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Literacy
The purpose of this project is to expand our previous services (last years grant of $1200 for the Preschool )to promote literacy in remote, rural schools in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. Previously, we have worked with the Tulum, MX Rotary Club, as well as non-Rotarian's in the communities of Paamul and Chumpon, Mexico furnish library books and furniture for their elementary school. The library now has over 2,000 children's books in Spanish. The preschool has additional books and educational toys. (Chumpon is a Mayan village located in a remote jungle area about an hour from Tulum, Mexico in the state of Quintana Roo.
Our Current needs are for: The Secondary School in the Mayan village of Chumpon. They are only able to provide two non-consumable workbooks (math and geography) for their students. No other curriculum or reading materials are available to them. This school has 55 students in grades 7-9.
We would like to provide 25 Kindle e-readers with math, science, history, and literature curriculum in Spanish, as well as some fiction for pleasure reading to the teachers for use with each of the 8th & 9th grade students.
Amazon has given us a price of $86.33 per Kindle x25 = $2158.00 and the average price of a e book is $5.00 and we will load 20 books and educational programs on each = $2500.00. The total price will be $4258.
The opportunity to continue our work with the children will improve their education, and help them to become productive citizens in their local Spanish-speaking community. These Mayan parents are anxious for their children to learn to speak, read, and write Spanish, which is a second language for them. Poverty in the village is extreme, and the villagers do not have the resources to promote literacy or education for their children
All members of the Arlington Sunset Rotary Club and the Tulum Rotary Club are committed to continuing work on this project. At least two work trips are being planned for Rotary year 2013-2014 for work on this project, with the next trip in October. Our plan is to work with bilingual teachers in Arlington to select curriculum and pleasure reading material that is age appropriate. The principal at the Secondary School in Chumpon will have final approval for curriculum decisions. Once approved, the e-books will be downloaded to the Kindles. After consulting with the Kindle Business and Education Department at Amazon, we learned that the downloading must take place in the U.S., and then we can transport the Kindles to Mexico. Internet access is not available in the villages, and it will not be needed for using the Kindles. Periodically, our club members will bring the Kindles back to the U.S. to download additional e-books as funds become available in the future.
Our Goal is to have the e readers in the children's
Our work trips will be open to our fellow Rotarian's in other clubs and their friends or family, traveling at their own expense.
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