Help 500 Guatemalan Children Receive an Education

WE ARE SENDING YOU GREETINGS FROM GUATEMALA

We are very happy to tell you we are now permitted to bring students back to the school in small groups, finally. We are starting with the younger students that have the most challenging lives. Our return includes a medical assessment as well as hands-on attention from their teachers. We are so happy to welcome them, to hear them laugh and engage with their fellow students and teachers.

The construction of our new secondary school is moving along at a rapid pace, without delays nor problems. Our goal is to finish the school within one year and move our senior students to a new, modern and functional school complete with a technology program, English program, a cooking school program and our regular curriculum including arts, music and academics.

Angel is an example of why we will never give up. When Angel came to our school he was undernourished and troubled due to familial problems. He was mainly alone with his older brother, they had to rely on neighbors to share food with them. We have worked with Angel and his father for more than 9 years. The father is now taking care of his sons and working full time. Angel has changed; during his time with us, his health has recovered and he is doing well in his studies. He is in 5th Grade, doing well academically and participating in sports. He loves both basketball and art classes. He wants to be a cook when he grows up.

Our international and national donors are the true heroes here. Without your generous and ongoing support, we would not have been able to serve and support hundreds of children in our country. We thank you and want you to know that we truly appreciate each and every one of you. Please continue to support our school.

Muchas Gracias from El Patojismo, Guatemala.

WE SEND YOU GREETINGS FROM GUATEMALA, WE HOPE YOU ARE SAFE AND WELL.

THANK YOU TO ALL OUR INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL FRIENDS WHO GAVE US SUCH WONDERFUL SUPPORT OVER THE HOLIDAY SEASON, WE ARE TRULY GRATEFUL.

After a short break for the holidays our team is back and working every day to ensure our students are safe, fed and continuing their education.

We are very excited to report that we have begun construction of the new secondary school campus. With funding from Canada, the United States and Guatemala we were able to get our permits and begin the process. We have four of our graduate students working as apprentices with the Architect-Constructor. This process is very important to the philosophy of our school, we must not only educate young Guatemalans, but we have to help them secure a more promising future, and the best way to do this is to ensure they have employment, 72% of our families do not have permanent employment.

El Patojismo Construction Apprentices

Gabriel is another example of how we are supporting our young graduates to create a better future for themselves and their families. Gabriel is a very talented senior student. In his own words he expressed his experience as a student in Los Patojos: “My favorite part of the school is that students are given the opportunity to function in areas where they demonstrate talent by supporting them during the learning process of those activities.” Gabriel has shown incredible aptitude for technological studies. He not only excels at his own accomplishments, but is helping the whole program by repairing older computers, teaching younger students lessons on programming and coding. This year he is creating a computer club for those students that wish to enhance their technological abilities. A visiting professor from a Canadian university stated that Gabriel’s level of understanding is at or above first year university.

The support of so many friends through GlobalGiving is vital to our program, without our donors and friends, none of these accomplishments would have been possible. We are truly thankful. We hope we can count on your continued support.

Juan Pablo, Melissa and the team at Los Patojos, Dreams & Ideas in Action