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 over 170 communities in Guatemala to ensure our students overcome these, and other, barriers to accessing a quality education. PoP currently impacts over 35,000 students in Guatemala each year.
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.
Your Impact On Quality Education
Thanks to your generous support, Pencils of Promise is able to provide quality education to 1,000 students this year. This means these students will not only have access to a safe school structure, but also inspired teachers, literacy materials, PoP’s Water, Sanitation and Hygiene program, and clean water and bathrooms.
By investing in Pencils of Promise’s education programs, you’re helping to ensure students have access to everything they need to receive a quality education. Learn more about the programs you’re supporting:
Teacher Support
At PoP, we believe teachers are the key to getting children in school and keeping them there. We’re focused on improving the learning experience for children inside our classrooms. By equipping our classrooms with empowered teachers who deliver high-energy and engaging lessons, we’re able to unlock the potential of thousands of students.
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)
443 million school days are lost because of water and sanitation-related diseases. Our Water, Sanitation and Hygiene program provides students with handwashing stations, clean drinking water filters, private bathrooms and hygiene lessons. We believe that these are quintessential elements that are not only inseparable from a quality education, but essential for the growth and development of students.
From the start, we’ve believed a PoP school should be more than just a building. It’s the start of a transformative education experience. It’s a spark that creates a sustainable partnership with communities and unlocks the promise of generations to come. By investing in these programs, you’re ensuring PoP students are progressing in their education, and we’ve got the results to prove it. You’re joining us as we build hope, joy, community and a brighter future! Thank you.
Below, meet a PoP student who is benefitting from these programs—a student just like the ones you’re helping impact:
MEET DONAL
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Donal – Student, 2nd grade
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PoP’s WASH Program at Chiul, CunenDonal is one of many PoP students who are helping implement PoP’s WASH Program in schools across Guatemala. These programs ensure Donal and his classmates have access to safe bathrooms, handwashing stations and materials, and help them learn healthy behaviors so they don’t miss school due to preventable illnesses. These behaviors include drinking clean water, and learning proper food sanitation, washing their hands, brushing their teeth and cleaning their classrooms. Check out this video to watch Donal and his students practice these healthy habits. You’re helping bring PoP’s WASH programs to communities like this one, and helping students like Donal become leaders in their classrooms and agents of change in their communities–thank you! |