PLEASE HELP US HELP MAX!!!

[Condor Spanish Academy]

MEET TATIANA AND MAX.Tatiana is a social worker who truly believes that her main purpose in life is to help those who have less than her.
For over 5 years and until very recently she had been working around Colombia as a volunteer with a program called IDIPRON (www.idipron.gov.co), travelling from corner to corner of the country, teaching homeless children or children who were at risk of becoming drug addicts or criminals.
These children get sent from Bogota to orphanages or very basic boarding schools that are located all over the country. This is how back in 2005 Tatiana met Maxrull and decided that she wanted to help him become the person he wanted to become!

Maxrull is now 14 years old. He’s been with IDIPRON for 4 years now. IDIPRON gives children basic education, food and clothes and its main purpose is to keep the children away from the streets. These children are only allowed to go to their homes (if any) around 6 times per year.
Maxrull has 3 younger sisters. His mum gave him away to the Program as a way to protect Max from his own father (a homeless drug addict) who wanted to take him away from her to teach him how “to survive in the streets”.

Back in 2005 when they met, Tatiana couldn’t help but notice that Maxrull was very mature for his age and while the other children were playing, he was studying, borrowing books, reading new and old newspapers, talking to the teachers and to Tatiana’s surprise asking about what he had to do to become a teacher. Little by little Tatiana grew very fond of him and although Maxrull was transferred to various boarding schools afterwards, Tatiana always kept an eye on him.

Last year Maxrull was transferred to a boarding school in Bogota where he has been ever since and which has made it easier for Tatiana to keep in touch with him. Every time that Tatiana went to see him she noticed that the more time that passed, the sadder Maxrull became. When she finally decided to talk to him about it, his answer was that the older he got, the more he realised that he simply didn’t have enough money to get a good education and to have a career and he was growing more and more worried about his future and that of his mum and sisters. Could he ever become a teacher? Could he ever help others? He didn’t think so.

It was then when Tatiana decided to look for help. Being a volunteer herself, she’s just got enough money to look after herself and her own family. She decided she was going to get a paid job and somehow look for someone to help her pay for a proper school for Max. But that wasn’t it. Max had never had a family life. With the program and Max’s mum’s permission, Tatiana decided to become a surrogate mother for Max as of Christmas 2009, this in order to provide him with accommodation, food, clothes and last but not least, with a family.

I have talked to Max a couple of times. He is in fact a very clever boy with lots of aspiration and with what he calls “un proyecto the vida” (a set of life ambitions) in mind that he refuses to give up on. He wants to be a teacher to help others who, like him, were born with serious limitations. How amazing is that!

Please help us help Max and Tatiana. We hope to be able to help Tatiana with Max’s expenses for 2010 while he proves others he’s good enough and can apply for scholarships. The school fees (tuition, uniforms and school bus) for the whole of 2010 cost the equivalent of aprox AU$2200,00 so that's the least we are hoping to raise with your help.

Would you like to see them introduce themselves? Please see the videos below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_og6_2dliE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHEMJsEPFrk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xcb53-j5cfU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Q2XOjcevqg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTeDvPYG7iE

Tatiana has created her own blog that you can follow on http://tuayudapodracambiarmividaparasiempre.blogspot.com/

Max and Tatiana are now members of our social network so feel free to contact them whenever you want.

How to make a donation:
If in cash: please give it to Maria or to your teacher, and make sure they write your full name and phone number in the form.
If an electronic transfer: Transfer the funds to Condor Associates, with BSB 012141 and account number 909936118. Make sure you write your full name + the word MAX as the Payment Reference (example: Julian Perry MAX). As soon as you transfer the funds, please send us an email so that we keep track of it.
Cheque: Send a cheque made out to Condor Associates, to: 603/267 Castlereagh St. Museum Towers, 2000 NSW
Credit Card: Please go to www.condorspanish.com, click on PAY US and follow the prompts.
Note that we will not issue you with a receipt, and that you cannot add this to your tax return!
Thank you everyone!


We will be here publishing the list of donations. PLEASE give us a couple of days after your donation is made, and then look for your initials on the table. Make sure that you find your initials and the correct amount. Let us know otherwise.

MORE PHOTOS OF MAX:
-Max and his school friends at one of his former boarding schools, waiting for lunch.

-Max when Tatiana first met him.

- Max, helping clean his boarding school.

HELP A POOR COLOMBIAN FAMILY 2009
(For 2007 and 2008 families, go to www.condorspanish.com)
"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." - Winston Churchill
"Logramos el éxito cuando obtenemos lo que deseamos. Alcanzamos la felicidad cuando ayudamos al necesitado." Winston Churchill

[Condor Spanish Academy]

List of DONORS:
The campaign to help Max was launched on Sat 28th Nov.
Find in the attached document the donations received so far. We have just passed the AU$2,400
This document will be updated regularly. To see the donations, click on:

LETSHELPMAXDONATIONS.xls

[Condor Spanish Academy]

List of DONORS:
The campaign to help Max was launched on Sat 28th Nov.
Find in the attached document the donations received so far. We have just passed the AU$2,400
This document will be updated regularly. To see the donations, click on:

LETSHELPMAXDONATIONS.xls

[Condor Spanish Academy]

List of DONORS:
The campaign to help Max was launched on Sat 28th Nov.
Find in the attached document the donations received so far. We have just passed the AU$2,500
This document will be updated regularly. To see the donations, click on:

LETSHELPMAXDONATIONS.xls