Break The Cycle Of Poverty Through Education in GT

Hello everyone,

In Guatemala the school year has started today, that means that our teachers are working really hard to make our new students feel at home. We are looking forward to the exciting plans we have coming this 2018! Every month there will be coming volunteers from all over the world to either help in one of our three schools, or assist within the office in different areas such as the Communications Department or Sponsorship Department. 

We would like to share the story of Jonathan, a student at NDG.

Aflatoun International provides a social and financial education program specifically developed for children. My school, El Porvenir, in San Lorenzo el Cubo, has been working with this program for six years. The program has five elements: Rights and Responsibilities, SelfAwareness, Financial Planning and Budgets, and Social and Financial Entrepreneurship.

Organizing fundraisers

One of the best aspects of the Aflatoun program is that students must organize their own fundraisers. For example, on “Día del Niño,” students raise money through various activities and then can spend what they’ve earned on special treats. Aflatoun empowers our students to plan and execute projects, as well as focus on their future. The goal is to increase student independence and empower them to manage their own financial needs.

Saving for the future

Jhonatan, a student in the sixth grade, enjoys attending Aflatoun. He has learned about the importance of financial management. Now when he helps his family clean houses, he earns part of the money and saves it to buy something he wants or needs later on. Currently Jhonatan is thinking of saving his money to start his own foundation for people who like to read since not everyone can afford to buy their own books. I think this is a really good example of our students learning to plan for their future.

Do you want more stories like this and read about NDG’s work in Guatemala? To keep up to date with our projects and happenings wherever you are in the world, follow us on Social Media!

As always, thank you so much for your continued support!

Links:

• Magazine

Dear supporters,

 The school year is coming to a close in Guatemala, and that means that our Summer School Program is about to start. We have had a great school year and look forward to seeing all the volunteers who make our Summer School Program possible.

This August we launched our very first magazine, E3: Stories from the heart of Niños de Guatemala, where you can find personal stories of the people involved with our organisation and learn about the impact that Niños de Guatemala makes on the communities of Ciudad Vieja and San Lorenzo el Cubo.

We´d love to share the story of Alvaro and Maria with you!

“My name is Alvaro. My wife’s name is Maria. I stopped attending school after 3rd grade. Maria finished primary school but did not continue to secondary school. A lot of work to support our family We have four children between the ages of 12 and 20. We work in the field, where we grow beans and vegetables. Maria takes the bus at 2am to sell our products in the market in the city. I work in the fields from 5am until 12pm and afterwards I clean the vegetables all afternoon. It takes a lot of work to support our family. This is the reason that our two eldest children never finished primary school – they started working in the fields with us. We now value education Education is good for our children, although at first we did not support it. Our second youngest child, Angela, is enrolled in middle school. This year we were going to withdraw her so she could work full time as well. But Angela told us how happy school makes her. She believes that education is the key to a better future, and we want to support her where we can. We always saw education as a waste of time, and that this time can better be used for work. We now value the education of our two children who are still in school. We understand that education can change their lives and give them a better future than we can offer them.”

Do you want more stories like this and to read about NDG’s work in Guatemala? To keep up to date with our projects and happenings wherever you are in the world, follow us on Social Media and subscribe to E3.

 As always, thank you so much for your continued support!

Links:

• Check out or Magazine!