A man named Jim Byrd, started the school just over a year ago
because he wanted to give something to the people here after living here ten
years. He bought the land and paid for the construction last year. My good
friend Moya got roped in and has been acting as the administrative director
since last June or July. She is someone I trust totally and when she wrote me
asking for help I agreed to return and spend a month volunteering. I also
carried down fifty pounds of school supplies that I either purchased or were
donated by friends. I have already agreed to return again next summer and every
summer. The school, as I see it, is a success which is emphasized every time I
hear "Good Morning Teacher, today is Wednesday"...and such with beatific faces
full of pride.
The school year here runs from April til January. They started with 2
kindergarten classes and one first grade, with 2 Ecuadorian teachers and 2
Americans. The tuition is minimal – $25.00 a month, and about 40% of the kids
are on full scholarship, sponsored by donors. The teachers made $120.00 a month
last year, not enough to live on, even here, this year they make $250 a month
thanks to donations.
It was a very “challenging” first year but they somehow got by on a shoestring
budget. They couldn’t afford glue or construction paper until a donation of
$100.00 arrived out of the blue in July. They have constructed two new
classrooms and have renovated an existing one so that they have an office,
library and computer room and also a classroom for the second graders and two
rooms that are strictly for English.
Apart from the $375.00 that they collected monthly in tuition, all of this was
paid for by donations to the foundation from very kind people. It is a school
for the poorer kids of Canoa and what is most exciting about the project is that
the school really is bilingual and if these kids learn English they will be able
to break out of the cycle of poverty.
I know that it has been a dreadful year for everyone financially and we are
looking for funding at a terrible time, but even $20.00 makes a difference. They
are also looking for volunteer teachers, with or without training; so anyone
with any degree, lots of patience and a desire to teach little ones would be
welcome. If you know of anyone, please ask him or her to email Moya at <moyasol>.
If you know of any websites where they might find volunteers - or funding -
please let Moya know about them.
There is a website, www.jamesdeanbyrdfoundation.org where you can check it out and get lots more information about the school and the foundation and how you can donate if you are able. Please do not send me money directly but donate through the website and you will get both an acknowledgment thank you and a tax eduction if you want.
Moya's contact information is: My phone is 593 9 453 4419 Mailing address: A.P.
13-02-06, Bahia de Caraquez, Manabi, Ecuador.
The Ecuadorian Foundation, Fundación para el Desarollo Comunitario James Dean
Byrd, was legally established on June 27, 2008, with approval from the
Ministerio de Inclusion Económica y Social, Acuerdo Ministerial #0193. The Board
of Directors, also approved by the MIES, is as follows: Presidente: James Dean
Byrd Vice-Presidente: Moya Foley Director Ejecutivo: Arturo Servidiio Rubio
Secretaria: Christine Michelet Hauptfeld
The school was legally approved by the Dirección de Educación in Portoviejo on
August 4, 2008, under document #096. Our R.U.C. # is 139175249, Escuela Bilingue
Los Algarrobos.
There is also a foundation in the U.S., The James Dean Byrd Foundation, legally
established in the State of Florida, document number N07000008943 in December
2007. Ken Wilson is the president. The U.S. Foundation’s only purpose is to
raise funds. All donations are tax deductible. Given the current economic
climate, you can imagine how donations have dwindled since we first began.
The two main goals of the school are to provide an affordable education of a
better quality than the public schools, and to give the children an opportunity
to learn English from native speakers and thus hopefully improve their
possibilities for the future. Enrollment is presently 41 students, with one
Kinder class, 2 First Grades and 1 Second Grade. Twelve of the forty-one
students pay a monthly tuition of $25.00. The remaining 29 students are
scholarship kids, 15 of these have sponsors here and in the U.S. The remaining
11 students pay nothing.
* Special Events (Mother’s Day, Dia del Niño, etc) 25.00
Total $2,145.00
* We do not pay Social Security due to lack of funds.
Monthly Income:
12 paying students $25.00 $300.00
15 sponsored students $25.00 $375.00
Total $675.00
To cover the monthly deficit of $1,470.00, we depend mainly on the goodwill of
donors, both here and in the States. We also hold fundraisers.
We could function much better with the following equipment:
5 desks (for teachers and principal)
2 filing cabinets
4 computers (we have one and a half!)
Internet for the school
26 pairs of kids’ jeans for scholarship kids
26 pairs of sneakers for scholarship kids
4 new classrooms (we are approved for K-6 and hope to continue building so that we can offer all these grade levels)
Materials and labor costs to convert existing bodega to a bunkhouse for foreign volunteers.
During our vacation months from January to April of this year, we built two new
classrooms (two rooms under one roof.) I will attach the cost sheet below.
A donation of $5,000.00 approximately covers the cost of one classroom and
entitles the donor to have the room named for him or her, or in memory of
someone. (For example, we have a “Railroad Bob Room.”)
A lot of people have helped make the school, Jim Byrd, of course, Railroad Bob,
Phil Laxton, Christine and Arturo Servidio who are on the board. Christine has
raised 8 scholarships among her Ecuadorian friends. Kathy Capello came down as a
professional consultant for a week last year and wrote up a 10 page report with
recommendations that we are implementing as we go along.
I am the administrator of the school and Ken Wilson pays me $140.00 a month out
of his pocket. We all do what we can and it is a success. The kids are learning
and happy to be there. Your help would make such a difference.
If we could just breathe easy for a while and not struggle every month to make
ends meet, well, it would be a great thing. If you need any more information
please let me know. My numbers are 09453-4419 (home) and 09591-7791 (mobile). I
am not easy to reach mainly because the signal at my house is not dependable,
but please keep trying. Otherwise you can email me at <moyasol>. I try to check email
every other day. Our website is JamesDeanByrdFoundation.org.
