There are some amazing things happening in Mexico thanks to your continued support of the GROW program. The purchase of a delicious organic yellow fruit is all it takes to bring smiles to the faces of youths in the state of Colima, Mexico. Your support helps us provide funds to continue educational programs, scholarships, student study centers and more with the non-profit Project Amigo. Learn what is new, and see how your purchase of GROW bananas is helping!
Project Amigo highlights:
- High school seniors regularly serve as tutors and assistants at the Centro Educativo; their computer skills, subject-area competence, and administrative help are all highly valued.
- College senior Adriana is graduating as a nurse in December; an experience in Seattle last year changed her perception of what health “care” can look like.
- Heraclio will also complete his agronomy degree in December; he is currently doing research with a professor on funguses that affect corn yields
- Students that quit early in the school year are replaced immediately with other students already on the “back-up” list
- The GROW Center needs new fans, chairs, and 10 computers
- In order to have new computers in place by the beginning of the next school year, Project Amigo is replacing them immediately with other Project Amigo funds and hopes to “reimburse” the cost from the new GROW grant later in the fall
- We have received a donation of chairs from the University of Colima that is now being sorted
- Beto Ramirez, a GROW graduate, is capably promoting and managing the GROW program at Rancho El Tesoro: one GROW student’s grades dropped early in the year and Beto found out that her mother was using her to babysit multiple kids; he helped the mother resolve the babysitter issue and the student’s grades are back up significantly.
- Project Amigo finished the 2013 – 2014 school year with 11 GROW-supported graduates from secondary school, three from high school, and seven in college. As noted above, two of the college students will graduate in December.
- Project Amigo will be hosting a U.S.-based public health nurse for five or six weeks in September/October; they have asked her to develop a plan for a community health fair or function in Cerro de Ortega, Colima.
If you would like to learn more about GROW, please visit GROWBananas.org. If you would like to sell GROW bananas in your stores please visit OrganicsUnlimited.com.
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