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 that our students overcome these, and other, barriers to accessing a quality education. To date, PoP has impacted over 35,000 students in Guatemala.
QUICHÉ REGION
Quiché is a mountainous region located in northwestern Guatemala. PoP’s base in Quiché is in the city of Nebaj, which is about 5 hours northeast of our Guatemala headquarters in Xela.
To date, we’ve built over 70 schools in the region and plan to continue to scale our builds, along with teacher training workshops, across Quiché.
Before a PoP School Build
Previously, the students of Caserío Cumbre El Quetzal Preschool and Primary School were learning in provisional structures that the community had worked together to build. Of the two classrooms, one was made out of wood and the other out of brick. The classrooms were in substandard condition with dirt floors, aged furniture and corrugated metal roofs. In addition to disrepair in the classroom, all 47 students had access to only two wooden latrines and both were in great need of repair. The combined environmental factors of aging buildings, limited access to latrines, lack of sufficient amounts of furniture and provisional classroom structures were hindering student engagement and growth at Caserío Cumbre El Quetzal Preschool and Primary School.
Your Impact with a New PoP School
You recognized and responded to the needs of Caserío Cumbre El Quetzal by helping PoP and the community build a new school. The teacher, parents and community members fully supported the project and contributed 20 percent of the labor and resources necessary to complete the build. Thanks to your support, 47 students in various grades now have access to two brand new classrooms fully equipped with: 47 new student desks, 2 new teacher desks and 2 new blackboards. Your generosity isn’t only providing the students of Caserío Cumbre El Quetzal with access to a higher quality education, but also simultaneously providing the way for future students to reach their full potential and promise.