Thank you, Joe Walker!

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-8 community school had six classrooms; three formal and three provisional. The provisional classrooms did not provide a quality learning environment for the students. The condition of these provisional classrooms posed a hazard to student safety and wellbeing, as well as to student engagement and learning.

Your Impact with a New PoP School

You’ve recognized that these conditions are not conducive to learning and have responded by helping PoP and the Linea B-8 community complete construction on a new three-classroom school. On top of the new classrooms being added, we have also repaired the roof on the other three existing classrooms. The Linea B-8 community members, parents and teachers were fully supporting the project, and contributed up to 20 percent of the labor and resources necessary to complete the build. Your support for this new school build has fostered an environment of educational growth and promise for the students of Linea B-8. 

A Year-End Update: Meet the Linea B-8 Community

It’s been a busy year for students and teachers alike at the school you’ve made possible in Linea B-8, Guatemala, officially completed in June 2018. Now equipped with spacious classrooms, new roofs, and updated handwashing stations and bathrooms, students are now able to learn and thrive in class, and beyond. Below, meet PoP students and a teacher who you are helping impact:​

Eduardo Morales – Student, 1st grade 6 years old, Eduardo is a first grade student at the Linea B-8 School. He plays soccer and wants to be a teacher when he grows up — and he is so grateful for your support. “¡Gracias Joe!”

Andrea Saquic – Pre-Primary Teacher Ms. Saquic currently teaches all pre-primary grades at the Linea B-8 School. She’s noticed that “students are now motivated and happy . . . we are in a classroom with plenty of space which feels different.” Ms. Saquic feels “very happy because it was a dream that I had as a teacher, everyone wishes to have an open, safe space and now I can say my dream has come true.”

	Debora Lorenzo Morán – Student, 4th grade Debora is one of the 16 fourth-graders enrolled at Linea B-8, and loves going to school because she learns how to “write, study and have fun.” You’re helping bring critical educational infrastructure to communities like this one, and helping students like Debora become leaders in their classrooms – thank you!