You’re Making a Difference Here
WHY 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 four years and 24.1% of the population is illiterate (US Aid 2014; World Bank 2014).
Pencils of Promise works with 190 communities in Guatemala to ensure our students overcome these, and other, barriers to accessing a quality education. Currently, PoP is impacting over 37,000 students in Guatemala.
SUCHITEPÉQUEZ REGION
The region of Suchitepéquez, called Suchi by locals, lies southeast of our headquarters in Xela. PoP expanded here in early 2012, with our regional office located in Mazatenango.
Suchitepéquez offers a variety of exotic fruits and coffee as main crops, and the climate is much more tropical than the other regions in which we work. To date, we’ve broken ground on 47 schools in Suchitepéquez and plan to continue our partnership with these communities for years to come.
Before a PoP School Build
Previously, the Comunidad El Esfuerzo had a school with no formal classrooms. Two provisional classrooms were made from block and wood into a shed-like structure with a corrugated metal tin roof. The conditions of these makeshift classrooms were not only dangerous for students, they significantly hindered student engagement and learning.
Your Impact with a New PoP School
You’ve recognized that these conditions were not conducive to learning and have responded by helping PoP and the Comunidad El Esfuerzo complete construction on a new three-classroom school, with regulations and technical specifications from the Ministry of Education. Community members, parents and teachers were in full support of the build. Thanks to your generous support, the students of Comunidad El Esfuerzo now have access to a safe and strong structural foundation that will foster an environment of educational growth and promise.
