Why education? Because that's the way for a small amount of money to make the greatest difference. Take Wanda Duarte, one of their stars. As the daughter of a struggling single mother, she never could have gone to high school without help. A high-school education will give her and her family – she has two older sisters – a different future.
“Here's a girl who's bright as hell,” says John. “Her whole family is working to support her. Wanda is their great hope. Her scholarship is around $500 a year, and that's enough to make a difference.”
The scholarship program operates on the merit principle. Students are held accountable for maintaining good attendance and good marks. In just a couple of years, Shelley and John have seen children transformed before their eyes. When they launched a debating club, they saw inarticulate, culturally shy students become confident people who could express themselves. One boy now wants to study in the United States. “These kids are going to be future leaders,” says John.
It's been an education for the Ebys, too. Helping people – especially in another country – is not for the naive. Development work is difficult, frustrating and complex, and it's easy to waste money. The most important lesson they've learned is that the community must be committed. Unless local people have a sense of ownership, it will never work.
There are plenty of aid organizations operating in Guatemala, including ones from Canada. So why start another one?
“We know where the money's going,” says John. With a budget of $10,000 last year and $18,000 this year, they are determined to go slow. Their aim is to raise $100,000 from family, friends and supporters, and to commit $30,000 themselves. (And, yes, they've read Three Cups of Tea.)
At the grand opening of the new school in Primavera, it was easy to spot John. He's about a foot and a half taller than everyone else. Not all of the new students are teenagers – they include two mothers in their 30s who are breastfeeding. “I never had the opportunity to go to high school,” said one. “I want to better my life.”
For Primavera, this simple little school is transformational. It's also giving meaning to the lives of two accomplished people with time, talent and the determination to make one small corner of the world a better place. I'm betting that there are lots of people like the Ebys out there, and that there will be more and more as the boomers gradually age out of their careers.
“I think you can get awfully self-indulgent if you don't have an external focus for your energy,” says John. “It can be pretty depressing if you only focus on yourself.” Not that there's anything wrong with cruises, cocktail parties and golf. But they have work to do.
