By Pueblo a Pueblo | Pueblo a Pueblo
Over the past few months, our community here in Santiago Atitlán has experienced a number of big changes as the COVID-19 pandemic wears on. In accordance with government restrictions, all of our typical in-person programming has been suspended. In addition, schools have been closed since March, and students have been working remotely to finish their studies for the year.
The nearly 100 students that Pueblo a Pueblo sponsors, ranging from primary school all the way up to university, have faced immense challenges this school year. Due to varying levels of internet and technology access, public schools in the Santiago Atitlán community opted for printed out instruction and worksheets rather than online learning. Every two weeks, students were given new packets of lessons and practice pages to continue learning the year’s curriculum. Teachers continued to grade these assignments, and provide support to students where they could.
Under such challenging circumstances, we are so proud of the resiliency and dedication to education that our students have displayed.
The school year in Guatemala typically ends in November, before the Winter holidays, and this year was no exception. However, the traditional graduation ceremonies to commemorate the outstanding achievements of sponsored students were sadly unable to take place this year.
Although our students missed out on the fanfare of graduation ceremonies, their hard work still deserves ample recognition! This year, fifteen sponsored primary school students graduated from sixth grade, and are choosing to continue with their studies in middle school! This is an outstanding accomplishment here in the Department of Sololá where only 14% of students complete primary school*.
During this challenging year, we are happy to have such bright, dedicated students to celebrate. We hope that you celebrate their achievements alongside us, as your support was invaluable to our student’s success. Thank you for sharing Pueblo a Pueblo’s vision of education as a powerful tool for pushing communities forward!
*Guatemala National Institute of Statistics 2018
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