Friends Through Guatemalan Adoption presents...

Friends Through Guatemalan Adoption presents
An Evening with Justa Xinico

Justa Xinico, an indigenous Kaqchikel Mayan teacher from Guatemala, will share her life experiences of growing up in Guatemala. She will share insights regarding the current state of the education system in Guatemala and her plight to improve the educational opportunities for all children of Guatemala. Justa has worked with Cooperative for Education and will share her personal experiences with the impact of Cooperative for Education's work in Guatemala.

Where: Terwilliger’s Lodge
10530 Deefield Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45242

When: Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Agenda: 7:00 p.m. Appetizers and social time
7:30 p.m. Presentation by Justa Xinico
8:30 p.m. Question and answer session
8:45 p.m. Dessert and coffee

Cost: This event is free of charge. FTGA is sponsoring the event. An opportunity will be given for attendees to make a donation to Cooperative for Education (www.coeduc.org).

RSVP: Please RSVP for the event by November 15th by visiting www.ftga.net and clicking on Special Events. Space is limited to the first 100 people who RSVP.

***Childcare will not be available at this event. The event is intended for ages 13 and older.

Biography, Justa Xinico
Justa Xinico (pronounced WHO-staa Shin-EE-co) is an indigenous Kaqchikel Mayan teacher from Chimaltenango, Guatemala. She was raised in an impoverished farming family who made their living by cultivating corn, beans, potatoes and squash. The village in which Justa grew up was a “conflictive zone” during Guatemala’s 36-year civil war. She lost a number of her relatives to the army’s brutal counter-insurgency campaign.
Despite many hardships, Justa was determined to rise above her limited circumstances. In a country where 85% of indigenous children drop out before the 7th grade, Justa finished all 12 years of formal schooling and even managed several years of study at a Guatemalan university.
Justa believes in the importance of education not only for herself, but also for her entire country. She tirelessly advocates to this end. Her efforts have made it possible for multiple schools in her area to benefit from Cincinnati-based Cooperative for Education’s Textbook and Computer Center Programs since 2001.
She currently lives with her husband and two children in Chimaltenango, Guatemala, where she teaches English at a small secondary school.