Without many resources or support to continue her studies, Maria struggled in school. Now with the help of our Primary Education Scholarships project, she is thriving. Learn more about her story below:
Right from Santiago Atitlán to your computer. Your window into our world. Thanks for reading and comments are welcome!
In this new video series, we interviewed one of our beneficiary students, Maria Isabel of Chukmuk Elementary School.
Without many resources or support to continue her studies, Maria struggled in school. Now with the help of our Primary Education Scholarships project, she is thriving. Learn more about her story below:
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Concepcion is not your normal 9-year-old girl. When Concepcion was a baby, her parents found a small lump on the top of her head. The doctor told them the lump was not dangerous and would pass with time. For the next few years, Concepcion lived with the small lump on her head. When she turned 6 years old, her parents took her back to the doctor. They got the same response: surgery wasn’t necessary, and she would have to live with the uncomfortable lump. During the past six months, however, Concepcion started to feel more and more discomfort. Her teacher began to notice that she was not feeling well and saw that Concepcion kept leaving class to go to the bathroom and splash water on her face to relieve the pain. Given her increasing discomfort, Concepcion’s parents decided to bring her back to the doctor this year. To their relief, the doctor said they could go through with the surgery to remove the lump and referred them to the health center in Solola, the capital of the state. But there was one big problem: how to pay for the procedure. This is where your support has been crucial. Concepcion’s older sister, Dolores, is sponsored through our Primary Education Scholarships Project, but Concepcion was not. When their parents reached out to tell us about her illness, we moved her to the top of our waitlist for new sponsored students. Luckily, an existing sponsor decided to sponsor Concepcion. After she joined our project, Pueblo a Pueblo was able to help cover the family’s expenses -- thanks to your support. Our Primary Education Scholarships Project is committed to helping students with medical expenses by putting aside $5 of every $25 donated towards a medical savings fund. This means that we collect over $500 every month dedicated to medical expenses. In general, only about 10 students need to visit the doctor each month because of minor illnesses.The rest of the money is dedicated to group medical campaigns and unique cases like Concepcion’s. Because of you and your continuing support, Concepcion was able to get the medical attention she needed. It has been one month since her surgery, and she is now pain free and happier than ever. Her family is relieved to see their daughter feeling better, and we at Pueblo a Pueblo are grateful for your support, which helped to make this happen. Bonus: Concepcion starred in our "Learn Tz'utujil" video this month! Check it out below: Rainy season in Santiago Atitlan begins in May, bringing along frequent heavy rains that last through November. It affects all aspects of life in and around Santiago in different ways, ushering in new life while creating new obstacles. This month, we took a look at how the rainy season affects our programs and the lives of our community partners. For our project staff that carry out home visits to our Primary Education and Maternal Child Health sponsees, heavy rains often mean reaching homes in rural communities can be more difficult. Meetings with school partners may be delayed, and our 10 Family Planning Champions may have to postpone community charlas. For the most part, however, we can work around these obstacles by being flexible and resourceful. The rains bring necessary nourishment for crops to flourish, but they can also temporarily restrict economic opportunities for beneficiary families. Maternal Child Health Project Manager, Vilma Mendoza, explains that “When there is a lot of rain husbands cannot go to work in the mountains, and their families may have few other sources of income besides the beadwork that the wives can sell.” Along with these obstacles, however, come positive changes. For our WASH In Schools project, communities that have previously struggled with limited water access see their water sources replenished after the heavy rains. Crops in the area thrive with the extra nourishment in the rainy season, providing food and work for our beneficiaries later in the harvest season. The rainy season most affects our Beekeeping and Organic School Gardens projects. In our partner apiaries, beekeepers have to prepare the hives to withstand the rain and its consequences. They prepare special impermeable roofs, and monitor the hives more frequently to ward off harmful insects and fungi. Because of the frequent rains, bees are unable to leave the hives as often to collect pollen and nectar, and beekeepers must supplement their food supply.
The rejuvenating rains also change the kinds of plants that grow and flower near the apiaries. Project Manager Ana Cabrera explains how “In the rainy season, there are different flowers blooming, which gives the honey that the bees produce a different flavor and coloring than in other times of the year.” In our school gardens, the rains usher in the most fertile and productive period of the year. Ana explains that with the rains, “everything turns greener. There is more life in the gardens.” The rainy season also brings new work for teachers, students, and communities maintaining the organic school gardens. They no longer have to water the plants, but there is more weeding to be done. With the heavy rains, we support our community partners in preparing a water collection system to ensure the excess water does not damage the plant beds. Plants also must be routinely checked for insects or fungi, to ensure any infection does not spread to other plants. But the new work is worth it for the bountiful and nutritious harvest! |
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Guatemala Office
Cantón Tzanjuyú Santiago Atitlán, Sololá (+502) 7721.7449 (Callers in Guatemala) +1 (920) 383-1506 (Callers in the U.S.) U.S. Mailing adress Natik Esperanza 2700 Mayan Drive Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316 |
Pueblo a Pueblo has been awarded GuideStar's 2019 Gold Seal for Transparency, meets the BBB Wise Giving Alliance's Standards for Charity Accountability, and was named a finalist for the National Coffee Association's 2019 Origin Charity of the Year award.
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