Final Push to Bring Clean Water to the Community Begins this Week

As previously reported, the first phase of the three-phase water project is almost complete. The indigenous women water engineers with whom we have contracted to provide technical assistance will work with the community, starting this week, to dig and install the final pipeline that will bring water from the natural spring to the community for the first time.

Music Video Moving Forward

We are working on a music video to illustrate the importance of the upcoming water system for the community of Nuevo Amanecer. The video will help raise the needed funds to purchase two other land parcels with natural springs to help the community secure enough water capacity to last them far into the future.

The song, which is entitled Agua Para Nuevo Amanecer, will include musical performances by the local group Los Supersones, who specialize in traditional Cuban music, local vocalists Aldo Sanchez and Toni McGowan, Claude Ginsberg on violin, and various singers from the community. The video will feature video footage showing all the benefits the water will bring. We look forward to sharing it with you when it is done, probably sometime in May.

To help us complete the water project, please donate at our website.

More Scholarship Success

We are proud of our support for ongoing scholarship and job training every year since our founding in 2013. New Dawn Guatemala provides funding for primary, secondary, and community college students to fund things such as uniforms, books, transportation, and tuition. Without the strong solidarity provided by your generous donations, these young scholars could not afford to attend school.

In late February we sent $2340 to fund 31 students from the community in areas such as culinary arts, primary education, physical education, accounting, and welding.

New Dawn Funds Youth Motivation Program

Many who have visited Nuevo Amanecer have remarked on how safe and tranquil it is, in contrast with many other Guatemalan communities which sadly, have experienced many problems related to gangs, youth violence, and drugs. To maintain this positive atmosphere in the face of multiple challenges, New Dawn’s leaders have devised a youth motivation program.

The first component of this program will provide training by well-respected local mentors, including Ramiro San Rafael, in the areas of historical consciousness, peaceful conflict resolution, environmental awareness, community togetherness, and the importance of virtue and morality. New Dawn Guatemala is very pleased we were able to recently provide 7,000 quetzales ($910) to fund this worthy program.

New Dawn Guatemala Helps Keep Kindergarten Going

Prior to the pandemic, the kindergarten in Nuevo Amanecer was funded by Proyecto Linguistico (PLQ) a Language School with whom we have partnered on a number of projects. PLQ has been financially devastated and unable to help during the pandemic, thus we have filled in the gap. This past month we sent another payment of $3214 to help fund their kindergarten for two more semesters, including funds for vital repairs that allow them to serve snacks to the kids and provide better educational services.

Ongoing Support for Vital Community Needs During the Pandemic Continues

Due to the severe economic difficulties experienced by the community, New Dawn Guatemala has been providing monthly support for food, sanitation, and masking, as well as economic support for the neediest of families since the beginning of the pandemic. More recently, we have extended our solidarity to fund trips to the capital and county seat to lobby the government and NGOs for more support for Nuevo Amanecer. Your donation helps pay for food, transport, and lodging for low-income residents who otherwise couldn’t afford these advocacy trips.

During the last several months, this grass roots pressure has begun to bear fruit. Nuevo Amanecer’s leaders have secured a commitment for the construction of additional housing from the G- 20 organization of wealthy countries and the CONIC (Coordinating Council of Peasant Organizations). This is vital as many young families are very crowded into the modest homes of their parents and grandparents. Nuevo Amanecer’s community leaders also have secured commitments from the municipal government for partial funding of the needed land parcels for additional water capacity. In addition, they have pushed for the paving of roads that become difficult to traverse in the rainy season and appear to be on the verge of getting commitments in this area. We applaud the efforts on Nuevo Amanecer’s residents to advocate for the betterment of their community and their region, together with leaders for nearby communities. To help us to support this important advocacy effort, please donate at our website.

New Dawn Guatemala Sends Computers to Benefit the Community

Nuevo Amanecer lacks cheap, reliable internet service. We are collaborating with the community to remedy this by 2023. In the meantime, we are working with Nuevo Amanecer’s Internet Committee to provide enough computers to assist their school and enhance the ability of their democratically run committees to communicate more effectively with us and others. We recently arranged for 6 computers, obtained by donation secured by board members Heidi Toppel and Dan McGown, to be delivered to Nuevo Amanecer. Many thanks to Claire Brodsky of the wonderful organization NISGUA (The Network in Support of the People of NISGUA) for delivering them for us!

Get Involved in Supporting this Amazing Community!

Please donate what you can at to provide scholarships, clean water, and job training. $250 makes it possible for a student to go to school for a whole semester who otherwise couldn’t afford it. We can only provide effective support and solidarity due to your  ongoing, life changing generosity. Whatever you donate is greatly appreciated!

We also welcome your involvement in our grass roots non–profit via social media work, translating, connecting us with interested organizations, fundraising, technical help, and more.

If you want to get involved in any way at all, please contact Joe Szwaja at joeszwaja@earthlink.net or (206) 523-3278.

–New Dawn Guatemala Board of Directors in Partnership with the People of Nuevo Amanecer

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