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Dear esteemed Gente, Today, the once advanced civilization of the Maya are glorified in History Channel specials, movies like Mel Gibson's Apocolypto and even in the many tattoos on the bodies of homeboys of every barrio, America. The image of the Aztec calendar, which is a take off the original Mayan calendar can be seen everywhere and acts as a symbol of pride for many Chicano/Mexican communities today. Most think of the ancient Maya as an advanced civilization of the past that no longer exists and has mysteriously disappeared. The truth is the Maya still exist today but unfortunately live in poverty in many isolated pueblos in the jungles of Southern Mexico and Guatemala. In Guatemala alone, over 75% of the population is living below the poverty line. Seventy children out of every thousand die before the age of five and fifty-one of those children will not live long enough to enjoy their first birthday. GHP (Global Healthcare Project) is a program made up of largely Stanford University students who donate their time and efforts to help aid the indigenous Mayan community of Pueblo Nuevo, Guatemala. Today GHP has successfully built a public sink, public restroom, a pharmacy, and public health and child nutrition programs. I for one am not a college student or let alone from Stanford University. I am 25-year-old Chicano from the barrio who feels a different connection to help aid the indigenous Maya of Pueblo Nuevo. Since a was child, I have always had a fascination with pre-Columbian Latin America. When I was just in 4th Grade, I won an award on a class project about Native Americans. While the rest of the class chose the more known Native tribes like the Navajo or Apaches, for some reason I chose the Maya. I am now a community activist that works through De-Bug Magazine and a Co-host for a community based talk radio show (Block 2 Block Radio 91.5 FM KKUP) that features an audio segment titled "Chicano Facts of the Week". The audio segment spotlights the history of Latin America as a whole over some sweet soul music. I am also a writer for Streetlow Magazine (A lowrider lifestyle magazine) that features a Cultura and Streetlow Times page focusing on the history and issues of Latinos. I have been to schools educating troubled at-risk youth on Chicano History and most importantly leaving them with a touching testimony of my own experiences of growing up in the "Hood". That spark of interest in the Maya as a child has never left me. I now have an opportunity not to just read or educate others of their Latin American indigenous roots but to help aid a people that has served as a symbol of pride and inspiration for both myself and many Chicanos/Mexicans today. Please help fundraise my trip to Guatemala by donating a small portion of your heart of any amount to the below address. There is an attached menu to this letter that includes a delicious selection of gourmet cakes and desserts to any one who donates $20 or more. Gracias,
Send a check payable to Global Healthcare Project with my name in the "Memo" field to: Global Healthcare Project TO PAY BY PAYPAL: http://www.globalhealthcareproject.org/80701.html PLEASE INCLUDE: Global Healthcare Project is a registered 501(c) 3, and all donations are tax-deductible. GHP Tax ID# 26-1635252 Thank you for your donation! Cakes will be delivered on July 17th 2009. For all inquiries, contact information is as follows Jose Valle (408)-597-5665 To learn more about Global Healthcare Project, please visit their website: www.globalhealthcareproject.org To follow the progress of the work I'm doing while in Guatemala, visit the GHP blog: http://globalhealthcareprojectambulance.blogspot.com/
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