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 167 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.
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 Guatemalan regions 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 over 80 schools in Boca Costa and have also provided our educational programming to many PoP schools in the region.
Before a PoP School Build
Previously, not all pre-primary and primary school students of Caserío Eca Bella Linda had access to formal classrooms. While, pre-primary and early primary students were taught in one of the permanent classrooms built by PoP in 2014, the remaining students, in grades 4, 5 and 6, were taught in one of two provisional classrooms provided by the community. The first classroom—a structure made of metal sheets and wood—lacked doors, a constructed floor and proper lighting. This exposure to the elements hindered student development and engagement. The second provisional structure that was used as an education space is the house of one of Caserío Eca Bella Linda’s community members. This space also lacked formal doors and windows, and many students sat on cement blocks or the floor.
Your Impact with a New PoP School
Thanks to your support, PoP partnered with the Caserío Eca Bella Linda community to build a 2-classroom school complete with 4 latrines and an updated handwashing station. The Caserío Eca Bella Linda community members, parents, and teachers fully supported the project, contributing up to 20 percent of the labor and resources necessary to complete the build. Community members are very excited about their students having a formal, dedicated learning space. 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 Caserío Eca Bella Linda.