Empower a Girl in Guatemala: Education after COVID

Kimberly is a 14-year-old girl who lives in a small village of San Martin Zapotitlan (Retalhuleu), called Aldea Ajaxa. She studies the 2nd grade in the Institute of her community. She is a cheerful, intelligent, enthusiastic, young, responsible and very cooperative young girl, she loves to help her younger brother with school work, especially in this time of pandemic that has affected her ability to attend classes. She has taken the project of helping him with his homework and explaining the subjects he has trouble understanding.

As a family, this time has been difficult because the fear of catching the disease and making others sick is a worrying situation, especially since the father of the family has resumed his work. However, the family have not lowered their guard, they continue to comply with the safety protocols they have established since the beginning of the pandemic: they use masks when they have to leave home for any reason, they always carry antibacterial gel, and when they return home they change their clothes and shoes. These habits have allowed them to protect themselves from the virus to date.

Kimberly says she is worried because she has to leave the house twice a week to pick up and turn in homework, but these months at home have prepared her to create habits that will help her stay healthy. The girl's parents say they are reassured that she will be able to go out and continue with her education, because they are certain that she will comply with the rules of hygiene and safety, they trust that God will take care of their children in this difficult time that they are living.

Kimberly says that the pandemic came to teach us the value of being united and above all that, even though it is a very difficult time, we must fight to achieve what we really want.

In the department of Retalhuleu in 2018 the dropout rate on average was 5.6% in the high school education cycle, this means that the equivalent to 1,062 young people abandoned their studies for different reasons, but with a common goal, to work and support their family with the expenses.

This region is hit by the lack of stable jobs, which causes that mainly the father of the family does not prioritize the education of the children and culturally the woman is the one who has less opportunity to continue her studies. 

Thanks to the donations during this period 2018-2020 we were able to break this cultural pattern and 43 young girls continued their studies in the basic cycle, 28 of them satisfactorily completed the level and 15 continue studying. Without your support this would not have been possible.

Throughout the three-year period, each girl and their families have received support to guide them on important family issues and training to strengthen the family unity and, above all, that parents recognize their fundamental role in helping each girl achieve her dreams and have access to better opportunities.

On the other hand, personalized and collective tutoring has allowed us to strengthen reading speed and comprehension skills in each girl, since, through small reading tasks and continuous monitoring, improvements have been visualized. 

The biggest challenge has been to get families to continue supporting the girls’ studies, especially because of their vulnerability. But despite this, this year 2021, of the 28 girls who finished third grade, 19 have enrolled in high school. The rest, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, are still evaluating whether to enroll considering the risks of contagion.