December 1, 2020
TODAY IS THE DAY!!
Matching Facebook Donations
Begins at 8am EST, Tuesday, December 1, 2020
(Note: Normally the Facebook Matching Funds are gone within about 5 minutes. If you can donate at 8am EST, we have the best chance of receiving additional funds for the FundaMaya Preschool & Nutrition Centers)
Facebook is matching $7 million (USD) that are given via any qualifying non-profit's Giving Tuesday Facebook Fundraising campaign on December 1, 2020 starting at 8am EST!
Facebook will make matches "made on a first-come, first-served basis and will continue until the $7M USD fund has been met."
Matching 100% of the first $2M made in qualifying donations. (Ex. Donor gives $100 to Action Alliance's Facebook Campaign before the first $2M is given out, then an additional $100 will be donated by Facebook.)
Matching 10% on the next $5M made in qualifying donations. (Ex. Donor gives $100 to Action Alliance's Facebook Campaign after the first $2M is given out (but before the next $5M is given out), then an additional $10 will be donated by Facebook.)
Matching Cap per nonprofit: $100,000 USD
Matching Cap per donor: $20,000 USD
Finishes when the $7M has been matched by donors on Facebook Fundraising Campaigns.
(If Donating Between
8AM & 12PM on December 1
Click Here for a Chance to get Matching Donations)
Goal: $25,000 ($33,500 CAD)
(If Donating Before 8AM [EST], December 1
or after 12PM [EST], December 1
Click Below)
CLICK ON THE IMAGES
Giving Tuesday Sponsor a FundaMaya Sponsor a FundaMaya Giving Tuesday
Campaign: Preschool Student: Preschool Student: Campaign:
United States Donors United States United States (& Canadian Donors
(& Other Countries) (& Other Countries) Other Countries)
Dear FundaMaya Friends,
The cycle....
What will your donation "look like" in 20-30 years from now? Out of the 100 preschoolers who are in our program this year, how many will be teachers, accountants, nurses, doctors, engineers, or other professionals in 20-30 years? How will they be impacting their communities and families - and breaking the cycle of poverty?
We hope each of these 100 students will make it through the equivalent of a high school education in the US, if not to working towards a university degree. We are also realistic and know that might not happen. We do know though that each of the children will have learned Spanish, along with their native language. This alone will open up more of the world to them.
For each additional year of school that a child is able to complete, we know it continues to open up choices and opportunities and gets us closer to the goal of breaking the cycle of poverty. If you know how to do basic math, read, and write, then you are more likely to be able to read a contract and know what it says. You can help your child with their education. You can understand that there are choices in life and just because someone tells you to do something, you don't have to. You can critically think on your own. You might have the ability to use a computer and research information from across the world, as you know how to read and interpret the wealth of information at your fingertips.
Honestly, we don't know for sure, but, we do have an example where it has had huge implications for a young girl who was like each of our preschoolers so many years ago. Keep reading to hear one woman's story.
Giving Tuesday is the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday. It is a day for each of us to find a way to do good in this world. A day for us to be grateful for those that have helped us and then go that next step and find a way to give back through donating to causes that "speak" to us and volunteering (if possible in this "COVID world"). This cycle of "acts of generosity and kindness" will have amazing impacts on the world today and the world in 30 years - that we are sure of!
How will Giving Tuesday change the cycle of kindness and support communities in the greater good?
How will education change the cycle of poverty and support communities in the greater good?
How can you support Action Alliance International and FundaMaya Canada (the USA 501(c)3 and Canadian charity respectively), who provide the funds to FundaMaya (the Guatemala non-profit) in our Giving Tuesday Campaign: A Time of Giving & Gratitude - and in turn affect both the cycle of education and generosity?
Today Is The Time. Today Is Giving Tuesday. Start Changing the Cycles.
We are experiencing intermittent problems with the US donation page.
If you experience any problems you may
go directly to PalPal and make the recipient admin@actionai.org or you may
call 214-444-9889 or 619- 202- 0090 and
we will take your payment via the phone.
The Canadian donations are processing with no issues.
(Click Below to Donate Now)
"This year the Giving Tuesday Fundraiser will help us to support our three Preschool & Nutrition Centers in San Jorge la Laguna, San Antonio Palopo and Panajachel (Guatemala)."
--Sharon Smart
Video: Teaching Young Minds
Take a few minutes to watch the third video we have put together to hear from the FundaMaya teachers. Hear in their own words why this campaign is critical. Watch the 3rd Video!
If you missed the first two videos, click on the links for them.
"The children come to our preschools based on family need.
There is no charge to the parents for the children to attend."
--Sharon Smart
The Benefits... A Generation Later
This is the story of my life.
My mom tells me that she got married when she was 16 years old, and I was born when she was 17. My mom never went to school and she can't read or write.
She lived with my dad for almost two years, but unfortunately there were always problems, as my dad drank a lot and didn't give our family the necessary attention.
My mother had the strength to separate from my father when I was just two months old. She took care of me alone as I grew up. She chose to never marry again, so she could care for me. Here in Guatemala (especially at that time), if a woman gets remarried, the new husband may not accept the woman's existing children or hurt them. After separating from my dad, my mom never wanted to live with another man again.
My mother washed clothes and ironed clothes to earn money to cover the expenses of our house. I lived with my mother, grandmother (who is still living and 85 years old), and my grandfather (who passed away in 2013 when he was 85) my entire life.
My mother's sacrifices and hard work was not enough to pay for clothes or my education which is not free in Guatemala. When I was five years old, my aunt knew a woman named Sharon (before the start of FundaMaya). Sharon and her friends helped me to begin studying.
Fast forward to today. I am married and have a son (8 years old) and a daughter (4 years old). They have had the benefits of an education, and my son is very good at chess and is able to compete at multinational competitions.
I dreamed of graduating from college - and I did! My mom is happy as she feels it was worth the sacrifice to never remarry and to always put me first. Without the support of my family, Sharon, and FUNDAMAYA, I would not have been able to study since I was five years old and now have the following university degrees: Bilingual Secretary, Social Work degree, Master's Degree in Community Counseling/Community Development. I am bilingual in Kakchiquel and Spanish, and now working on becoming proficient in English.
I have chosen to bring my story full circle and now help my community - and in particular preschoolers and other students have the same "hand up" I received. I am now the Director of Education Programs for Fundación Familia Maya (FundaMaya). I am helping my community through my work and my knowledge and I am sure that a school sponsorship can make a great change in life of students and their families!
This is a summary of my life story. I hope it helps you understand the difference your support and donation can make in a child's life through education. Your donation will help another boy or girl like me - and who knows how that child will impact the future generations here in Guatemala. I wonder if Sharon and the others that helped me gain an education could have guessed the positive impact it would have on my life so many years ago?
Sandra Chiroy
Note: Sandra's account has been translated and slightly edited for clarity.
Graduating from Graduation for Bilingual Graduation for first
Kindergarten at Secretary degree in 2006 Master's Degree in Social
age 6 years old (with Grandmother & Mother) (2013, with my husband)
"The preschoolers have a hot breakfast and healthy snack; brush their teeth and take a vitamin tablet; learn Spanish, the language spoken in the Guatemalan schools; play games and sing; celebrate their culture; listen to stories and use their imaginations; learn to read; and get a head start on their education - all while having fun! " --Sharon Smart