By Lois Werner | President
Hector came to us six months ago asking for our help. To graduate from high school, he has to perform 200 hours of practice in his field of study...computers. This requirement is very difficult to fulfill because there are only a few businesses in San Martin. His friends are going to Esquintla and staying Monday through Friday to work in a factory near the coast. Hector told us "I don't want to go there because I know I am now going to learn anything. They have friends who are just going to sign a document stating they did their practice." Hector said "I want to teach other students how to use a computer."
His commitment was commendable and we agreed Hector could fulfill his practice with us. He developed his lesson plans and students signed up for his classes. Hector held two 3-hour classes every day for six weeks in our office in San Martin. He taught Word, Excel, and Powerpoint to high school students. Under his direction, 42 young adults have new computer skills which will give them a competive edge in their classes next year and beyond.
The schools in the remote villages do not have computers. Kids lucky enough to attend high school are sorely lacking even the basic skills to turn on a computer and use a mouse. We aim to provide computers in elementary schools so the kids living in the rural villages are not left behind. The reality is parents in rural villages do not have resources to pay for tuition, uniforms and school suppies. If the kids have computer skills they can compete for scholarships and be able to attend junior high and high school.
School goes from January to October in Guatemala and there are hundreds of students waiting to learn how to use a computer. Most kids in the U.S. have learned how to use a device by the time they are 5 or 6 years old. Not the case in rural Guatemala. These kids have never seen an iPad or laptop. With your gift we can change their lives and help them attain a higher education - the only pathway they have to get out of the devasting poverty they struggle with every day.
Please partner with us and the kids in the rural schools - support our technology in education program now so we can install computers in the rural schools and be ready for the kids in January.
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