By Rina Lazo | Director of Benefactor Services
This October we celebrated the graduation of 19 underprivileged youth who finished junior high and 14 who finished 6th grade at the Scheel Center! This is a huge accomplishment for any child in Guatemala, but especially for students who come from such disadvantaged backgrounds. Many of our students began working at a very young age and didn’t have the opportunity to go to school until much later than their peers. These young men and women have seen first-hand that without an education there are very few job opportunities that will allow them to provide for their families which is a great motivator for them to continue their studies.
Once our students graduate from the Scheel Center they are given a scholarship to continue studying at a local school which helps them pay for school fees, uniforms, and school supplies and many of our graduates take advantage of this opportunity to further their education and reach their goals of becoming a professional. Dariana is one example of a Scheel Center graduate who continues to fight against all odds to further her education.
Dariana continues her education after graduating from the Scheel Center
Dariana is 20 years old and graduated from 9th grade at the Scheel Center last year. Dariana was born without hands and her feet were also not properly formed which causes pain when she walks. Dariana may have a physical disability but that hasn’t stopped her from going to school or dreaming big.
Dariana's father abandoned the family and left her mother to care for her 3 daughters on her own. Finding it hard to make ends meet, Dariana's mother sent her to Antigua to beg for money on the streets when she was just 6 years old. Between begging on the streets and selling candy and gum on the bus-ride home she brought home about Q100 ($13) a day. Her mother saw this as a much better option than sending her to school so Dariana spent 4 years begging and selling candy on the streets of Antigua before she made the decision to go to school at the age of 10. She quickly realized that she could be like all the other little girls and that her disability didn't have to keep her from attending school.
Dariana began 7th grade at the Scheel Center in 2013 and excelled in areas like drawing and painting and also worked well with her classmates and earned excellent grades. She went on to graduate from the Scheel Center last year and just finished her first year of high school where she is studying accounting and where she is, once again, at the top of her class. Dariana hopes to go on to college so that she can become a professional someday. We are proud of the young lady that she has become and are looking forward seeing her continue to grow academically and professionally in the years to come.
Thanks to donors like you we are able to provide education and hope to many underprivileged youth like Dariana each year. If you feel moved by this update to donate we encourage you to do so on #GivingTuesday starting November 29th at 12:01AM EST when all donations made on GlobalGiving will receive a 50% match and any new recurring donations will receive a 200% match making your donation go even further to help break the bitter chains of poverty through education and formation.
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By Rina Lazo | Director of Donations
By Melissa Schroden | Director of Special Opportunities and Donations
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