By Mick Quinn and Debora Prieto | Co-Founders
Hello to all our dear donors and supporters,
The school year is going great although Guatemala is going through a drought which we hope will end soon before the weather affects the crops.
Our students are more alive than ever and beginning to ask to us cover topics of personal interest. As a result of their suggestions, and as part of our philosophical and critical inquires, we have been talking about two subjects that are obviously important to them: sex and suicide.
The first class on safe sex and pregnancy prevention was given by Marisol, our Community Liaison, who recently received her qualification to teach on this topic. The kids had the opportunity to ask, in many cases for the first time, how to deal with contraceptives, how to make smart choices about sexual encounters and to ask more daring questions, such as about painful menstruation and urinary tract infections. Marisol also spoke about sexually transmitted diseases and about the importance of making healthy and mature choices and that sometimes abstinence is a good option.
The second subject that the students asked us to speak about was suicide. We were concerned at first that some of them could actually be thinking about this as an option. But, that was not the case, even though almost all the kids have known someone who has committed suicide.
At first we thought about giving a one-day talk but because of the depth of response we got from the kids, we soon realized that this would not be enough time. As of the time of this report we have spent already five weekly classes on the subject. We talked about signs, symptoms, causes, and preventions all from an Integral perspective. We had many questions and comments and personal stories from the kids as mostly all of them knew of somebody who had attempted suicide or who was talking about that possibility.
As part of this class we separated the students in groups in which they could share their thoughts and feelings about this subject. We also had them make a list of the things that they felt make their lives worth living. Carmen, 14, who grew up in a trash dump, and currently lives with her mom and two siblings in a tin shack with dirt floors said “Because I am important”.
In our name and in the names of all of our students and their families, we’d like to thank all of you who are making this work possible. You are saving lives in so many different ways. THANK YOU!!
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