Make the world a better place: Sponsoring Thea for Foundation Los Niños
Dear Mynglers,
Here we are with our first mini-project to make a small difference in the world. I hope the first of many.
When I look at myself, where I am now, I cannot avoid thinking that I have been very lucky. Somehow I was born in a place that could provide me with everything I needed, a family that could afford it, a Country that has as basic principle education and working opportunities available to everyone. That made of me what I am now, but not everybody has been so fortunate. I think many of you share the same thoughts.
Thea is one of those idealistic people willing to give-up everything to go where she can do good. She will be leaving for Guatemala as project coordination for Foundation Los Niños, which has the aim of helping children out of poverty and illiteracy.
Thea does not speak good Spanish (yet), and her resources are all to be devoted to her project.
We want to sponsor Thea, and are looking for Spanish teachers willing to teach her Spanish for free.
You give lessons to Thea, we waive our fees on the future lessons you will give to paying students. And of course, you will get special visibility as contributor to our first project to ‘make the world a better place’.
We will then follow Thea in Guatemala, to see how her work is going. And we have few more ideas on how to help there too. I am sure we will all feel proud, especially those teachers that will help Thea now.
Thea in her own words
My name is Thea van Zwieten, 51 years. When I was about 16 years old I had a dream to do something overseas where people lived in poverty. I always thought “Well, I’m not a doctor or a nurse, so what can I do over there?” And now, 35 years later, I’ve the opportunity to work for the Foundation Los Niños in Guatemala. At the end of the year I will leave the Netherlands to work as a project-coordinator for this Foundation. I believe that every child in this world has the right to have opportunities like I have had. In Guatemala there are a lot of children who are not going to school and there is a lot of illiteracy and poverty. I think education is the key to breaking the circle of poverty. This is also a milleniumgoal “In 2015 every boy and girl will be able to complete a full course of primary education”. With all my heart I want to contribute to this goal.
In order to achieve this, it is important that I speak good Spanish to communicate with the children and all the other people I will work with. I have had lessons in the past. However during the next 6 months, I want to prepare myself by improving my knowledge and communication skills.
About Foundation Los Niños
Los Niños is a registered Dutch foundation that undertakes and supports projects in Guatemala. Our goal is to facilitate educational projects, and to increase the independence and self-supporting abilities of the poorest children and their families.
The foundation has existed since 2002, when Ana-Maria Ackermans and Carla Nolte met in Antigua. Seeing the poverty, hardships and lack of education, they decided to dedicate their energy and love to the children and people who need it most. The central pillar of support is education, as it is the key to rising above the state of poverty. We focus on building, expanding and improving schools for children without resources. Support also includes scholarships for secondary and vocational education. Furthermore, we aim to directly improve the living conditions of children at home by giving attention to, among others, nutrition, hygiene and medical care.
For more information you can visit the website: http://www.stichtinglosninos.nl/en/index.php
If you believe in Thea’s dreams and want to become part of it, please contact us to ‘sponsor’ her Spanish.
Write to Elisa: elisa@myngle.com
Thank you!
Marina
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June 10th, 2009 at 7:47 pm
Marina, as I mentioned the other day, YOU ROCK! You are admirable: Myngle and find the time to support Charity and Social Entrepreneurship.
We hope that a lot of Spanish Teachers will offer their support to Thea. Unfortunately I do not speak Spanish myself…………so I am definitely not the right person to teach. I wish I was. However, I am sure that you will find a myngle teacher who is able and willing to. And Thea same to you: YOU ROCK!
June 11th, 2009 at 6:47 am
Marina,
Ohh, if only you are near me, I would hug you for what you are doing. When I read what you wrote about you i really shed tears because i am not like you who is affluent. I was so poor but my dream beyond and my fighting spirit made me sail through the very rough waves I was sailing. These rough waves tossed me really hard but somehow made me find many softer and friendly waves. And I am here extending what i am doing in my province back home. For Thea, I am not the right person to teach her because I can’t speak Spanish; I know the words but to put them in sentences is another thing. If you could find in her foundation someone who needs English then I am very willing to do it for free.
God bless you.
Klara
June 11th, 2009 at 9:58 am
Thank you Klara for your always so kind words.
I think you are an example of how with the power of the mind you could reach very far, despite you were not given all the gifts that western people mostly get.
That is why we would like to find people in the world who have been less fortunate, and at least give them a chance. Give them a first sparkle of hope, so that they also can believe it is possible to guide their life towards a better situation. Even if you are not born lucky as we are here in western Countries.
And thank you MarinaColliers! I know you are also a big fan of ‘paying it forward’
Marina
June 11th, 2009 at 8:13 pm
Dear Marina and Myngle
I am really glad to read this. Our world is getting more crazy& materialistic. But that is how we feel the beauty and the importance living, only when we try to give hope for who suffers or is not able to face the world because he lack the opportunity.
It is always relieving to find someone thinking of charity and good deeds when he has the choice not to do.
Thanks Marina so much, i know how you feel because I did similar thing today. If there is anything has to do with Arabic, PLEASE let me know.
June 18th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
Dear Marina
I could offer my support to Thea. You can contact me.
Sincerely,
César Barreto
June 19th, 2009 at 7:22 am
thank you for share with me this and of course I want to help Thea to improve her spanish because what she is doing is wonderful.
June 19th, 2009 at 8:19 am
Dear Marina
I would like to help to Thea with your Spanish. I´m Spanish, and I have a intermediate english level. I can give her one class a week.
Pedro P.
June 19th, 2009 at 8:29 am
fdsfds
June 19th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
Dear Cesar, Maria Jose and Pedro,
thank you for your offer! I will reply to the email that you sent me so that we can start this :-). Pedro, please contact me at elisa@myngle.com
Myngle will offer to Thea the Insituto Cervantes AVE package that she can use while taking the live lessons and will compensate your participation in this by waiving commission fees..together we support a first small project and hopefully we create a model for future ones.
thank you again,
Elisa
June 19th, 2009 at 6:18 pm
Dear Thea,It´s wonderful to know there is still people who worries about those that suffer becuse of different causes.
I would like to to help you with your spanish, we could be in contact to decide wnat´ll be the best time to do it.
Pd. When i was seventeen i lived in Guatemala for about a year, it is a wonderful place but there were lots of really poor people.
Nelvi
June 20th, 2009 at 9:06 am
Thank you Cesar, Maria Jose’, Pedro, Nelvi,
for your enthusiastic and selfishless reaction to support Thea in this beautiful dream she is pursuying. It is true, if everyone of us just give a little of what we have, we could really all together make an impact.
It is like a drop of water, followed by another and another, and before you know, it goes around the world as a wave….
Thank you all!!
Marina
June 20th, 2009 at 10:10 am
i sorry that my english is not better now.
i have ideas to help children if you come to thailand or somethings , i can help our children . i live at nonthaburi is 15 km.,from bangkok .
yotin
June 20th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
Hi Yotin,
if you have a project or a school where we could give support, please let us know.
We are also in contact with the 1% Club, which supports development projects in less develoed Countries, so we could also discuss the ideas with them.
Marina
June 20th, 2009 at 5:37 pm
Hi Cesar, Maria Jose, Pedro and Nelvi,
It is great to read all your support. I am really touched. Thank you so much. For me this is the first time I write a blog and that I will learn a language with E-learning. I understand from Elisa that I have to give her some personal information so that I can use the AVE package. I am very curious how this all works.
Sorry, that my writing English is not that well, because speak holiday English is something else then write f.e. about my thoughts in this language in the right words with good spelling. So another benefit is that I learn also write English now.
I like to write a few times every month about the project and my experiences in Guatemala so that you can follow up the activities overthere.
I also want to thank Marina and Elisa to give me this opportunity.
Thank you all. Words are not enough.
Thea
June 22nd, 2009 at 11:14 am
Wauw I am so touched by all of this! Seeing that myngle and all of you can make a contribution in making this world a better place!
You all ROCK!
Marina
June 22nd, 2009 at 6:26 pm
Unfortunally I do not no Spanish) so I couldn*t help you.(
August 30th, 2009 at 11:55 pm
I loved reading this and I dont really like to read