Educate 300 Guatemalan Children

During the month of April, the Education programme began with our Reinforcement Centre. This year, the number of children enrolled has increased and we have been open to many new students. Some of these children have different special educational needs that need to be supported. Our teachers have therefore had to plan their activities to take this into account and ensure that the children are given the same opportunities as their peers. 

One of these children with additional needs is Miguel*. Miguel is a 6-year-old student who was referred by the director of his school. When referring Miguel, the director mentioned that Miguel had issues interacting with his classmates, was aggressive and was not performing well academically. This was partly because he could not maintain adequate attention during class time and in other activities, and partly because there were various problems in his family nucleus that were affecting him. Miguel has been part of a custody struggle between different family members and has a Social Services case pending. 

Miguel has been frequently attending the Reinforcement Centre this year and has made very noticeable progress. He has new friends, pays attention and performs tasks in very short and established times. His dialogue and interactions with others are much better, and he has improved his spatial, temporal, fine and gross motor skills. Our teachers have been working constantly with him so that he can perform better here and in his own school. He now asks questions and can give concrete answers to questions he has been asked. One of the best advances Miguel has made is that he can now complete the tasks that have been assigned to him. Since beginning with us, Miguel has been able to see a doctor and now has a diagnosis. He has been diagnosed with ADHD and is beginning to receive medication.  

As part of our holistic approach to supporting the children in our programmes, we have also been looking at other ways to help the family. Miguel’s mother is a part of our Social Empowerment Programme and comes for vegetables every Friday. This helps her to provide for Miguel and herself and allows her to spend less time working just to keep the family afloat. This has also helped to improve the relationship between Miguel and his mother. We also offered psychological support for both Miguel and his mother and are hoping that they will take us up on the offer. 

Miguel is a very intelligent child and has learnt to count and write his name. It is great to see his achievements every day. The GOD’S CHILD Project has been working for 30 years to break the chains of poverty through education, housing, nutrition and healthcare. Please click the link below to donate to support us in our ongoing mission.