Guatemala’s School Year Begins
The Guatemalan school year will soon commence, and GHA staff is busy
preparing for new scholarship students and old. We have supported many of our students for years through all levels of education, and have also provided them workshops through which they can explore subjects beyond academics. Two more of our students are due to graduate from university this year, a really monumental feat for indigenous youth, and donor money is truly what has provided this opportunity for them.Education at this level has the potential of empowering not just single families, but entire indigenous communities, both economically and politically.
An additional preschool class has been added to GHA’s schedule for 2024, bringing the total to 4. We also have 6 tutoring classes that students attend for individualized help in any subject that they’re finding challenging. With 10 students in each class, we now have 100 students, preschool to high school, being guided weekly.
Moms learning crochet
The Mother’s School…Escuela de Madres…continues this year in the 4 communities in which we work on the south side of Lago de Atitlan. In addition to crafts, in these workshops women are exposed to thought provoking topics, such as civil and paternal rights, diversity, nutrition, and reproduction. When workshops reconvene in February, the topic all month will be ‘Migration’. This is a vastly important concern in these communities from which many, often deeply impoverished, migrate to the US.
Above…one of the Mother’s groups
The laying of cement floors over dirt continues, a boon to family health and pride. To date GHA has laid 168 floors (those in addition to the 47 houses we built pre-Covid). And
continuing projects include chicken husbandry and solar dehydrating.
We at GHA thank YOU for the opportunity to convert your donations into direct action.
Lago de Atitlan