Creating Educational Opportunity for Maya Children

This week, backpacks-for-sale line the streets of Santiago, teachers are hard at work preparing their lesson plans, and Pueblo a Pueblo is preparing for another year of educational support in our 7 partner schools.

            The new school year commences on Monday, and for many parents in Santiago Atitlán, this day marks the beginning of another year of anxiety over expensive school costs and the possibility of having to force their children withdraw from school for economic reasons.  For 6 years, Pueblo a Pueblo’s Child Education Support program has been helping elementary school-aged children access an education they could otherwise not obtain. This year, 149 students from the Chukmuk, Panabaj and Chacayá public elementary schools will be provided with the class supplies, books, uniforms and one-on-one support they need to succeed in school. The Guatemala office has turned into temporary chaos as pencils, notebooks, art supplies, glue and much more are packed into backpacks for the students sponsored through our program. Monday morning, supplies will be provided to these children and with them the possibility of a brighter future.

            Our other programs are also making preparations for a year full of new plans, goals and projects!  Literacy activities in the Chukmuk School Library will continue as well as classes in our organic school gardens, and our activity coordinators are excited to get back to working with the children and teachers of our partner schools. In 2013, Pueblo a Pueblo is reaffirming its’ dedication to community-wide education through increased trainings for teachers, parents and community members. As an organization, we are aware that the success of our programs relies on the participation of all members of the school community, and we are constantly working to strengthen leadership and empower our partners through comprehensive educational programs.

            A new year brings new possibilities, and this year we are looking forward to seeing the dreams of our partner school children, teachers, parents and staff being realized. Thank you for your continued support!

Links:

• www.puebloapueblo.org

The school year is nearing its end in Santiago Atitlan and while most schools are getting ready to close the gates for the 2 month recess, Panabaj School is still working hard to make the buildings and outdoor spaces welcoming and attractive for the over 200 students that study here. This month, as part of Pueblo a Pueblo’s Organic School Garden project, Panabaj School participated in a fun competition centered on the concept of sustainable urban gardens.  The garden competition encouraged the use of small spaces, and inspired children to start thinking about innovative re-uses for materials that they encounter every day at home, on the street or at school.

Pueblo a Pueblo’s Organic School Garden project serves as a tool for enriching the learning environment for children, and is based on the idea that a school garden and a classroom should be complementary and interchangeable spaces.  We love working with teachers and students on fun hands-on projects where the children can learn and take their new knowledge home! 

Together with the 4 other schools that participated, Panabaj School did an amazing job transforming small corners of the campus into beautiful garden spaces. The competition was based on four categories: the use of recycled materials, creativity, quality & functionality, and student-teacher participation.

The school community of Panabaj once again demonstrated how, when they come together for a single common purpose, so much can be accomplished. Now the school not only has electricity in the classrooms, fresh paint, and working bathrooms with doors, it also has an array of plants to warm up the school. And even better, everything was planned and directed by the school itself, showing students’ and teachers’ creativity to shine.

Thanks to donors to the reconstruction project, the students and teachers can now be proud of the beautiful school they have knowing that they too have contributed to its improvement!