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CHARITY GIFT CARDS IN AID OF
THE SANTA MARIA EDUCATION FUND

What your donation can do for the people of Santa María de Fe, Paraguay

The Fund tries to give as many people as possible access to further education, supporting a wide variety of educational projects. We have chosen five to focus on for this year's Gift Cards.
Email info@santamariadefe.org for details of how to get the Cards.


The Agricultural Project:

Enrique is originally from Santa María, and went to Spain to study agriculture. He is back now in Paraguay, and is training campesinos to use more efficient organic techniques, paid for by SMEF. He travels round the local countryside visiting groups of farmers. You can help SMEF meet these expenses.

£5 pays for the travel costs for Enrique to visit a group in the countryside.
£10 pays for the travel and a half-day session.
£30 pays for three half-day sessions and the travelcosts.
£50 pays for five half-day sessions and the travel costs.
£100 pays for ten half-day sessions and the travel costs.


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Agricultural project
English Classes:
SMEF organises English classes, which are given by first-language English speakers and are free. English is vital for a country to survive in a world of globalisation, and standards in Paraguay are dismally low. This class is preparing for the exam set by the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate, which is taken in Asunción, at the Anglo school.
Can you help meet the fees and travel costs for these students?

£5 can pay for a Cambridge ESOL mock exam fee.
£10 can pay the bus fare for a student to take an exam in Asunción.
£30 can buy a class CD for listening practice
£50 can pay the exam fee for the Cambridge ESOL Preliminary English Test.
£100 can pay the complete travel expenses for six students to take their exams.
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English classes


University Scholarships:
SMEF supports poor students who have won a place on a course at the Universidad Católica in San Ignacio, or the Universidad Nacional in San Juan, but who cannot afford travel or study materials.
Grants are given to individuals to enable them to take up their places, to help them with bus fares, and/or books, course fees and exam fees, as necessary. Can you help?

£5 can pay for one week's bus fares to San Ignacio.
£10 can pay for two weeks' bus fares.
£30 can pay for one month's fees at the Universidad Católica.
£50 can pay for one month's fees and travel.
£100 can pay for two months' fees and travel.
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University scholar
The Institute of Tertiary Education
For more about the Institute and the variety of courses and classes it gives, click here.
SMEF has also been able to support the Institute by purchasing more space for classrooms (see here)
This photo shows a class in the quincho, an outdoor classroom which is roofed but has no walls, used all the time in the hot Paraguayan summer.

£5 can cover the travel costs for a specialist food technician to come to teach at the Institute.
£10 can pay a month's fees for a student who would otherwise not be able to study there.
£30 can pay three months' fees.
£50 can pay five months' fees.
£100 can pay for a year's fees.
institute
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Music classes

The harp is the national instrument of Paraguay. In association with the organisation Sonidas de le Tierra, SMEF is part-funding music classes of violin (since last year) and harp (new this year) to recover the wonderful musical tradition of our village that began with the Jesuit missions. However, the teachers have to come from Asunción and stay overnight.

£5 can pay for the taxi that brings the teacher from the San Ignacio bus stop to Santa María.
£10 can pay for the teacher to stay overnight at the Santa María Hotel.
£30 can pay for two hours of harp classes.
£50 can pay for three and a half hours of harp classes.
£100 can pay for seven hours of harp classes.
harp classes

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