Frequently Asked Questions
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Mayatan Foundation was founded in 2001 and has been providing the scholarships for students to attend Mayatan Bilingual School and holding other community outreach events ever since.
Mayatan Foundation owns and operates Mayatan Bilingual School as a subsidiary organization.
Hope for Tomorrow is a US 501(c)(3) organization that was started by Frank Hopkins, a former director of Mayatan Bilingual School, with the aim of supporting bilingual education in Honduras. Hope for Tomorrow collects donations, deposits the funds into its bank accounts and then sends a check to Mayatan in Honduras several times during the year. 100% of the money sent to ‘Hope for Tomorrow’ reaches Mayatan Foundation. This relationship enables us to collect funds from US sources in a timely fashion and also for donations to be granted tax-deductible status.
Mayatan Foundation is registered as a non-profit, non-governmental organization in Honduras.
The costs to send a student to Mayatan Bilingual School for the current school year are listed below:
 |
Mayatan Bilingual School Annual Costs (2008-09) |
|||||
| Level | Tuition | Books | Registration | Uniforms | Meals | Transportation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-School PreK & Kinder |
$825 | $160 | $30 | $150 | $420 | $215 |
| Primary 1-6 |
$1,035 | $185 | $560 | |||
| Secondary 6-9 |
$1,500 | $215 | $560 | |||
Mayatan Foundation awards scholarships at four different levels - Half Tuition, Tuition, Tuition Plus and Completa.
The Tuition Plus level includes the full amount of tuition, books and the registration fee.
A 'Completa' is reserved for our neediest students and includes: tuition, books, registration fee, uniforms, meals and transportation.
Contributions to the MAP are tax-deductible in the United States for US tax-payers. Because Mayatan Foundation is a Honduran organization it is not able to provide tax-deductible status directly. However, the organization 'Hope for Tomorrow', which was founded by Frank Hopkins, a former director of Mayatan Bilingual School, can. If you would like to receive a tax deduction for your contribution, please send a check to:
When your funds are received at our school office in Honduras the money is applied directly to a student's account (in the case of a Sponsored Student), into the Mayatan Assistance Program fund for all students seeking sponsors, or to the directed purpose of your choice.
If you would like to send items to us in Honduras please use the following address and be sure to indicate what fund or student it is meant for.
To send payments for the Student Sponsorship Program, Mayatan Assistance Program or other special fund, you may send checks to either of the addresses below. please note that only 'Hope for Tomorrow' can grant tax deductible status and funds sent to the address in Miami will not be eligible for such status. These addresses cannot accept packages, only checks and money orders.
| Hope for Tomorrow, Inc. c/o Frank Hopkins 4 Brady Loop Andover, MA 01810-3224 USA make checks payable to 'Hope for Tomorrow, Inc.' indicate Mayatan on the memo line of your check |
IMC SAP Dept 147 P.O. Box 523900 Miami, FL 33152-3900 USA ATTN: Mayatan Foundation make checks payable to 'Escuela Mayatan' |
There are currently 49 students from 'all walks of life' whom have demonstrated that they are financially needy and capable of the challenges of a bilingual education that are part of the Mayatan Assistance Program. Because very often families are not just unable to provide the financial means they frequently do not have the education to assist their children either. In fact, many of the students come from homes without a suitable place to do homework or indoor plumbing. We recognize that these students face additional hardships compared to their classmates and Mayatan Foundation provides them with the extra support they need while also holding them to the same high standards as all other students.
You can read more about the curriculum and the education provided at Mayatan Bilingual School by clicking here.
To ensure that only students who truly are needy and deserving are the ones receiving scholarships, Mayatan Foundation has developed a selection process that is rigorous, yet generous and fair.
Students who have been awarded scholarships may begin school the following school year while the Foundation searches for a sponsor. Each and every one of the students in the Mayatan Assistance Program is eligible for sponsorship.
Yes. Any one of the MAP students are eligible to be sponsored directly. To find out more about this program, please visit the 'Student Sponsorship Program' page.
Yes. As a supporter of the Mayatan Assistance Program you will receive a Case Study which includes a picture, a grade report, and a biography of one of the fortunate students benefiting from the MAP either 2 or 4 times a year. Each time it will be a different student so you can gain an even better perspective on how your investment is helping students in Copán Ruinas. If you would be more interested in forming a direct relationship with a student then please view the information on our ‘Student Sponsorship Program’ page.
The first step is to fill out a Pledge Form - this helps us to have a formal record of your address information so that we know where to send updates and case studies, too as well as to help us to budget for the coming year. After the pledge form is submitted you may begin sending payments as a check or money order denominated in US dollars to one of the following addresses:
| Hope for Tomorrow, Inc. c/o Frank Hopkins 4 Brady Loop Andover, MA 01810-3224 USA make checks payable to 'Hope for Tomorrow, Inc.' indicate Mayatan on the memo line of your check |
IMC SAP Dept 147 P.O. Box 523900 Miami, FL 33152-3900 USA ATTN: Mayatan Foundation make checks payable to 'Escuela Mayatan' | Escuela Mayatan c/o Linda Blackwell Copán Ruinas, Copán Honduras, Central America make checks payable to 'Escuela Mayatan' |
Making a pledge to Mayatan serves a number of purposes:
Yes. You may pledge any amount that you are comfortable with. The amounts specified on the pledge form are simply suggestions.
Yes. However, we do ask that you not send your gifts for a specific student. However, school supplies such as pencils, erasers, colored markers, etc. that can easily be passed out to all of the students in a class make wonderful gifts for our students. Additionally, any of the items from our wish lists would be greatly appreciated. All gift items do need to be sent to us directly in Honduras and cannot be sent via Hope for Tomorrow. Please use the address below:
You can make your pledge at any time during the year. We will begin a 12-month membership effective from the date your was received. Therefore there is no need to make pledges only at the beginning of the school year.
Sponsoring a student at Mayatan means agreeing to make contributions to Mayatan in the amount of a student's scholarship for a needy, but deserving, student to attend Mayatan Bilingual School; gain a quality education; and learn English. By making this investment in Mayatan you will be enabling us to grant more scholarships to other students. In recognition of your contributions Mayatan will create a relationship between the sponsor and a particular child of your choice forming a bond with the student and family as well as enabling Mayatan to continue giving scholarships to other needy families.
You will be sent photos, grade reports and thank you notes from the student. You are also welcome to send additional gifts to the student if you desire. Many sponsors and students have formed relationships in which they exchange letters, phone calls and even e-mails. The level of communication you have with your sponsored child is up to you.
The minimum time commitment to sponsor a student is one school year. However, many sponsors choose to sponsor the same student year after year in order to form a long-term relationship with the student and family. Sponsors wishing to renew their sponsorship for the following year will have the option of doing so, but we do request that a pledge form be completed for every year of the sponsorship. During the summer previous to the beginning of a school year sponsors will receive information on the school costs for the upcoming year with the option to renew their sponsorship of that child.
Different students have different needs. Some students need only a little bit of assistance covering half the cost of tuition, while others need help not just with the basic costs of the school, but also meals and transportation to and from school. Currently, there are students with needs ranging from $520 to $2,670. You are welcome to become a sponsor for either 100% or 50% of the student's need.
Yes. You may send additional funds to Mayatan to be applied to the Mayatan Assistance Program in order to help other students with their scholarship costs. Funds sent to Mayatan Foundation cannot be used to increase the amount of the scholarship that has been granted to the student; given to the family; or held in reserve for future years.
Yes. Many sponsors like to send birthday presents or other gifts. These are certainly welcome by the families. You can send such gifts to the school with a note for what child to distribute them to. Our mailing address is:
When you are ready to begin sponsoring a student at Mayatan Bilingual School, please follow the steps below:
If you have any additional questions please feel free to contact Linda Blackwell - Director of Development at director@mayatanfoundation.org.
The school will send grade reports four times a year so the sponsor can monitor the progress of the student. At least one photo will be sent in the beginning of the school year and a thank-you card towards the end of the school year. Occasionally students and sponsors have elected to stay in touch by way of e-mail or other methods and this is welcomed and encouraged. Some sponsors have even decided to take a vacation to Copán Ruinas to visit the famous Maya ruins and meet their sponsored student.