well, not really, but it is the end of
the school year in Guatemala and the same joyful feeling i remember is on the
faces of the school children in the village of San Antonio Aguas
Caliente.
i was invited to a year end celebration and left humbled by the immense impact a few people are having
in this village. the situation here for school children is quite grim. poverty, iliterate parents, lack of nutrition and poorly equiped schools contribute to a vicious cycle.
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| on the dream tree |
supported by private donations and volunteers Creating Opportunities
for Guatemalans is an ngo providing a holistic approach to success for
school children. during the after school
program the children receive homework support, nutritional snacks and hygiene
lessons.
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| scavenger hunt |
and the staff here make it FUN. during the party they had a scavenger hunt - the list was easily found items discarded on the street - plastic bottles, straws, bottle caps. i have never seen a happier bunch of kids racing through the street picking up trash. as the children left this year end celebration with hugs for everyone i could feel the love and appreciation they had for the staff. if you know any ESL teachers who would be interested to join the staff send them to the website.
