Café owner helps breath life in isolated Guatemala village

Turning 40 can breed a mid-life crisis, but instead of radically changing his own life, Alex Scicluna decided to alter the lives of others - he threw a big party and raised money for charity.

"I don't really need presents at this age, so I encouraged my guests and friends to donate money to help the missions in Guatemala," he said.

Mr Scicluna, director of Café Jubilee, had actually spent an enriching six weeks doing voluntary work in Guatemala in 1997 and he now felt it was time to give something back.

The idea was to help raise funds for Fr Anton Grech, a young Gozitan priest who has been working in San Manuel ChaparrHn, a municipality in Guatemala bordering El Salvador, for over six years.

In 2001, The Times had helped raise funds to construct a carpenter's workshop. Then, Fr Anton's dream was to set up a school in the village - today the Colegio Madre Teresa is up and running with over 300 students.

Mr Scicluna asked Fr Anton to submit proposals for projects that were vital for the community. He emerged with three ideas: building a small centre that could serve as a place of refuge and professional support for alcoholics; setting up a fish production unit; and opening an internet café for the school students. Together with his two brothers Anthony and Mario, Mr Scicluna decided to focus on the one project that would be immediately viable with the money available and which made sense to the entire community.

"We felt that linking up the village of ChaparrHn with the rest of the world through internet was a feasible project that we could start tackling immediately," he said.

ChaparrHn, a geographically dispersed and isolated community, has been bypassed by technological advances. Poverty and isolation have left ChaparrHn and neighbouring villages in a state of perpetual deprivation.

The school has helped bring education to the lives of hundreds of children but the rural digital divide had hit this community. Internet could help eradicate this isolation.

A successful businessman, Mr Scicluna immediately set about implementing this plan, starting off by raising more funds through its signature Nanna's Ravioli dish at its Café Jubilee outlets.

Within a few months, his 40th birthday party and other fund-raising events had raked in Lm4,000, a nice sum that could get the project rolling into motion.

A room within the Colegio Madre Teresa was set aside for the internet café and within a few months desks and 10 computer terminals were set up. The only thing missing was a telephone line.

"Trying to get a telephone connection to ChaparrHn took forever and to bypass the bureaucracy we ended up having to put up a satellite dish," Mr Scicluna said. Three months ago, the newly christened Jubilee Internet Café was up and running and Mr Scicluna received a letter from Fr Anton saying that not only were the children benefiting, but the rest of the community had the world at their fingertips.

"Initially, I thought we would have to set aside a fund for the centre's running costs. However, the most delightful surprise was that the school started charging villagers a small fee to use the internet and it has now become self-sufficient," he said.

So with a surplus of Lm2,000 in hand, Mr Scicluna set his sights on the next business challenge - a fish farm to spawn tilapia, an indigenous and sturdy fish, in ChaparrHn.

Backed by the expertise of Carmelo Agius, an international aquaculture consultant, Fr Anton was keen to set up a fish farm that among others would produce the much-needed fish protein in the remote, inland village.

The fund-raising campaign L-Istrina had already raised over Lm3,000 for this project. However, several more thousand liri were necessary for the project's capital and operating costs.

Volunteers will start excavation works this summer and Mr Scicluna is hoping to continue raising more money for this project, which will generate jobs and business activity in the area.

Since Café Jubilee celebrates its 10th anniversary next year, Mr Scicluna plans to raise more money for its Guatemala fund. Those who wish to give a helping hand can send money directly to the Guatemala Project HSBC bank account number 071-017552-052. Otherwise you can donate via SMS: Send a blank SMS to 5061 8924 for a Lm3 donation or 5061 9211 for Lm 5.

www.cafejubilee.com/guatemalaproject