Glen Rock November 28, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • Page 7 Holiday Artisan Sale to benefit Ixil Mayan children Courtney Wong, a Glen Rock native, will host the fourth annual fundraising sale of Guatemalan artisan products on Sunday, Dec. 9 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Community Church of Glen Rock at 354 Rock Road. The sale will benefit Limitless Horizons Ixil, a sustainable community development organization that serves the secluded indigenous Mayan Ixil community of Chajul, Guatemala. A variety of handmade items perfect for holiday gifts will be sold, including woven scarves and bookmarks, beaded jewelry, bags, stuffed animals, and holiday ornaments. This year’s sale will feature new products, including items handwoven by LHI’s youth and families. Limitless Horizons Ixil is a US 501(c)(3) nonprofit and Guatemalan nongovernmental organization that creates opportunities for the indigenous youth, women, and families of Chajul, Guatemala to develop the academic and professional skills needed to effect change in their lives and community. LHI works in the Ixil region of the western highlands of Guatemala, which has maintained its rich Mayan traditions, dress, and language despite being particularly hard hit by the 36-year-long Guatemalan civil war. It is an area marked by significant poverty and postwar trauma. The community has a corn-based agricultural economy where the average income is $1 to $3 per day and adults struggle daily to feed their families. Less than five percent of children graduate from middle school and 75 percent of the adult population is illiterate. Last year, LHI celebrated a huge milestone: Its first seven students graduated from high school. This is a remarkable achievement in a community with less than a one percent graduation rate. These young men and women would not have been able to do this without LHI’s support. LHI runs community programs in Chajul that focus on education, community development, and women’s empowerment. The organization operates a youth development program for 65 youth in 2012, which includes comprehensive educational support services and scholarships for Chajul’s most (continued on page 14) Examples of the handmade purses that will be sold. A Chajul woman weaving in LHI’s artisan program.