To enhance the lives of children of very poor Maya Tz'utujil families in Guatemala through art, nutrition and education assistance; to afford opportunities for a bright future. To respect the local people and their cultural traditions.
GOALS:
The nutritional quality of the family diet will improve.
Each child will continue in school to gr
To enhance the lives of children of very poor Maya Tz'utujil families in Guatemala through art, nutrition and education assistance; to afford opportunities for a bright future. To respect the local people and their cultural traditions.
GOALS:
The nutritional quality of the family diet will improve.
Each child will continue in school to graduation.
Children will benefit from the art education and cultural regeneration activities they receive in the program - in school, and in life.
Children will exhibit emotional self-management skills, better organization, and increased responsibility in class, home and school.
Members of the Parent Board will cooperate to produce the food distribution, organize the classroom cleaning teams, and make program decisions along with the Director.
Parents will participate in activities - like weaving, beadwork and cultivation that increase their self-esteem and augment their income.
The challenges facing indigenous parents are daunting, especially for a single mother, even in a town like San Pedro, where the economy is enhanced by tourism. If they don't read or write and don't speak Spanish well, the better paying jobs simply aren't open to them. Thus the women are relegated to house-cleaning, washing clothing, or
The challenges facing indigenous parents are daunting, especially for a single mother, even in a town like San Pedro, where the economy is enhanced by tourism. If they don't read or write and don't speak Spanish well, the better paying jobs simply aren't open to them. Thus the women are relegated to house-cleaning, washing clothing, or selling in the market. Most of the fathers work in the fields, as day-laborers.
Most of the families' homes are sub-standard even for Guatemala, with outdoor cane-walled kitchens, crowded bedrooms, and minimal bathrooms.
Primary grade education is free in Guatemala, but as earlier generations didn't understand the value of education, 1/4 of our parents didn't even have the 6th grade education level which is common here. More than 9th grade is more uncommon, but we want our kids to graduate from high school or a quality technical training program.
Without assistance with fees for high school attendance, these children will continue in the same type of low-paid labor as their parents, and the cycle of poverty will continue.
Because the parents lack skills to help their children with homework, we provide tutoring and computer skills assistance during the week.
Since 2016, we have served over 80 families of San Pedro L.L. (30 at a time, as some come and some "graduate") through the generosity of sponsors primarily from California. During this time period we have secured a more spacious site for the program, expanded the responsibility and commitment of the Parent Board, and added to the quantit
Since 2016, we have served over 80 families of San Pedro L.L. (30 at a time, as some come and some "graduate") through the generosity of sponsors primarily from California. During this time period we have secured a more spacious site for the program, expanded the responsibility and commitment of the Parent Board, and added to the quantity of the food in our monthly basket for the parents.
We have also added new opportunities for both children and parents to prosper -- currently offering space in the community garden, literacy classes for the mothers, classes in weaving, beadwork and embroidery for mothers and girls, and English classes for students ready to graduate in 1-2 years.
We have also developed training opportunities for youth in mechanical repair and carpentry, which will lead to placement in local training schools as electricians, automotive mechanics, beauty operators, etc. so they have an alternate route to a well-paying job. We believe this will prevent dropping out of school to help their parents, or emigrating to the U.S. or Canada for better work opportunities.
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