By Margarita Bejarano | Teacher
It is a pleasure to write to you and update you on our activities. We really appreciate all the support you have given us during this time. I know it has not been easy for many of you as the world situation has changed so much. However, it is a great relief to have the help of our dear sponsors who continue to fulfill the dreams of many of our children and give them a better education. Thank you for your contribution.
In this report, I would like to talk about how necessary it has been to open more schools in order to continue to provide a good education to more communities in great need. There are several reasons, but some of them are: the lack of preschool in the communities, the fact that there are no schools nearby to attend, and the overcrowding in the schools that are functioning. That is why we opened 5 more schools to help children in such circumstances. Of course, this was also thanks to the support of the authorities in the communities, the parents and the teachers in charge.
The first is in the community of "Los Cebollines", in San Martin Jilotepeque. This community has a public school, but no preschool. So the parents send their children to school from the age of 7, but many find it difficult or even lose the year because they do not have early stimulation. And although there is another school that has a preschool, it is in another community that is very far away, and it is very difficult for parents to take their children there because there is no transportation and they have to walk; so they take them when they can. For this reason, the preschool classroom was opened in a warehouse with wooden walls that the community authorities provided so that the children could attend classes. The teacher in charge is Blanca Castellano, who works from 8 to 11 in the morning. She travels 5 kilometers from her home to get there. She currently has 10 children.
The second one is in the "Caserío Los Jometes", also in San Martin Jilotepeque. She coordinated with the community authorities and the local teacher so that they could use the classroom located in the community hall. It is a comfortable facility for the children, the parents are willing to collaborate in the needs of their children; due to the lack of adequate space for classes, they share the classroom with another organization, so they have a schedule to use the facilities. They have classes on Mondays and Fridays from 8:00 to 11:00 a.m. and on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays in the afternoon. The teacher is Blanca Curruchich, who comes from the community and walks 4 blocks to get to the classroom.
The third one is located in "Aldea Xesuj", San Martin Jilotepeque. We coordinated with the teacher and the PACO PIÑA library, another organization that supports us, to provide a place for the children to receive their classes. This place has two classrooms, a kitchen, a patio and a green area. She works with both organizations in the afternoons, taking care of the preschool children; with the teacher Marleny Puy and the teacher Lilian Tomas, they have 26 children between 4, 5 and 6 years old. They are divided into two groups to better serve the children.
The fourth is located in the community of San Andrés Itzapa, Chimaltenango. Due to the overpopulation in this community, a classroom was opened in collaboration with another organization called "Sharing our Blessings". The director of this organization is Collen Supanich, an expert in the Montessori method. Although they work with all ages, they feel it is necessary to pay special attention to preschool children. For this reason, they also provide a suitable place for the children of Let's be Ready to receive their lessons. The teacher in charge is Yulissa Siquinajay, who works with 12 children in the morning from 8 to 11.
And the fifth is located in "el Caserío Cruz Ayapan", San Juan Sacatepéquez. There is also a great overcrowding in the existing schools and they do not accept children as young as 5 years old. For these reasons, we support the community with 2 teachers: Maria Tun, who has 16 children between the ages of 5 and 6. And Abigail Sanjay with 14 children between the ages of 4. They come from Santo Domingo Xenacoj and use public transportation to get to their classroom. The classroom is 10 kilometers away. The classroom was provided by a pastor of a church in the community and is located in a shed made of tin.
This is why we need your help this year. It is unbelievable how much need still exists in these places and how difficult it is for the children who live there. So help us change their future and show them other ways to overcome and fight for their dreams. And from now on, to those who are already doing it, thank you from the bottom of our hearts, thank you very much.
By Lidia Bacajol | Teacher
By Margarita Bejarano | Teacher
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