At the beginning, IW explains the current financial situation of the RUVD Foundation. The foundation’s assets consist of a three-story rental building near Munich, generating regular income from the rental payments of three tenants.
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Annually, approximately €34,000 is collected, supplemented by small donations from friends of Erika Kammer and an annual major donation of around €5,000 or more from Dr. Bernd Meyer.
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Expenditures are distributed as follows: €10,000 each for the Francisco Coll School in Guatemala City and the CAICC Center for Prison Children in Bolivia, about USD 12,000–13,000 for scholarships, and finally €6,000 for the FESPAD organization in El Salvador, which is supported by the German NGO Inkota.
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ichael Krämer from INKOTA has offered to facilitate a connection between FESPAD and SMT if she wishes. He also sends her warm regards. She has received a report from FESPAD on the activities of a youth group advocating for water rights and protection, which she highly values.
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IW assures SMT that next year she can rely on a scholarship budget of USD 13,000.
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SMT then reports on the conditions at the school near the landfill, where there have been many disturbances and assaults recently. The situation has been so dangerous at times that the school had to close for a week.
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The local population mainly consists of Indigenous people who have moved to the city in search of better job opportunities. Currently, they are particularly terrorized by members of Mara gangs who recently escaped from a new mega prison in El Salvador. This prison can hold up to 50,000 inmates and was built by President Boukele with Chinese support.
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n Guatemala, however, the political leadership is less repressive. The current president, Arevalo, enjoys strong public support and was inaugurated following weeks of strikes. This was an impressive popular movement, with the sisters from the school providing food in support.
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Next, SMT describes the structure of the Dominican Congregation and her own position within it :
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There are 64 sisters working across five Central American countries (Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Honduras, and Mexico). At the top of the hierarchy is Sister Teresa Enrique.
SMT is fifth in line, handling administrative tasks for the entire region, which requires extensive travel, including flights. She was initially elected for four years and then re-elected until 2026.
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She is now 77 years old, in good health, and intends to work as long as she can.
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Since she can propose training topics for the sisters and the curriculum, I suggested she consider discussing the impact of the super-rich on the global climate. She found the topic interesting and took note.
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Next, we discussed the scholarship program :
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In Lancetillo, Sister Romelia oversees the scholarship recipients, including two nursing assistants studying in Nebaj.
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In Chichicastenango, Sister Maria Rosa was previously responsible but has been replaced by Sister Ericka.
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In Cahabon, Sister Rosa oversees Karla, who is studying law and performing well.
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In Lancetillo, young women often drop out of training, especially nursing, because they cannot bear the distance from their families while living in Nebaj. If funds have already been allocated for their training, they must reimburse them upon dropping out, per Sister Romelia’s rules.
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Few scholarship recipients move to the U.S., but SMT notes that many new houses in Lancetillo have been built with funds sent from the U.S. Many people return after some time abroad, benefitting the community as a whole.
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SMT proposes :
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that many studying to become kindergarten teachers (Parvularia) could later extend their studies by three years to obtain a “Profesorado en educación,” enabling them to teach primary and secondary levels, up to high school.
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They can do this through "Weekend Universities," which offer courses only on weekends, allowing them to work and earn money during the week. Lancetillo has such a university offering these weekend courses.
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Another possible career path SMT suggests is social work, as there are positions available even in rural areas.
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SMT will discuss these new training options with her fellow sisters and then calculate the associated costs.
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She also plans to write an article about the RUVD Foundation for the internal congregation newsletter.
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We engaged in a thorough discussion for about four hours, also addressing the historical backgrounds of our countries, such as Francoism in Spain and Catalonia and the Hitler era in Germany, and the impact each regime had on our fathers.
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Personal exchanges like these are always enriching, sparking new ideas and suggestions for the future.

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This report is interesting for people who donate to RUVD and/or for the becas (scholarships) for the education of girls. Young women are trained to promote health care and primary education in remote villages. At the same time, it strengthens their self-esteem and they can help themselves and their families.The tenants of a three-party house near Munich, for example, do contribute the majority of the money (34,500 euro in 2023). The tenants know where their money goes and the sisters in Guatemala know where the money mainly comes from. But the small donations from friends in Berlin are also important to give more young women a chance.
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I call these young women becadas in the report. I don't know how many becadas have finished their training, how many are working and how many are currently being supported.
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As I have the opportunity to travel and meet people, I can give you some vivid impressions here.

I started by visiting the Francisco Coll school in the residential area of the garbage dump. This is supported by RUVD with breakfast for the children, and at times also with food for the poorest families due to the covid crisis.
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It was the first day of school after the vacations, for the first classes even the very first day of school. There are 6 school years and the children sat in the courtyard, organized by class. Principal Gloria led prayers and explained the school rules. All the teachers introduced themselves, parents waited at the gate and were happy that their children were not crying.

Then we went into the classrooms. Next door there is a larger courtyard and a chapel. The chapel became a theater room and the children came in groups to watch the puppet show. Anita has her kitchen in the courtyard and there are school meals, which are co-financed by RUVD.

Some children bring their own breakfast and get what they need from Anita. Those who are hungrier get second helpings. There are tables and benches where they eat. Later there is time to run around.
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The teachers seem very committed, the children very happy and peaceful. However, there is always violence in the neighborhood between rival gangs.

If things work out, they will receive support from brothers again from the middle of the year for tutoring. They are young men in training. Every six months, the teachers check to see who needs tutoring. Personal tutoring or tutoring in small groups is very helpful. Otherwise there are up to 40 children in a class.

Prayers and faith are important, Bible quotes are translated into social behavior and are thus an important message The sisters apply for state payment for the teachers and thus achieve the wages for some of their colleagues and thus also can cover part of the school lunch.

Karla is the first becada to study law. She says she wants to open a lawyer's office for women. So far, there have only been male lawyers in Cahabon who do not stand up for women's rights. Karla works in the mornings in the library of the sisters' boarding school. There she helps the schoolgirls to understand their assignments or to search for something on the computer. She earns 1000 quetzales a month and lives with her parents and siblings in Cahabon. The families make candles and sell them at the market. Karla goes to university in Coban on Saturdays. The bus leaves at 3 a.m. and takes 4 hours, then a kind of cab to the university. She rents a room to stay overnight as she doesn't get a bus back until Sunday.  Without the beca she would not be able to finance her studies and is very grateful. She is proud that her grades have improved since the lessons took place in person. She showed me around her home, her family makes candles which they sell at the market

There are already some trained health workers in Lancetillo and they organized a meeting and invited me and the sisters to dinner.

Almost all of the 9 health workers have a good job and are very satisfied. At the state health center, they earn the minimum wage of around 3000 quetzales, just under 400 euros a month. After 20 years in government service, they can retire. Others have their own pharmacy or work in pharmacies. Their own pharmacies are financed with loans or have already been paid off.

The new becadas have just traveled to Nebaj there are therefore not at the meeting. One of them is the niece of someone who already has a farmacia and is working there during the vacations. They are all very grateful. But they say that others are ungrateful because they didn't come and never get in touch. One has migrated to the USA.
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Some asked if they could get a beca to continue their studies. Now they have a diploma and can do more, e.g. ultrasonido. It takes almost 4 years, always Saturday in Uspantan. They need money mainly for colegiatura uniform and other materials. However, the equipment for ultrasonido is very expensive and CAP already has one.
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I asked the sisters for their opinion. They say 3000 quetzales a month is a good wage for Lancetillo and if they work they can pay for their studies themselves. Education is more important for girls who don't have anything yet.
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It seems to me that Lancetillo is well supplied with enfermeras, so it would be more important to improve education and health care in the countryside. Unfortunately I couldn't go there because I don't know where to go, because I would have liked to see how the young women work in the countryside.

A first meeting with Lesly. She gets a beca from RUVD and studies enfermeria profesional in Quiche She has a difficult history. Her mother died of cancer when Lesly was 11 and her father died of alcohol when Lesly was 15. Since then she lives with her aunt and does the housework. She gets food and sleep but no wages. Sometimes she earns some money by giving injections. With the Beca she can study and is very grateful. It is important to her to help others and to be friendly with patients. During her internship, she also goes to the countryside. She is often supported by midwives who have the best knowledge. She does not yet know where she will work later. She studies every Saturday in Quiche.

Meeting with girls who are still studying. 2 are going to be teachers, one wants to work in the lab. They write thank-you letters here.
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The main focus for the becadas is usually the personal help they receive and help for the family, e.g. a teacher-to-be lives with a sick mother in poverty without electricity and water. Every beca is hope for a better life and at least a little personal help that brings a big improvement for poor children.