Empower a Girl in Guatemala: Education after COVID

Life should be a continuous education, something that in Guatemala we take very much into account: our goal is always to train new generations in different areas of life. First of all, it is important to know the traditions we have, as in gastronomy, where we elaborate dishes and drinks that are known throughout the country. One of them is the Atol de maíz quebrantado, a traditional drink made with criollo corn (corn grown in the highlands of Guatemala). So, it is broken on a grinding stone, ginger, súchil, and water, made in clay jars, moved with a grinder, and cooked in wood stoves, to be drunk preferably hot and without sugar.

This typical drink is usually elaborated by several mothers, with the main goal of selling it in communal markets, or also in an ambulant way, offering it in streets and homes. With this, they seek to obtain an economic income so that their children have access to education and cover the expenses required by the educational establishment, such as the purchase of school supplies and uniforms.

On many occasions, sales are not high enough to obtain the necessary income, and that is why it is so important to support the Scholarship Project for Girls and finance their education.

The achievements of these young girls and the project speak for themselves, demonstrating that with support, goals can be achieved:

• 90% of girls are already enrolled in the 2022 school cycle.
• The project expands its geographic coverage in Guatemala: scholarships will be provided in the Department of Huehuetenango.
• School supplies were delivered to girls in vulnerable situations to motivate them to continue their studies.
• Boards of Directors have been formed to follow up on the search for opportunities for the scholarship girls and thus develop their potential within and outside the community.

And the great news is that thanks to your donation, 142 girls have been selected to continue their high school education.
Thanks to your contribution we continue to provide study opportunities to change the history of each one of the girls.

The Q’umarkaj archaeological site is located in Quiché, department of Guatemala. It is characterized by having in its center a stone sundial that marks the four cardinal points, and because pieces of great value carved in jade and gold were found. But in addition, and no less important, it is said that in that area the maidens were women with an outstanding apprenticeship.

Currently however, and especially in the rural area of the department, women’s education has lagged behind. Only 5 out of 10 children attend school, despite the fact that Quiché has more than 1 million inhabitants and more than 360,000 people of school age, 59% of whom have access to education.

In the Scholarships for Girls Program, we are convinced that supporting women’s education is an important way to break the cycle of poverty and essentially support them in their extracurricular education. With all this, we would ensure that the percentage of girls with access to schools would increase. And the fact is that the compromise between the technician and the parents is vital for the child, who is the main agent, to remain in school.

Finally, we wanted to add that we are very happy to start the 2022 school year and, thanks to your contribution and collaboration, school supply kits were delivered. This is a great way to motivate the scholarship girls and young women, hoping that this new year will be full of challenges, successes, and many satisfactions in their school education.