To bring education equality to Tzu'tujil Mayans

January is an extremely busy time at the Aldea Maya Learning Centre in Chuk Muk, Guatemala. It is the start of the new school year. The staff and volunteers need to reconnect with all our students after the 2 month school break, which is so much fun.

We need to update all our student records to make sure they are accurate. This is a very important time as we can see how each of our students and families are doing as we sit down for some one on one time. 

It is also when we work with each high school graduate to find out what they are wanting to study in university, the location of the university and the cost. Many of the students have to write entrance exams and all of this needs to be coordinated as some of the universities are several hours away.  This year we have 23 students in university. This is totally amazing when you think that no one in the village went past grade 6 before Aldea Maya started the middle school in 2012.

And what are our students studying: education, special education, music, physical education, law, accounting, business administration, agriculture, systems engineering,social work, lab technicians, math and physics. We are building the leaders of the future.

This is going to be the first year that Aldea Maya has students in the trades. We are every excited to have one student studying to be a mechanic, and two others studying to be Chef and Pastry Chef. 

We also have to coordinate 44 sponsor students in elementary, middle and high school receiving their supplies. Fourteen of these are new students. With new students we visit their homes. At this time we may give toys to younger siblings or vitamins to breast feeding moms.