I went to Guatemala earlier this year to see for myself the work that Avivara is doing to help students and parents and teachers in poor, small villages. I was very impressed with the approach the organization takes to its mission. It is analytical and amounts to a wholistic rather than band-aid approach. That is to say, Ann, Gary and Gustavo have put a lot of thought into how to get the best results in reducing poverty and misery of poor villagers and stem the tide of famlies that give up and move to the horrid slums of Guatemala City to try to eke out a living. They concluded that by giving the type of support that will help keep children in school, so they can go on to highschool and even beyond, where they can learn a skill or profession that, in turn, will help support and sustain their families in their home villages. I was also impressed with their bottom-up approach to giving aid -- which is to asking (rather than deciding themselves) what the teachers, parents and children need to assist in school development and increase the changes of students staying in school, then letting the locals do their job. I have rarely seen such dedication and thought put into a charitable organization. There is no waste and no b.s.-- these people are serious, love their work and know how to do it.