By Megan Banick | In-Country Deputy Director
As the new school year begins in Guatemala, it is a joy to see so many of our old friends in their new classrooms—and also to meet some new ones. As we celebrate inaugurations in our partner schools, the year has brought us 89 new first graders. Each of these children, along with hundreds of their other school mates, will receive a nutritious lunch each school day prepared by teams of mother and grandmother volunteers. Training of the mothers and grandmothers and food products are funded by MM donors. In addition, each child will receive a textbook and hygiene supplies including soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and toilet paper. For many of these first graders, it will be their first toothbrush ever. Last November, we hired our first ever Health and Hygiene Coordinator who will train mothers to lead workshops that teach the children how to properly use their toothbrushes, among other important hygiene topics to keep everyone healthy.
Kevin is one of our new first graders. He is seven years old and says that school is exciting, not scary. He loves going to school because his teacher, Mrs. Lety, is fun, and knows so many things that she teaches them every day. For example, this year she is going to teach him how to read all by himself. When he grows up and finishes school, Kevin wants to be a police officer. He isn’t quite sure what police officers do all of the time, but he wants to be able to catch bad guys and put them in jail. He has big dreams for such a little guy!
It is always a busy process to prepare for the start of each new school year. During the months since our last report, we held our annual mother’s retreat with 34 mother and grandmother leaders from our schools who joined to share their experiences and learn together. We met with teachers, mothers, members of the MM Boards of Directors in each partner school, and local elected officials to evaluate our 2014 programs and to plan for 2015. We also raised funds to build kitchens and bathrooms in two of our partner schools. In December, the office was busy as our coordinators developed new curricula for the mothers and grandmothers who participate in our nutrition trainings, hygiene workshops, and early childhood nutrition program. Now that the planning is finished, we look forward to implementing all of the activities we have prepared for a successful 2015.
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