This project will pay for adding windows in our Community Learning Center & Riester Computer Lab in a village in rural Guatemala. The new windows will let in needed light and let fresh, cooling air circulate in the Computer Lab, even on the hottest days. This means better study conditions for students of all ages, including the 6th-graders who receive free weekly classes, women who come to learn more about nutrition and family health, and men who come to learn better farming methods.
It's hard to learn when your learning environment is poorly lit and uncomfortable. The main part of our Community Learning Center is the Riester Computer Lab, where we teach over 90 sixth-graders free weekly classes in how to use computers. They learn basic programs and how to use them to do homework assignments from their regular school. It's not easy to concentrate in a hot stuffy room, and study results are always better in good light.
Your donation will allow two large windows to be opened in a block wall of the Computer Lab. This will supply about 3 times as much natural light as is now available to supplement the single electric light in the center of the room. Currently there is little air movement, and the room is stuffy. The new windows will face toward a small window and create excellent air circulation. (And it's exciting to think that your gift will also circulate through several local small businesses!)
Education is fundamental to improving lives. It is vitally important that young people have education experiences that capture their natural curiosity and interest in learning. Each year, local schools select top 6th-graders (90 in 2018) to attend our free weekly classes. This extra education is far beyond what local schools are able to provide, and will give these kids an outstanding start to a better life -- and more success at home means lower levels of immigration to other countries.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
