Elementary Education - Improving Village Schools
Getting an education isn’t easy for Q’eqchi Maya children – most parents are so poor they can’t afford basic school supplies, many students literally have to hike 30—60 minutes to school, and those schools are often rudimentary, with the teachers who are ill prepared. When Ak’ Tenamit launched its education program in 1992, the average village school was little other than a thatched roof and a dirt floor, often with tree trunks to sit on instead of desks and chairs. Basic supplies such as pencils and notebooks were scarce, books were almost non-existent, and some villages had no school at all. The area was largely ignored by the country’s Ministry of Education, so the local Catholic parish priest, FR. Tom Moran, paid most teacher salaries and bought what few supplies the schools had.

Ak’ Tenamit has consequently done everything possible to improve those schools, such as through sister school programs, in which parochial school students in the United States donate school supplies, or by arranging new classroom construction. The project has also sponsored teacher training workshops, gotten environmental and health education into the local curriculum, and started a program that gives students toothbrushes and toothpaste. Another important activity is the We Must Educate the Girls program, which has resulted in fewer girls dropping out of school. Rotary clubs, churches and other organizations have built new schools, or donated desks and other supplies. Each year sister schools donate everything from notebooks to backpacks and ponchos. Still, there remains great need in the villages, and potential for expanding the program to other areas. Please consider getting your school, church, or club to donate funds, or materials to the village schools.

Education: Overview | Elementary Education | Secondary Education | Educating Girls