Break the cycle of poverty in Guatemala

Our students' lives, like those of children in other Guatemalan communities, are marked by poverty, malnutrition, exposure to violence, limited access to education and healthcare, discrimination, and overall a general lack of opportunities. But, like you, we know that it doesn't have to be this way. Through your generous donations we are providing educational activities from preschool, to art classes to most recently Taekwondo (through a partnership with a Korean American organization) to ensure that our students get the opportunity to see the world through the eyes of the children that they are. Whether it is through completing an art project, learning about a new country, doing a science experiment, playing games during physical education, and more, our educational projects are designed to give our students the opportunity to view the world with innocence, wonder, joy, and curiosity in a safe space where they know that they are loved and appreciated for the unique individuals that God created them to be. Your donations are essential to providing our students with this opportunity. For that reason, we wanted to take this time to thank you for being a part of this great project. We appreciate your contribution to making an impact in our students' lives.

Best wishes,

Colleen

What would your life be like if you never learned to read? Imagine a life without being able to write out a grocery list, immersing yourself in a good book, reading the back of a medicine bottle, using a computer or ATM and all the many things that we do during the day that require the skill of reading. The ability to read undoubtedly changes our lives and opens up a realm of possibilities. Unfortunately, many Guatemalan children are at a danger of never learning to read or of reading well below an average level. In fact, Guatemala has one of the highest illiteracy rates in the Western Hemisphere. It is estimated that 1 out of every 3 Guatemalan adults cannot read and that 70% of Guatemalan children currently in school are not learning basic reading and writing skills. Now that's the bad news. The good news is that your donations are helping to change this in our community. One of the main areas we focus on with our preschool students is literacy. Each week we focus on learning a new letter, learning its name and its sound as well as reviewing the names and sounds of the letters that we have already been learning. Then throughout the week the students do different crafts and hands on activities to reinforce the phonics lessons such as drawing the letters on sensorial bags, coloring and arming their own letter book with pictures of things beginning with each letter, forming the letters with play dough, building a letter maze out of wood blocks to blow a pom pom through, and more. It is our goal to set up our preschool students to be successful readers by the time they enter primary school (at age 7 here in Guatemala). Your donations are helping this goal to become a reality. This year our 13 preschool students have learned 15 letters of the Spanish alphabet and are on track to learn all 27 of the letters by the end of this school year (October here in Guatemala). Then God willing next year we will work on syllables with our 2nd year preschool students. We are so glad to have you as a partner in this endeavor. Thank you for walking with us and making an impact in these students' lives.

Best wishes,

Colleen