Empower Maya Youth in a Post-Genocide Community

2020 was a year full of new challenges for our scholars. Schools in Guatemala closed in March and did not reopen for the rest of the year, and for many of our scholars virtual classes never began. 

Frequent power outages, costly cell phone data, workplace closures, and increased food costs at the market meant families were struggling to put meals on the table, much less prioritize their children’s education. Increasing the challenges, Guatemala experienced two of the strongest storms to hit the country in years in November, causing extended power outages, washed out roads, flooding, and many families in Chajul lost a large portion of their crops. 

For high school scholar Lucrecia, COVID-19 was just one of many tests of her resilience. After her mother passed away when she was just six years old, her father abandoned her. From a young age, her sister Maria has been the sole provider for both Lucrecia and their 83-year-old grandmother. When lockdown began, Maria’s job at a local restaurant disappeared, and the sisters felt the need to take extra precautions to protect their grandmother. 

Without live classes, no guidance from her school or teachers on course content, and little money to cover even basic necessities, staying in school took on new challenges. Having only a smartphone and no computer, she was sent just a few assignments with no explanation of the material.

The Limitless Horizons Ixil team took action to mitigate the consequences to our scholars’ mental and physical health and continued education. Since pivoting our programs in March, Lucrecia and her peers have benefited from virtual educational enrichment, technology classes, remote book clubs, and the internet to keep up with their studies. 

Scholars and their families also benefited from educational safety videos in Ixil to lower the risk of COVID-19 transmission, weekly phone check-ins, one-on-one therapy, and monthly food and hygiene baskets. All of our services were in response to our scholars’ needs, with the goal of ensuring that current challenges don’t force girls to end their education. 

In spite of everything, Lucrecia recently shared, “We have to fight when faced with adversity, no matter the difficulties ahead of us. We must believe in ourselves and have faith in ourselves to achieve our dreams.”  

Schools in Guatemala are expected to reopen this year for some in-person learning. After enduring 2020’s challenges, our scholars and staff are more prepared to adapt to new styles of learning and the challenges posed by the pandemic. All of our scholars are now more equipped to utilize new technology and Lucrecia and her classmates are eager to get back to the classroom.

We are so inspired by Lucrecia’s positive attitude and commitment to her education. Thank you for your continued belief and ongoing support which enables scholars like Lucrecia to keep studying!  

Links:

• Read more about our COVID-19 response