August 2022 Adelantando
The school year in Guatemala began in January, and this year we are sponsoring 58 students, 10 at university level. Since GHA’s inception 5 students have completed their college studies, including our beloved and competent Project Director, Maria Madai Yojcom Cruz, who earned her degree in Social Work after 10 years of GHA sponsorship. We couldn’t be more proud, and Madai couldn’t be a better advocate for her community.
Since the pandemic, much of GHA’s time, energy and funding has gone towards ‘refuerzos’, tutoring, for the primary age kids who have missed so much in-class learning and didn’t have books or computers to keep up with class expectations. We have tutoring centers now in each of the 4 communities in which we work. The lovely women pictured above are GHA’s enthusiastic teachers, along with our Director, Madai (second from right), and GHA’s Social Worker, Cecilia Amarilas Batz Bizarro (second from left). These dedicated teachers glean inspiration from Montessori models while GHA sponsors continuing education workshops for them.
Our Escuela de Madres, Mothers’ School, has had resounding success bringing the mom’s of our scholarship students access to classes of their own choosing. Over these last two years these have included such diverse studies as citizenship (how to vote, advocate, legal and human rights), crafts, nutrition, finances, poultry raising and community gardening for both home use and profit.
GHA, with it’s intimate knowledge of local communities, has partnered with Water4Life International to distribute hundreds of water filters.
And GHA continues laying down cement floors over dirt, despite prices for building materials, like most goods and food, having risen pronouncedly.
You can sponsor a student through our website with either a monthy or annual donation. It costs only $25/month to sponsor primary through secondary level students, and $84/month ($1000/yr) for university students. Along with tuition and supplies, our students receive both mentoring and enrichment studies, and their mom’s, too, have the opportunity to expand their horizons with classes.
On behalf of all those who have benefited from this work, we thank our donors, our partners, who have made this possible.