Fourth Canada Maya Scholarship Awarded to Medical Student

Leonardo David Elias Rios is only 17 and has already established an exceptional academic record. Currently he is completing a bachelor degree in Health Sciences at Universidad de Rafael Landivar in Quetzaltenango.

In January 2010 Leonardo will enrol in the medical school at Universidad de San Carlos Quezaltenango to begin six years of study to become a doctor. He will receive a Paso Por Paso “Canada Maya Scholarship” to fund his first year.

Leonardo lives in Quetzaltenango with his mother. He has no siblings. His ambition since childhood has been to become a medical doctor. Leonardo has been the recipient of numerous medals and citations for academic achievement during his schooling.

Anastacia Ajanel Xon Receives a Scholarship

Anastacia is attending her Fourth Semester in Social Worker Degree at Mariano Galvez University, Solola in her Second Year. She needs one more year of courses to complete the baccalaureate. She is 34, married and has four children ages 2 to 9.

Scholarship Fund administrator Patricia Gutierrez writes, “Anastacia is the only Mayan lady in her course. She is traveling every Saturday from Panajachel to Solola to the Mariano Galvez University to attend her second year in Social Work Degree.”

Anastacia speaks three different Mayan languages (Quiche, Tzutujil and Katchiquel); also she knows perfect Spanish and a little English. “Indigenous social workers are few, and indigenous women social workers rare,” Patricia says, “Women lead very tough lives. Poverty is increasing. We have a lot of violent crime.”

Training an indigenous woman social worker who can communicate in Mayan dialects is a very important contribution to community wellbeing.

Anastacia knows the hardships of poverty, discrimination for being Maya, childhood abuse and unhappiness. “I am not happy with my life. Since I arrived to this world, nobody even my own parents were responsible with me. As a little girl, they sent me to work and for many years I carried a baby on my back for 10 hours a day to earn a little money. I had to have faith by myself to open a real world for me.”

Because the world recession has hit Guatemala very hard there are fewer construction jobs and therefore Anastacia’s husband is unable earn enough money to pay tuitions. He works in construction and fished Lake Atitlan part time.

Social Work is a major university degree. To fully qualify for a LICENCIATURA she would need to attend three more years, but the Canada-Maya Scholarship for one year will allow at least allow Anastacia to qualify for employment in her field.

While Anastacia’s scholarship is currently covered from general funds, the Scholarship Committee is actively seeking an interested individual or group sponsor.

Anastacia Ajanel Xon

Anastacia is 34, married and has four children. She and her family live in Panajachel. Her husband works in construction and fishes Lake Atitlan to supplement the family income.

She is in her fourth semester studying every Saturday for a Social Work bachelor degree at Mariano Galvez University in Solola. She needs another year to complete.

Anastacia is the only indigenous Maya woman in the social work course at her university. She speaks three Maya dialects (Quiche, Tzutujil and Katciquel.) She also speaks Spanish and a little English. It is important to indigenous people that social workers are able to speak the Maya languages. She is particularly interested in the laws and rights of Maya people, and very concerned about the violence, crime and poverty affecting indigenous people in the remote villages.

Life has not been easy for Anastacia’s childhood. The economy has not been kind to her family. She is determined to improve conditions for her children and for her community.

Leonardo David Elias Rios

Leonardo David Elias Rios is only 17 and has already established an exceptional academic record. Currently he is completing a bachelor degree in Health Sciences at Universidad de Rafael Landivar in Quetzaltenango.

In January 2010 Leonardo will enrol in the medical school at Universidad de San Carlos Quezaltenango to begin six years of study to become a doctor. He has applied to receive a Paso Por Paso “Canada Maya Scholarship” to fund his first year.

Leonardo lives in Quetzaltenango with his mother. He has no siblings. His ambition since childhood has been to become a medical doctor. Leonardo has been the recipient of numerous medals and citations for academic achievement during his schooling.

Leonardo, like all the students on this site, see their education as a tool to improve the lives of the people in their communities. These scholarships are funded largely by internet donations, both great and small. If you would like to see Maya students complete their educational goals, please

Oliva Lopez receives Scholarship

The Canada – Maya Scholarship fund has awarded a scholarship to Oliva Lopez of Panajachel, Guatemala. Oliva is enrolled at Rafael Landivar University in Quetzaltenango in the seventh level of a Marketing degree. She needs two and a half more years to graduate.

This scholarship was made possible by the generous donations of folks in Orillia, Ontario, Canada, as well as internet donations both great and small. If you would like to see Maya students complete their educational goals, please

Diego Pazan Awarded Scholarship

The Canada – Maya Scholarship fund has awarded a scholarship to Diego Pazan of Solola, Guatemala. Diego is pursuing a degree in mathematics at the University de la Valle in Solola.

This scholarship was made possible by the generous donations of folks in Orillia, Ontario, Canada, as well as internet donations both great and small. If you would like to see Maya students complete their educational goals, please

Rodolfo Perez receives Scholarship

The Canada – Maya Scholarship Fund announced today that Rodolfo Perez, of Panajachel Guatemala, has been awarded a scholarship allowing him to complete his goal of obtaining his certification in Tourism. Rodolfo has one year of study remaining.

This scholarship was funded by generous donors in Ontario, Canada and elsewhere. If you would like to help the Maya of Guatemala achieve their goals, please

Rodolfo Perez

     Rodolfo Perez is studying Tourism. He is married to Norma Elizabeth Calabay. They have a daughter Enma, and they live in Panajachel. Rodolfo comes from a very poor family, but he has persisted in advancing his education. Hismarks, all in the 80s and 90s, show his dedication to improving the
opportunities for himself and his family. He needs one more year to complete his certification.

Juan Tiney

Juan Tiney has three and a half years of medical school. He needs two more to finish.

Like many other Guatemalan Maya, he hit a stone wall. He had to come home to earn money to help send his younger brothers and sisters to school. There are nine in his family.

Maya families make big sacrifices to pay school tuition because Guatemala has only 6 years of state funded education.

Juan Tiney is 25 years old, an indigenous Maya Tzutujil and already he is a leader.

He and his father Domingo bring bags of oranges and limes by bus and boat from the Pacific coast to sell to restaurants in the tourist town of Panajachel.

The Tiney family lives in a two-room house in Santiago, a city of 45,000 in Central Guatemala. They do have electricity and running water, but his mother cooks outside on an open wood fire, -no chimney.

The mayor of Santiago Manuel Reanda Pablo writes that he has “demonstrado sus cualidades: responsabilidad, honradez, relaciones humanas y deseos of superacion…”

Juan is both an athlete, and a student. He has spent three years in junior high, two more in computer studies, three further in a seminary studying philosophy and theology, and now 3 ½ years in the Latin America Medical School in Havana, Cuba.

Juan’s family cannot help him finish school. His tuition is paid, but still he needs books, clothing, travel, and food. At the Cuban school there was rarely ever meat or fish. He got only eggs for 18 months. Telephone, mail and Internet are all expensive, so keeping connected with his family was difficult.

It costs hundreds of thousands in Ontario to educate a doctor, but only a couple of hundred dollars a month will allow Juan Tiney to complete medical school.

Diego Pazan

Diego Pazan is a 26 years old student from San Juan, Quiche, the only son in his family. He needs two more years to complete his studies in Mathematics at the Universidad del Valle in Solola, Guatemala. He wishes teach upper levels of mathematics. Currently he is teaching in a private school in Panajachel and studying part time to finish his degree. His monthly salary is so meager (about $100) that just supporting himself is difficult.

He has other responsibilities as well, however. Last year his only sister died leaving a baby girl. Diego will provide for and raise his niece. Diego’s parents are divorced; his mother lives in Quiche; his father and new wife live in Panajachel.

Diego is typical of his generation. He has made many personal sacrifices for his education; he wants to help others in his community achieve a better life; he assumes responsibility for helping family.

He is keenly interested in education and especially in mathematics.

Diego is single.