Welcome to Suchitepéquez Department, Guatemala!
With Matt & Robin Long’s support, PoP is partnering with a community in the Suchitepéquez Department to construct a new one-classroom structure and create a quality learning environment for hundreds of students and teachers.
You're Making a Difference Here
Why guatemala?
In Guatemala, where 59% of the population lives below the national poverty line, socioeconomic status is one of the biggest barriers to accessing quality education (World Bank 2014).
The average length of schooling for a Guatemalan child is only four years and 19% of the population is illiterate (US Aid 2014; World Bank 2018).
Pencils of Promise works with 255 communities in Guatemala to ensure students overcome these, and other, barriers to accessing quality education. Currently, PoP is impacting over 47,000 students in Guatemala.
Suchitepéquez Department
Suchitepéquez, commonly called “Suchi” by locals, lies southeast of our headquarters in Quetzaltenango. Pencils of Promise expanded here in early 2012, with our regional office located in the capital of Mazatenango.
Suchitepéquez harvests a variety of fruits and coffee (and some of the best chocolate in the region), and the climate is much more tropical than the other areas in which we work due to its lower altitude and proximity to the Pacific Ocean. There are approximately 600,000 residents of the department, and the languages that are spoken here are Spanish, K’iche, Tz’utujil and Kaqchikel.
Matt & Robin Long's Impact in Suchitepéquez Department
San Miguelito currently has six formal block classrooms where two teachers must share one classroom, leaving one teacher without a formal classroom to teach their students. Additionally, the school currently has 10 toilets, 6 of which work properly. These conditions hinder learning, posing a hazard to student safety and engagement.
In the coming months, PoP will be partnering with the Suchitepéquez community to build a new classroom block for students to properly learn. The community is committed to providing higher-quality education to its students and will contribute 20% of the resources and labor required for construction. We expect to break ground in March 2023 and hope to complete construction in June 2023.
The new San Miguelito will provide a high-quality learning environment where every child can reach their unique potential.
San Miguelito
MADE POSSIBLE BY:
Justin & Robin Long
EXPECTED BREAK GROUND:
03/2023
EXPECTED COMPLETION:
06/2023
