Change a Life, Educate a Child

With schools in Guatemala still closed due to covid-19 and no plans currently in action to reopen, children have no option but to continue to learn from home. This year both of our schools will remain closed and we are working on providing scholarships for all of last year’s students to cover their school fees for the whole year as they study at other schools.

Whether they are learning through study guides collected every 2 weeks from school or through online classes or videos, the children face many difficulties in furthering their education and understanding. Some have no access to the internet and therefore have to borrow phones or WIFI from neighbours or family members just to see what they have to study or to research something they have been asked to find out about. Some have parents who never learnt to read and are unable to help them when they are stuck. Some are given work that is not differentiated and so is way beyond their ability. For many of the children who studied at our school last year it is just not a viable option to study at home.

We took note of the progress made by children in school during home visits to check on their wellbeing and decided to put a plan into action for a number of them. This included spending time in our Project each week to go through schoolwork that was particularly difficult or beyond their understanding. The children work with our psychologist, Sonia Paredes, on the subjects that they find the hardest. They have hour-long sessions where they can cover a specific subject or a range of subjects, depending on the needs of the individual student.

The advantage of our psychologist working with the children extends beyond just improving their schoolwork. It also gives her the chance to help children with their emotional wellbeing and mental health. For many children the restrictions for Covid have meant they have spent a whole year at home unable or too scared to leave. This has taken a real toll on their social and emotional wellbeing and having the chance to talk with our psychologist can help to alleviate the extreme stress that many have them have felt over the past year.

We have already seen the difference it has made with some of the children to have the chance to spend time outside the house, get help with their schoolwork and talk through some of the worries and issues they have. The children working with our psychologist are happier, healthier and progressing well with their schoolwork. Their parents are also very grateful to have somebody who can look after their children’s education when they are unable to. We hope to continue working with the children this year until schools are open again and our children can finally return to normalcy.