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 Linea B-12 school had three classrooms that were decades old. Each of these classrooms had cracked walls, no foundation and sunken floors. In addition to the structural problems, each classroom was shared by different grades, making it difficult for the students to work and focus because of the interruption created when the teacher delivered different content at the same time. These conditions posed a significant hazard to student safety and wellbeing, as well as to engagement and learning.
Your Impact with a New PoP School
You’ve recognized and responded to the needs of Línea B-12, Sector Sis by helping PoP and the community complete a new three-classroom school! This new structure will provide a safe learning environment for students, as well as the appropriate amount of space for the 58 currently enrolled students attending school. Community members, parents and teachers were in full support, contributing 20 percent of the build. Your support helped make this school build possible — you are creating a safe and strong foundation that will foster an environment of educational growth and promise for the students of the Línea B-12, Sector Sis community for generations to come.
