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 168 communities in Guatemala to ensure our students overcome these, and other, barriers to accessing a quality education. To date, PoP has impacted over 221,000 lives 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 72 schools in the region and plan to continue to scale our builds, along with teacher training workshops, across Quiché.
Before a PoP School Build
When we first visited Sumal Grande, located in the Quiché region of Guatemala, we found students being taught in a deteriorating structure made of wood and corrugated tin. Classrooms were overcrowded, damp and dimly lit, making it uncomfortable and difficult for students to read and write. Furthermore, when it rained during the wet season, the heavy sound of water hitting the loud school rooftop disrupted learning. These conditions were not conducive to students’ success.
Your Impact with a New PoP School
You recognized that these conditions were not conducive to learning and responded by helping PoP and the Sumal Grande community break ground on a new school. Teachers, parents and community members were dedicated and committed to the project, contributing up to 20 percent of resources and labor. After six months, we mounted the plaque and inaugurated the school, concluding tireless work to build a 3-classroom school equipped with acoustic-insulated roofing, ceiling fans, blackboards, benches, desks, doors, walls and windows. You made this school build possible, creating a safe and strong structural foundation that will allow the students in Sumal Grande to learn and realize their potential and their promise.