School Library - Subirana, Yoro

COMVIDA/At-Risk Youth – Choloma, Cortez

School Library - Subirana,Yoro

Goal: Promote literacy and sustained learning through creation of a library to serve the public school and community of Subirana.

With fanfare such as the singing of the Honduran national anthem, special music from teachers, speeches by the school director and Dr. Geroski, and a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by all the students and faculty, the school library was opened in June, 2000 and christened “Biblioteca Escolar Dona Ana Geroski” in honor of Dr. Geroski. A committee of teachers and parents (with financial assistance from individual donors in the U.S. for purchase of carpentry materials for construction of shelves, tables, and chairs, as well as for over 250 books along with wall maps, a globe, a pencil sharpener, and educational posters) created the new library from the school director’s office at the school. (The director moved her office into an unused store room directly behind the new library.)

The entire school was repainted by faculty, students, and parents in preparation for the opening of the library, and the library has become a source of pride and student enjoyment for the school. A volunteer visiting teacher helped to organize a card catalog and lending system, and efforts both in Subirana and in the U.S. are ongoing to continue acquisition of new materials for the library. In 2001, a church in Maine donated approximately $300. of library books which were delivered in July, 2001. That church has also donated money to purchase wall-mounted staplers for each classroom in the school, which will be purchased when arrangements can be made for delivery.

COMVIDA At-Risk-Youth - Choluma, Cortez

Goal: Provide technical support and training for a teen pregnancy prevention project (COMVIDA) in Choloma, Honduras.

Dr. Geroski’s most significant work with COMVIDA focused primarily on providing consultation and support to the two social workers, Lic. Norma Rivera Hernandez and Rene Portillo Cardoza, and to Kyan Bishop, a Peace Corps Crisis Corps Volunteer, also working with COMVIDA. Unfortunately, Dr. Geroski’s planned workshop/training designed to teach basic counseling skills to teachers in the local colegios (junior and high schools) in the greater Choloma area had to be cancelled because Dr. Geroski contracted Dengue fever (she was sick for approximately six weeks) during the planned date of the workshop/training. However, Dr. Geroski was able to participate in two other important workshops conducted by the CHOLOMA group. The first was a leadership skills training program for teenagers involved in the COMVIDA program and the second was a leadership training program for COMVIDA board members.

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