La Escuela de Esperanza

Sunday, May 12, 2019
Jocotenango, Sacatepéquez Department, Guatemala
I wanted to do a separate blog about what I'm actually doing here in Guatemala. 
I'm working for a charity called Education For the Children which runs a school called La Escuela de Esperanza, which in English means the School of Hope. The school has 470 pupils and supports another 250 students that are studying in college or university. The founder was a British lady so there is an office for the charity in the UK. 
The students supported by the school are from the poorest families in the area and if the School of Hope didn't exist it's likely that many of the children would not have the chance to go to school. Although education is provided for 'free' according to the government, many Guatemalan public schools are underfunded, don't have enough qualified teachers and students have to pay for expensive uniforms as well as all of their books and even for the printing of their exams and it's because of this that many children are not receiving education let alone a quality education here. 
The school aims to provide a free quality education to the children who need it the most. They also have a nutrition programme which means every day the children receive a snack and main meal at lunch time. For many, these are their only meals of the day. The school also has a full time school nurse and will subsidise or cover completely individual student's health costs. They also provide a social and psychological department. Many of the children are involved in these services and they try to help them face the issues happening in their homes: machismo, alcoholism, broken families, abuse etc. It's heartbreaking to hear some of the stories and to meet the children which are living this reality. The school is completely donation and sponsorship funded with teams in the UK, US and here in Guatemala working every day to cover the costs. 
The school is in Jocotenango, a small town next to Antigua. It's a half an hour walk to school every morning. A few minutes walk from the school is the centre of Jocotenango which has an impressive church! Usually I can eat some of the food at the school but if it's a really meaty day Jocotenango has some good cheap taco take-aways for lunch.  
My role is an assistant english teacher in the mornings and in the afternoons I work as an intern in the office. So far it has been really enjoyable and I am enjoying the routine of working in the classroom and in the office. 
There's always something going on in the school. A couple of weeks ago I helped judged many business english presentations which the whole of the upper school took part in. Some students got really into it and one guy even bought his guinea pig in. 
Last week, the students were all part of a dance performance as part of their music & drama classes. It was a really fun event after school to which lots of the parents came along as well.
Every Friday morning the school gets together for an assembly where weekly awards are handed out. On World Book Day they had a whole day of activities one of which was a 'reading time' where the older students read to the youngest ones. 
The school runs after school clubs such as English club, homework club, dance club, sports club and also gardening club. Around the back of the school there is a big gardening area where they can go and help out. It's an amazing project. 
Usually I work 8am - 4pm Monday to Friday. However, a couple of weekends ago I came in on a Sunday to join a volunteer group who came to paint some classrooms at the school. Some of the scholarship students supported by the school came along to help too, it was really nice to meet them! 
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Comments

Carynm
2019-05-20

Thank you for sharing with us details of what you’ve been doing, how the school works and the difference it makes to children. You seemed to have done a lot in the few weeks you have been there. The class room looks so much brighter after it was painted xxx

2025-02-13

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