In April 2016, Don, Holly and I went to Guatemala to visit the 'School of Hope', a non-religious free school open to the poorest children in an area called 'Antigua'.  The school is run on donations made to the Education for Children Foundation.

What first struck us about the school is how passionate it is about not only each child’s education but also their well being, for example, each child is given a toothbrush with their name written on it so that they have clean teeth at least once a day. 

The school provides showers so that the children can one have at least one each week. Each child receives a healthy snack and a nutritious lunch which is fulsl of the vitamins that they need to thrive. Holly and I tasted the normal food that the children eat at home at a local market, it is cheap to make – a fried paste of flour and water, I didn’t manage to get through even the first bite and ended up giving it away! 

Each family receives a water filter with training on how to use it so that the childrens health is maintained not only at the school but at home too. 

Many of the children live on a mountainside which is desperately hot in the summer but floods their shack houses in the winter, making their floors wet and inhospitable. 

At the moment, the school is only open to 6 years+ but they desperately want this to be open to children younger than this - we are hoping to be able to provide a teacher, desks, chairs, materials in order to make this happen. 

By giving the children an education that they would never normally be able to have, there really is hope for those that go to the school. It is a chance for them to play and learn in a safe environment and it also gives them a real chance to break the poverty cycle and have a job that pays a decent wage.  

 Please sponsor our efforts to help fundraise for this amazing school, your money would go a long way to ensuring the safety, help and progression of so many children.
Thank you