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 over 170 communities in Guatemala to ensure our students overcome these, and other, barriers to accessing a quality education. To date, PoP has impacted over 35,000 students in Guatemala.
BOCA COSTA REGION
The region of Boca Costa, located southeast of PoP’s Guatemala headquarters in Xela, is home to a more tropical climate than any of the other regions in Guatemala in which we work. PoP expanded to Boca Costa in early 2012, with our regional office located in Santo Tomás La Unión.
To date, we’ve built 116 schools in the region and have also provided our teacher training and educational programming to many PoP schools in the region.
Before a PoP School Build
Previously, the students of the Comunidad La Providencia school were attending classes in provisional learning structures. Out of the four total previous classrooms, three were made of cement blocks, wooden posts, chicken wire and tin roofs. These classrooms also offered very limited light to students in class, due to the low ceilings. The 4th classroom was made of bamboo slats with large holes in the walls and no constructed floor. In addition to these structural issues, the classrooms were overcrowded and lacked enough space for students and teachers during lessons, further hindering student growth and engagement.
Your Impact with a New PoP School
You recognized that these conditions were not conducive to learning and responded by helping PoP and the Comunidad La Providencia community build a new school. All students now have access to permanent classrooms complete with formal doors, windows and floors. Your support also provided proper classroom furniture for students, whiteboards for lessons and desks for all teachers. Since many of the men in Comunidad La Providencia migrate for work, women of the community provided support for the build in the form of materials needed for construction and food for the workers. This dedication to the project ensures the future success of the students of Comunidad La Providencia.