KEEP GUATEMALAN GIRLS IN SCHOOL

Our Promise Fulfilled!

We can all agree that the ultimate goal of any international development project is - or should be - developing local leadership and establishing community ownership to carry on and scale up. Lots of organizations say they will eventually do this. Actually achieving these elusive outcomes is often another matter.

Back in 2014, Women Work Together set 2016 as the year when we would complete the turnover of all operations of The Leadership Institute to ADIMTU, our sister organization in Guatemala. As of January 2017, WWT and ADIMTU actually achieved this elusive goal!

It Gets Better

ADIMTU has not only taken over, they're driving the agenda forward and expanding the program's reach. It is especially noteworthy that The Leadership Institute curriculum and teacher training program have been recognized by the Guatemalan Ministry of Education for incorporating specific learning objectives in the national curriculum, verifying its value and impact on individual schools and classrooms. This stamp of approval is another major step towards sustainability on the ground.

Now, as we pass the half-way point of the 2017 school year in Guatemala, the ADIMTU team reports some important benchmarks, including:

Teachers in 7 of ADIMTU’s 13 schools are now independently implementing the Leadership Institute programs, freeing up ADIMTU change agents to work in additional schools and training other teachers to do the same.

Early reports of boys’ inclusion in the Leadership Institute programs indicate positive impacts on the boys themselves, their relationships, especially with their mothers, their attitudes towards school, respect for their female classmates and their own effectiveness as big brother tutors and mentors. Following are a few brief anecdotes that illustrate some of the program’s benefits.

I am amazed at the help our students get in the second and third grade because of the Little Sisters Project. Older students help the younger ones in my school to learn and stay in school. Sometimes those older girls even go to the homes of their younger “sisters” to help them. Also, as a father, I have witnessed the role that my daughter played as a tutor. Since primary school my daughter was shy, but with her participation in this project, I saw much improvement in her character and her commitment to helping her “little sister.”  Álvaro B., principal of a primary school in rural Guatemala

I am now 22 years old and I live in the town of El Cedro. I was one of the first girls to participate in the Leadership Institute. It changed my life and the lives of my friends in 9^th grade when we became tutors to younger girls in 3^rd grade. I helped my little sister with her letters. She didn’t know the alphabet and she was in 3^rd grade. With my help, she started to read and developed her ability. Leticia M., Leadership Institute alumnae

Jairon López doesn’t remember much about his mother. She left to go to the USA to work when he was very young. He has been raised by various relatives and was often teased at school. The other students told him he was just there because the teachers took pity on him. But when he started to participate in the Leadership Institute sponsored by ADIMTU his story changed. His reading and writing has improved considerably. Even his classmates have noticed. Ariana O., Jairon’s teacher

I still remember three of the seven books I read during the Family Reading Time: THE PRINCESS ALSO GOES TO SCHOOL, THE MAN THAT HAD EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING and THE GENEROUS TREE. Then in the My Little Sister project I got to help others learn to read and love reading. As a tutor I made a big difference. That means much to me because I have had a liver problem since I was born and have spent much time with doctors and in hospital. Still I was able to learn and help someone else to learn. My struggles make me want to work harder to continue on. Caroline V., Leadership Institute alumnae

Links:

• ADIMTU website