Christmas Baskets - Open Windows Foundation
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Newsletter Fall 2021
Christmas Baskets
Last year, with the pandemic raging and family
incomes depressed or even eliminated, the
Guatemalan board at Open Windows launched an
effort to provide as many families as possible with
Christmas baskets. These baskets of food and other
essential items are a traditional gift at Christmastime
in Guatemala, and during the pandemic their
significance, both symbolic and practical, became
even greater.
Each donor was asked to provide funds for at least
two baskets: one for a family in need and one for that
family to pass on to another family they knew which
was in even greater need. The families who received the baskets were as grateful for the
opportunity to give a Christmas gift at a time when they could not have otherwise afforded it
as they were to receive their own baskets.
More than 800 families received
Christmas baskets through that effort and
this year we are looking to reach 1000
families. The slow vaccination rate, only
25% of the total population with most of
those living in the capital city, is fueling
the current wave of Covid infections. This
significantly impacts the ability of a family
to earn a consistent and reliable income.
Each basket we are able to deliver will be
a bright spot for parents and children
alike.
While we hope everyone will purchase
pairs of baskets so families can give as
well as receive, the purchase of even one basket will be appreciated. Prices for the baskets
are as follows: $35 (Q250) for one basket; $65 (Q480) for two; $120 (Q900) for four and
$27.50 (Q200) each for 5 or more baskets.
To donate Christmas baskets, go to the Open Windows website (www.openwinfound.org)
and click on the Christmas Basket button on the front page. You can use PayPal directly or
use it to charge the donation to your credit card. From the US you can also send a check to:
Open Windows Foundation, c/o John Davis, 1268 E. McNair Dr., Tempe, AZ 85283. If you
are in Guatemala, you can write a check to Asociación Ventanas Abiertas. Make sure to
indicate, either in the website or on your check, that the donation is for Christmas
baskets.
Este año repetiremos nuestra campaña de canastas navideñas. Queremos dar dos canastas a
cada familia, una para guardar y una para regalar. Les faltan a las familias en San Miguel Dueñas
los recursos para dar regalos navideños y se agradecerá tanto la oportunidad de dar un regalo
como de recibir uno. Puedes donar en el sitio web (www.openwinfound.org) o con un cheque a
Asociación Ventanas Abiertas. .
20 Years and Counting!
October 1, 2001. That was the day
a small group of children gathered
into the childhood home of Teresa
Quiñonez to get help with their
homework and a chance to read
books from the small library of 300
volumes. Much has changed since
then. Hundreds of children get help
each year, in person when there is
no pandemic prohibiting in-person
classes and through video lessons
any time. A computer lab;
scholarships for attending middle
school, high school and even
university; a library of 13,000
volumes; music lessons; volunteers
providing English lessons; a typing school; the construction of houses; and the installation of
eco-stoves round out the expansions which have occurred over the years.
You can share some of the experiences we have enjoyed over the years by watching the
video the teachers made to commemorate the anniversary:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QdrE-_aa0k
Hace 20 años Ventanas Abiertas empezó con pocos niños y una pequeña biblioteca. Ahora
podemos ofrecer computación; una biblioteca de 13,000 libros; becas; lecciones de música;
lecciones en video; construcción de casas e instalación de estufas ecológicas. Puedes ver un
poco de nuestro pasado en el video que los maestros hicieron para conmemorar el aniversario:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QdrE-_aa0k
200 Video Lessons and 200,000 Views!!!
In August the teachers at Open
Windows uploaded their 200th
video lesson to the YouTube
channel Aprende con Ventanas
Abiertas. The effort to create the
video lessons started just over a
year earlier, in July of 2020. Even
before finishing the 200th lesson,
the channel had more than 500
subscribers and had gotten more
than 200,000 views, i.e., an
average of over 1,000 views per
video. In an effort to boost
utilization of the channel even
further, we sent letters via email to
more than 350 primary schools
across the country, telling them the
video lessons were available and
encouraging them to take a look
for themselves.
As we approached the milestone of 200 video lessons, we also began creating quizzes for
the videos to make them more interactive. The idea is to engage the kids more effectively as
they watch the lessons and also to provide Open Windows’ teachers an idea of how much
the students are absorbing. Because of restrictions in YouTube, we cannot incorporate the
quizzes into the videos shown there, so we have created a new website and used an
educational program called Edpuzzle to show both the videos and the quizzes. (The lessons
will continue to be available on YouTube, as well, but without the interaction.) At this point we
are focusing on the videos created for the reinforcement sessions, which target the sixth
graders to help them study for their exams and qualify for scholarships for middle school. You
can reach the new website with the interactive videos from our regular website
(www.openwinfound.org) or directly at www.aprendeconventanasabiertas.squarespace.com.
En agosto los maestros de Ventanas Abiertas produjeron su lección en video número 200.
Además, alcanzamos más de 200,000 vistas, un promedio de un mil por video. Los maestros
están agregando también pruebas a los videos para hacerlos más interactivos. Se puede
encontrar las lecciones con pruebas de nuestro sitio web (www.openwinfound.org) o directamente
a www.aprendeconventanasabiertas.squarespace.com.
Reinforcement Sessions Despite the extra complications this year, Open Windows’ annual reinforcement sessions will begin in November. Last year we conducted the reinforcement sessions with the help of the videos we were making, allowing the sixth grade students to come to the library to view the videos, with the teachers fielding questions afterwards. This year we are expanding our use of technology to maximize the number of students we can accommodate while minimizing the chances of contagion. Students in the upper primary grades and those in middle school will participate, although the numbers and times will be sharply reduced compared to our normal schedule. Teaching will be done through a combination of online classes using Google Meet and assignments of some of the video lessons the teachers have made specifically for the reinforcement sessions. On Fridays students can come to the library and get individual help with issues they are finding difficult. Some students will be able to borrow phones from the library so they can participate in the online sessions. As always, the reinforcement sessions will last six weeks and at the end the sixth graders will take tests to determine which ones will be offered scholarships for middle school. We are hoping for at least the same level of results as last year, when we were surprised that the number qualifying matched the results of previous years despite the lack of classes for nearly the entire school year. Las sesiones de reforzamiento empezarán en noviembre, aunque con menos estudiantes y horas. Estudiantes del sexto primaria tendrán clases en línea de lunes a jueves y pueden venir a la biblioteca los viernes para recibir ayuda individual y resolver lo que se les dificulta. Al final de seis semanas tomarán pruebas para competir por becas para básico y diversificado. Change a child’s life today: Find out more about Open Windows Send a tax-deductible check to: Learning Center: Open Windows Foundation Contact: c/o John Davis Nilda Girón, Director 1268 E. McNair Dr. openwindows.nildag@gmail.com Tempe, AZ 85283 (502) 7834 0292
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