You’re Making a Difference Here
GUATEMALA
In Guatemala, where over 50% of the population lives below the poverty line, socioeconomic status is one of the biggest barriers to accessing a quality education (World Bank 2013). The average length of schooling for a Guatemalan child is only 4 years and 24.1% of the population is illiterate (US Aid 2014; World Bank 2014).
Pencils of Promise works with over 173 communities in Guatemala to ensure our students overcome these, and other, barriers to accessing a quality education. To date, PoP has impacted over 222,937 lives in Guatemala.
BOCA COSTA REGION
The region of Boca Costa, located southeast of PoP’s Guatemala headquarters in Xela, is home to a more tropical climate than any of the other regions in Guatemala in which we work. PoP expanded to Boca Costa in early 2012, with our regional office located in Santo Tomás La Unión.
To date, we’ve built 80 schools in the region and plan to continue to scale our builds, along with teacher training workshops, across PoP schools in the region.
Before a PoP School Build
Currently, many of the Aldea Labor la Franja Preschool and Primary School students are attending classes in provisional learning structures. Out of the 5 total classes making up the Aldea Labor la Franja School, only 3 are formal spaces and the remaining are provisional classrooms. One of the provisional spaces is held together by a half-block, half-mesh wall that does not allow for proper ventilation. The other provisional structure, now being used for grade 6 students, is an unofficial space that was adapted as a classroom. The lack of formal classrooms with proper construction, ventilation, and furniture is hindering student engagement and learning.
Your Impact with a New PoP School
You recognized that these conditions were not conducive to learning and responded by helping PoP and the Aldea Labor la Franja community break ground on a new school. The Aldea Labor la Franja community members, parents, and teachers fully support the project. They are committed to contributing 20 percent of the labor and resources necessary to complete the build. In addition to building 2 new classrooms and improving the condition of the existing classrooms, 100 students will soon have access to 4 new latrines at the completion of the build. These classrooms will also be equipped with new whiteboards and teacher desks. Your support is making this school build possible, creating a safe and strong structural foundation that will foster an environment of educational growth and promise for the students in Aldea Labor la Franja.