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Science Camp and Smiles

11/27/2017

Students at Nueva Providencia Primary School use the microscopes brought by The Tango Foundation

The end of October and beginning of November is a transitional period for children in Guatemala. The rainy season is over and so is the school year. Most students transition from working in school all morning to working in the fields picking coffee with their families. We, and our friends at The Tango Foundation, wanted to prolong the students’ time in school-- by inviting them to a week of experiments and fun at science camp.

Students at La Cumbre Primary School conduct experiments

Students from Nueva Providencia Primary School and La Cumbre Primary School spent a week with us learning about polymers, gravity, sound and vibration, germs and microscopes! From the sounds of their laughter, it’s safe to say they were also having lots of fun!

The science camp education team, which traveled to the Western Highlands from Canada and Utah, consisted of women from a variety of career backgrounds, but all had the similar goal of providing a week of fun and learning to students from our beneficiary schools.

Students draw what makes them happy

Two of the team were trained social workers, who invited the students to take short breaks from exploring science principles to participate in sessions with them. The students talked about their feelings, mindfulness and kindness. They expressed thoughts about what makes them happy, and they created artwork that portrayed them.

Lake Atitlan and the surrounding volcanoes were a popular art subject

In total,135 kids attended the week of activities. Some of our youngest participants were one-year-old, attending with their older siblings-- it’s never too early to learn! This week of smiles and exploration was memorable for all of us, for the young scientists, our guests from The Tango Foundation and for the Pueblo a Pueblo team.

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Congrats Grads!

11/3/2017

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Magdalena (top step), Andrea, and Juan celebrating after their graduation ceremony at Panabaj Primary School

The Guatemalan school year is over. October is an exciting time at Pueblo a Pueblo! We celebrated alongside three beneficiary students of our Primary Education Scholarships (PES) Project at Panabaj Primary School. Andrea, Magdalena and Jose sat next to each other among their classmates and, with a handshake from the director, received their diplomas. This is a feat worth celebrating, as they became part of the 14 percent of youth in Department Solola that complete their primary education.*

Panabaj Primary School Graduation Ceremony

We’re always ecstatic when students involved in PES succeed. In rural Guatemala, there seem to be more obstacles than opportunities for children to get an education.

“The main educational challenge kids face is money,” says Johanny Quieju, the Primary Education Scholarship Project Manager. “Families either don’t have enough money to provide their children with supplies or things they need, or they don’t have enough money in general and the kids start working at a young age to contribute to the household income,” she explains.

Juan and his family celebrate the graduation of the oldest child.

Our PES Project exists to relieve some of these challenges for students who otherwise wouldn’t have the resources or support to pursue primary education. As a PES beneficiary, students receive support to pay school enrollment fees, school supplies, gym clothes and shoes, access to medical services and one-on-one tutoring.

We can’t take all the credit, though. Andrea, Magdalena and Jose put in their fair share of effort to complete their primary education. They fulfilled the attendance 90% requirement set forth by Pueblo a Pueblo and worked hard to pass their classes and reach this milestone.

Andrea (center) and her friends celebrate their graduation

We would like to thank the sponsors of these students for sharing our vision of education as a tool for success. At Pueblo a Pueblo we believe that every child deserves the opportunity to complete a primary education, regardless of their economic circumstances. Thank you! We did it!

*Guatemala National Institute of Statistics (2017)

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Pueblo a Pueblo Blog

Science Camp and Smiles

Congrats Grads!

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