Gloria Estrada, Secretary of the Board of Directors

Hello, my name is Gloria Estrada and I was born in Guatemala City. I now live in Quetzatltenango and I’m studying Information Technology and Administration of tourism-related businesses at the Universidad Galileo Galilei/Francisco Marroquin. I’ve been interested in information technolgy for a long time because I think it makes communication easier. I also studied Law because I think that people’s rights should be respected I’ve always fought for that. My native language is Spanish.

I’ve worked in many areas—I’ve been a teacher to young children, I’ve worked in radio, and I’m currently a teacher of Spanish as a second language. It’s a job that I find very interesting because you can learn so much about different cultures and open your mind that way. I’m from a family where everyone has had to work hard to get ahead and reach goals. Fortunately I had the opportunity to study and do many other things thanks to my family, especially my mother and my grandparents who tried to give me everything the could. We weren’t rich, but my mother worked and worked and she continues to work now. Thanks to that, and because I also worked a great deal, I was able to study and learn.

I consider myself fortunate because, despite the difficulties of life in Guatemala, I’ve had options in my life. I’m grateful for that, especially because many people in Guatemala don’t have opportunities of any kind, much less study opportunities. So the need to look for solutions arises, or at least we have to try to help some people even if we can’t help everyone.

When I met Marielos, I realizad that she was a person with a profound social awareness toward others, and when she invited me to participate in this project I accepted with great pleasure. I had always wanted to give something back to other people who need it, but I didn’t know how and sometimes I was frustrated by the difficulty of making my ideas concrete. But with Project Victoria I was able to realize my dream—I think the work this organization has done is good but much more is needed because so many people in Guatemala have such great need. I have a strong will to do much more and give something back to my country, to relieve some of the people’s need.

I think that education is one of the things that is needed for a country to develop. I would like to especially help women since they are the pillar of society, and because there is so much discrimination against women in Guatemala. They are the ones who provide for their children to be educated. But I also know that this organization works to help people in need without discriminating against anyone because of race or gender, and that the organization is a diverse group including indigenous people, mixed-heritage people, Europeans, and North Americans.

I want this project to give more people the opportunity to study and make changes for their country. I have faith in the future of the project and that we will be able to help a bigger part of the population, so that each person who receives help from this project will carry a seed because we can all contribute something to help others. Little by little we will achieve change, and I don’t think there’s any greater satisfaction than that.

-Gloria

Click here to read Gloria's letter in Spanish.

 Tax-deductible contributions to Project Victoria may be made to:

Project Victoria Fund
Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation
200 1st St. SW
Cedar Rapids IA 52404
319-366-2862