Amanda Flayer Chif
Program Director
Amanda coordinates all of the various staff and programs in Guatemala for The Sparks Foundation. Her responsibilities are widespread and diverse. She orders materials, supervises Foundation school support staff, oversees all art and literacy programming and plans travel for scholarship trips! She is the finance director for all Guatemalan accounts and regularly meets with families and students. Amanda has been a vital part of The Sparks Foundation since its inception. Aside from this, Amanda is Founder and Co-Director of La Puerta Abierta, a local center dedicated to early childhood education and a primary school.
Amanda has a degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of California at Berkley and came to Guatemala in 2006 as a Peace Corp volunteer. She lives in Santiago Atitlan with her husband Martin and her lovely daughters Emma and Chloe and is fluent in English and Spanish.
Wendy Letona
Scholarship Program Director
Wendy administers The Sparks Foundation scholarships to students continuing their educations at the levels of junior high, high school, and university. Because she is a native of Santiago Atitlan and speaks fluent Tz'utuil and Spanish, she is well suited to dealing with the families of the community. Wendy coordinates funds with the students and their respective schools. She monitors academic progress and counsels with families when problems arise.
Wendy came to The Sparks Foundation from the NGO Starfish where she served as a mentor to young women pursuing higher levels of education. She has achieved certification in Guatemala as a primary school teacher and is continuing her own university studies with a Sparks Foundation scholarship to be able to work as a school administrator in the future. She has been an asset to the foundation since 2013. She is married and a mother to Hebert and Dieguito.
