Guatemala is a country that boasts a wealth of natural resources and a diverse cultural heritage but the majority of its population lives in poverty. The ill effects of poverty can be seen in all aspects of everyday life for Guatemalans, including education, which is vital to reducing poverty. Your help could significantly change the course of a youth’s life, providing a student with a scholarship to either stay in middle school or continue his/her high school education.
In Guatemala, the average schooling is 4 years. Only 3 of 10 students graduate from middle school and even less attend high school. Deficiencies in educational quality, strongly related to poor teacher preparation and insufficient resources, lead the majority of children to drop out before sixth grade. Also, many families cannot afford school fees or the opportunity costs of keeping children in school when they could instead work to help the family’s income. Scholarships are based on financial need and academic standing, as well as participation in community service.
As a Peace Corps Volunteer, I worked with 550 students in two middle schools in the outskirts of Huehuetenango, in a town of 8,000 in the western mountains of Guatemala where coffee growing, agriculture and small business provide the main income. My students have reached the highest level of education of anyone in their family, and that is merely traversing middle school. They come from rural homes where it is a struggle to provide them with basic necessities like food, clothing and schooling.
When I first arrived in my Guatemalan community of Aldea Chimusinique, I knew that I wanted to start some form of a scholarship fund. By talking to students, their parents and teachers and other community members, I quickly began to realize how many students were not able to continue their studies, often times having to drop out of middle school mid-school year because their families do not have the financial means to provide for them.
For many years, Peace Corps Volunteers have been able to help children and youth continue their middle school and high school studies through the Washington DC-based organization, Friends of Guatemala, which provides scholarships as well as serves as a medium to collect and distribute donations. In late 2009, I nominated one of my students and he received a scholarship for approximately $250 for the 2010 academic year. Through generous donations from family and friends, I was also able provide two small scholarships for siblings whose father suffered a tragic accident. This coming school year, I hope to provide scholarships for 6 very deserving young people.
