Oneness has many dreams for the future. Most revolve around its core of excellence which is providing quality preschool programs to new locations throughout the area.

But in the face of such success is the sombre reality that infrastructure already in place requires constant maintenance and upgrading. Because of the inevitable teacher turn over, there is a constant demand for volunteers and donors to support the present legacy. The devotion and vision of Richard and Susan has not flagged and Oneness volunteers must remain committed to sustaining and growing aid to the worthy citizens of Guatemala.

Projects Completed in 2008-2009

In October of 2008 Richard and Susan returned to Guatemala to set up three new programs. In November three teams arrived from the Ottawa valley to construct the furniture for the current projects.





The first grade one project, promoting the "Planting Seeds" philosophy, opened in January 2009 in "The Educational Center of Excellence" in the town of Pastores. The five-year-old and six-year-old programs were established last year in a temporary facility. By September 2009, a school funded by "From Houses to Homes", was built to house the new system. The plan is to extend the program one grade level at a time up to grade six. Director of the "Changing Lives" program Janet Reyes has already arranged the possibility of scholarships for these graduates with some of the best private high schools in Guatemala. Success at this level would open to them the possibility of university, which at this time is technically free in Guatemala.









In February, at the request of Joe Collins and Oscar Mejia of "From Houses to Homes" a six-year-old program was set up in Santa Maria de Jesus to serve the very poor children of the area. This preschool will follow the curriculum of the Guatemalan Ministry of Education, but will be based on the "Planting Seeds" philosophy and teaching methodology. Two Guatemalan teachers have been hired to implement the new teaching methods. This program will be part of the "Changing Lives" educational project. This school is called "The Educational Center of Excellence II"





March marked the opening of the first "Planting Seeds" preschool program ("The Garden of Dreams") in Santa Domingo Xenecoj. Accommodating 30 children, it has 15 in a morning program, and 15 in the afternoon. The head teacher of this program has turned over her one room house to be converted into the school, and she, her husband and young baby, have moved into a small outbuilding on the back of the property. Her intense desire to make quality preschool education, available to her village is inspirational.



Just 10 days before our return to Canada, construction was completed on a new one-room school in Sacala Los Lomas. This preschool has been operating for several years in a building owned by the local primary school, but this year the public school needed the space because of increased enrollment. Because of a generous donation made by "From Houses to Homes", a permanent location has been established. As we were unable to find land to purchase in the community, the teacher's family has given us a ten year lease (rent free) on their land to build the school. Without this selfless gesture on their part, the school would have been unable to continue in Sacala. A temporary program has been set up in the school until November when teams will return to build new furniture for the school year, beginning in January.





Apart from setting up the preschool programs this year, a number of teams came from Canada through "Oneness" to build houses for the poor. The house-building program provided by "From Houses to Homes" as always, was profoundly meaningful. The teams were housed at the Oneness "House of Service" where volunteers had the opportunity to share with others their daily experiences. For many their time in Guatemala was a life-changing event.









Plans for 2009-2010

• Teams returning to Guatemala in November will be painting the outside of the new school in Sacala Los Lomas and building furniture for the classroom.
• Furniture will be constructed for the grade two classroom in Pastores
• In the new year refurbishing of the pilot project classrooms at the Guatemala City Dump will be carried out
• Teachers will be trained for the new programs, and workshops will be provided for the present teachers as needed
• "Oneness" will continue to support "From Houses to Homes" by bringing teams and financial support from Canada
• "The "House of Service" will operate until end of April, at which time, because the two year lease expires, a decision must be made as to the future of the house of service.