LOCAL STUDENTS' DONATION HELPING GUATEMALAN TEEN GET AN EDUCATION

When the foreign language clubs at Central High School sold candy, worked in concession stands and hosted a dinner to raise money for Make A Difference Day last fall, the students knew only that they'd be helping someone in an Indian village in Guatemala.

Now they know who Miguel Tzep Guarchaj is and that their $300 has enabled him to go to high school.

Miguel's widowed mother and her six children live in Chuiatzam, a remote village in the mountains of Guatemala. His mother weaves cloth in a project for widows run by American nuns. Widows are common in Guatemala because of a protracted civil war.

Miguel started first grade in 1990 with supplies provided by the weaving project. This year he began the 10th grade, a rare feat in the mountains because attending school is not compulsory and most widows keep their children home to help support the family.

"Most children in the mountains quit school after three grades. The few who go on usually only finish sixth," one of the nuns, Sister Ana, wrote.

But Miguel's mother encouraged him to keep going to school.

His walk to attend 7th, 8th and 9th grades in the town of Guineales took 1 1/2 hours each way.

Because no high school was within walking distance, Miguel had to move to the town of Santa Catarina Ixtuhuacan to begin 10th grade. His mother's pay from weaving goes for his tuition and supplies.

"Your donation made it possible for Miguel to live in Santa Catarina," Sister Ana writes. "He boards with a family and enjoys the extra time he has to study because he doesn't have to travel each day."

The connection between Miguel and the Cape Girardeau students was made by Judy Bartlett, a 32-year-old CHS graduate who is in Guatemala working with the Central American Solar Energy Project. That project shows people how to make and use solar cookers.

"It is so time-consuming to stand over a wood fire. It's also unhealthy and depletes natural resources," says Ann Bartlett, Judy's mother.

She retired last year as the school's librarian and let people know about the plight of students there. She communicates with her daughter about once a month via e-mail.

Another of the needs in the Indian villages is for Spanish books. Miguel's first language is the Quechua Indian dialect. "There is a need to be mainstreamed and a need to learn Spanish," Bartlett said.

Sister Ana sent the 120 students a photograph of Miguel and said to expect a letter from him, though she warned the mail is slow and erratic.

The foreign language club sponsors say their students are gratified to learn how their donation has been used. "It's good they got to see a picture and put a face on a person they helped," said Candy Hahs, who sponsors the Latin Club.

Coralie Robertson is the sponsor of the Spanish Club, and Martha Stephens sponsors the French Club.