fulfill my dream, and thus become a great professional in life. Thanks to Nicolas Christian School for providing me with the study I need,” says Ronaldo. Ronaldo realizes how important his math and art classes are. In fact, one of his favorite subjects is mathematics which is useful for his carpentry projects. Other favorite classes are English, project management, and Christian leadership. “I like math because it helps us solve problems. I like English because I think it is necessary to …
New School Construction Has Begun!
Thanks to the lavish generosity of many donors, Nicolas Fund for Education [NFE], in collaboration with Building Goodness Foundation [BGF], has begun construction of the new school in San Juan Cotzal! Sebastian Martinez is the onsite Field Manager hired by BGF. He has been busy preparing the land and meeting the Guatemalan Staff including Ivan Espana, NFE National Director, shown in the photo above. The parcel of land in San Juan Cotzal contains many beautiful trees. Wherever possible, these trees are left intact. In the specific location of the school classroom building, it has been necessary to cut and clear some of the existing trees. Lumber milled from these trees will be used for doors, window frames, and other construction needs. Nothing is wasted. A storage shed for materials, equipment, and supplies was built on the property. Stay tuned for many upcoming milestones in the construction project! The July Impact Team will get a first-hand view of the progress. When completed, the classroom building will allow NFE to serve up to 300 students for middle school and high school academic programs. It will also serve as a hub for community outreach programs of tutoring, distance learning, vocational programs, University partnerships, adult literacy programs, and preschool education. Thank you for partnering with us on this exciting journey. Your generous donations have made it all possible.
Interested in traveling to Guatemala to see student graduations?
An NFE mission team is heading to Guatemala from November 10-18, 2022. It is a joy to attend all the graduation ceremonies (preschool, junior and senior high)! On day one, we help with the dress rehearsal for the graduation ceremony. The excitement in the air is palpable! The next day the missions team attends the graduation and celebrates with students and their proud families. For another 2-3 days, the team then visits the Ixil or Quiche villages where our students live. Following that, we will relax in Antigua, an old Spanish colonial city, for another 2-3 days. To register for this trip, please visit our missions trip page and click on the November trip. A $100 non-refundable deposit can be paid on the same page if you click on the green box on the top of the mission trip page that says, “Click Here to Donate to Mission Trips”.
We Met Our Mid-Year Goal!
We are celebrating! We raised a total of $191,000 at our 10th anniversary Fulfilling a Dream event! Because of your generous giving, we are thrilled to announce that we met our mid-year goal for the 2023 Nicolás Christian School (NCS) Operating Budget. We are so grateful to those who acted as Fulfilling a Dream Ambassadors and invited people to watch our event. We were especially pleased to have a number of first-time donors! You are truly our partners in offering high-quality Education to Ixil-region students to help them overcome poverty. Nicolás Fund For Education will gratefully steward the funds that you have entrusted to us. These funds will be contributing to more success stories for students like the four you heard from at our Fulfilling a Dream event. Here’s the video presentation if you missed it or want to share the event with someone new to Nicolás Fund for education. Please consider making a gift to help us raise the remaining funds needed for our 2023 operating budget. We still need to raise $186,000 before November 1st to allow every student to return to Nicolás Christian School next year and to avoid reducing our tutoring programs. Together we’re changing the future of generations to the glory of God!
Join us for Ice Cream on August 13th!
Nicolás Fund For Education will be hosting an ice cream social on August 13th from 2-4:00 pm at Mercerdale Park. We are eager to greet you all in person and catch up with each other after being apart for so long during the pandemic. This event will be outdoors, and masks are encouraged but optional. This is intended to be a fun social event to express our gratitude for you all and is not a fundraiser. Let’s pray for good weather! The address for Mercerdale Park is 3009 77th Ave SE, Mercer Island, WA. You can park in the Evergreen Covenant Church parking lot, street parking, or in adjacent parking lots where businesses are closed. We want to ensure that we can have enough ice cream on hand! Please indicate how many there will be in your party. We hope to see you there!
Thank you to all who attended our Fulfilling a Dream event on April 23, 2022!
Viewers found the video presentations from our four graduates moving and inspiring! If you missed the event, it isn’t too late to view the 30-minute event or donate to Nicolás Fund for Education to help other students achieve their educational dreams. We are still receiving donations every day from Fulfilling a Dream so a final total from the event is not yet available. Early returns suggest that we might not achieve our $100,000 goal for this event. Please make your donation TODAY to provide Christian education for young people in the Ixil that transforms their lives and helps them achieve their human potential!
INTECAP: A New Opportunity for Nicolás Christian School Students
INTECAP: A New Opportunity for Nicolás Christian School Students In February 2022, Nicolás Fund for Education entered into a partnership with a Guatemalan non-profit organization called INTECAP. INTECAP is a leader in providing vocational training tailored to the needs of local employers and has existed for 49 years. INTECAP’s mission is to train and certify people to join the Guatemalan labor market so they can contribute to Guatemala’s development and economic competitiveness. Programs offered include Computing/Information Technology, Mechanics, Culinary Arts, Health/Beauty/Aesthetics, Construction, Electrician, Garment Construction/Tailoring, Automotive Mechanics, and Carpentry. A few classes will take place on the Nicolás Christian School campus (such as carpentry) but a much wider variety of course options are available at other INTECAP campuses in Huehuetenango (a three-hour drive from San Juan Cotzal), Quetzaltenango (a 4.5-hour drive from San Juan Cotzal) or Solalá. INTECAP also has multiple campuses located in five different regions of Guatemala. The Huehuetenango campus offers 13 vocational/career options. Other INTECAP locations in Guatemala offer a different assortment of classes so that within Guatemala there are a total of 72 different career options. INTECAP vocational training would be an option for our students who need or want to enter the workforce as soon as possible and could begin the INTECAP program after they graduate from junior high school (9th grade). INTECAP enjoys a very high job placement rate for its graduates and appears to be a solid option for Nicolás Christian School students to become employable or to become entrepreneurs after graduation. The INTECAP Huehuetenango campus offers our Nicolás Christian School students scholarships for tuition, books, basic lodging, and some materials. An INTECAP applicant must pay Q15 (about $2 USD) for the admission test. If …
