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 223,000 lives 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 80 schools in the region and in many schools have coupled school builds with our WASH infrastructure and programming, along with teacher training workshops.
Before a PoP School Build
When our team first visited the community, students were attending classes in either a provisional learning structure made of wood or a formal classroom with a very leaky roof. Overcrowding was also an issue and, to address that challenge, the principal’s office was being used as a classroom. The lack of properly constructed classrooms and furniture was hindering student engagement and learning.
Your Impact with a New PoP School
You recognized that these conditions were not conducive to learning and responded by helping PoP and the Sector Pachipá, Aldea Cheguez community break ground on 3-classroom build. The community members, parents and teachers fully supported the project by contributing up to 20 percent of the labor and resources necessary to complete the build. In addition to building 3 new classrooms and redoing the roof on the existing formal classrooms, 5 washrooms were repaired and 1 new one was built, allowing for proper hygiene for all students. These classrooms were also equipped with new whiteboards and teacher desks. Your support made this school build possible, creating a safe and strong structural foundation that will foster an environment of educational growth and promise for the students in Sector Pachipá, Aldea Cheguez.