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.
QUICHÉ REGION
The region of Quiché, located northeast of PoP’s headquarters in Xela, is a mountainous and volcanic region in northwestern Guatemala.
To date, we’ve built over 102 schools in the region, providing quality infrastructure to ensure a safe and engaging learning environment.
Before the PoP School Build
Previously, the primary students of Aldea Napoles attended class in a structure with eight classrooms—six formal classrooms, and two provisional classrooms made out of wood. The first makeshift classroom was used by 35 fourth grade students. The second was used by 31 fifth grade students. These classrooms were not only overcrowded, they did not provide a safe and positive learning environment for students and teachers alike.
Your Impact with the New PoP School
You recognized that these conditions were not conducive to learning and responded by helping PoP and the Aldea Napoles community complete construction on a new two-unit classroom block. Teachers, parents and community members were dedicated and committed to the project, and contributed 20 percent of resources and labor necessary to complete the build. This new school building allows for a high-quality learning environment, relieving the teachers and students of the overcrowding issue and enabling growth and development for all students.