Volunteer teacher, Michael, giving English classes
Student learning English More Photos
Victor, founder of La Catalina Foundation, helping launch
"Guadalupe's Bike Trek's" small business project
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Volunteer teacher, Michael, giving English classes
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We are a Mexican non-profit organization situated on the beautiful Pacific coast of Jalisco in La Manzanilla, aiming to raise the educational and economic level of the local people. Current programs include:
- Weekly English classes delivered to every grade level in the elementary and middle school
- Bi-weekly multi-level evening English classes for adults
- Fundraising efforts for our local schools
- Small business development projects
- On-going tutoring to Mexican children with special needs
Dr. Gabriela de la Vega and Pablo Martinez del Campo, advocates of improving education in Mexico, were impressed by the work of some individuals in the ethnically diverse community of La Manzanilla who were giving English classes to various groups of people in the town. They expressed their vision that La Manzanilla would become the first truly bi-lingual town in Mexico. In order to see their vision manifest, they initiated and sponsored free English classes for all of the children in the schools and evening adult classes in La Manzanilla in January of 2003.Quickly recognizing the importance of what Gabriela and Pablo were initiating, Victor Amezcua and Julie Catton, teachers and Founders of La Catalina Natural Language School, joined their team and worked to establish La Catalina Foundation, a non-profit organization which has grown to encompass not only language opportunities, but also literacy and mathematics opportunities and training in small business development to the local people of La Manzanilla.
As La Manzanilla and other towns along the Pacific Coast of Mexico have been attracting a greater number of tourists and foreign residents, this has created an increasing need for educational programs which will support the local Mexican community in having more opportunity and success in this changing time and economy.
As our educational programs continue expanding, board members and community members alike are recognizing the urgent need for La Catalina Foundation to have their own educational center that would continue offering its language, literacy and business development programs free of charge to community residents. This center will offer several community classrooms and a language learning lab which will house books and learning materials as well as computers, audio visual equipment, and other technology tools for learning.
In order to achieve these goals and carry out our mission, La Catalina Foundation is actively seeking grants, private funding and other financial assistance to continue our programs.
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