That is correct, plural, as this year for the first time we fielded two Vision Teams to Guatemala!  The first one, under the leadership of John Allen, was from February 7 to 14, and the second, under Christine Spresser was from February 21 to 28.  
 
 
Housed at the Common Hope complex in Antigua, both teams were made up of a nice mix of new and old participants, balance of men and women, and a broad spectrum of ages. Combined there were 23 people, including 7 ERC Rotarians, 8  family members, and 8 friends, including Rick Debe, a Past District 6270 Governor and his wife Terry from a nearby club.  Each team built a house, taught craft and educational classes at the El Hato school, made social work calls, visited crafts people, and met with their sponsored children, either in the family homes or at school.  These are all things that have characterized our team visits dating back annually to  February of 2012. Please see the following photo diaries from Common Hope of the Vision Team's trips:
 
 
The photo diaries certainly tell the story, and detail a lot of how each week went, and what the activities were.  The Common Hope staff provides the "template of service" which we follow and modify as needed, to provide a benefit to the organization and the families they serve, as well as having a fun and memorable experience for our team members. The fund raising component  underwritten by the ERC International Committee and a District 6270 Grant enabled books, supplies, and infrastructural improvements to be provided to one of the partner schools, in this case, also the beneficiary of the 2015 trip, Escuela Guardiania El Hato, located in a remote northeast corner of the Antigua area.  Based on the exploratory visit made by ERC members to the school in 2014, the improvements are dramatic, with the spirit and enthusiasm of both the staff and students reflecting  the freshly painted facilities, modern lighting, and other improvements our funding has caused, including adoption of best practices in class room organization, discipline, and innovative learning approaches.
 
Those interested in our Guatemala Literacy Project can contact Erik Moeser at emmcsm77@wi.rr.com or any club member for more information.
 
 
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