Help fund Education projects in El Paredón

Project Aim: To provide sustainable funding for Education Projects in El Paredón in the primary and secondary schools.

The two main goals of this project are:

To ensure that each grade at the secondary school has its own teacher by supporting teacher salaries.

To ensure that the Literacy and Help for Homework programmes at the primary school are funded and resourced.

Photo: The graduating class of 2022. Each student had to create a mini business plan and earn at least $20 (USD) in order to fund this event. Several students sold fruit and snacks, such as tostadas, to visitors in order to meet this goal.

What do we need?

Monthly:

Q600/$75 to top up the computer lab teacher’s salary

Q600/$75 for the general classroom teacher

Q800/$100 for the headteacher's expenses

Q2000/$250 for the maths teacher

Q800/$100 for homework club

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Q4800/$615 Total per month

Who is responsible for funding the salaries of the teachers in El Paredón?

The salaries of teachers in the area are paid by the Ministry of Education allocated funds to the Municipality of Sipacate. Sipacate's municipal government only has enough funding for one teacher. This only pays for Luis, the headteacher, at a salary of Q2000/$250month. Headteachers should be paid a salary of Q6500/$830 per month.

Why is it important we can fund this?

Without this monthly donation, the school will be unable to function with only one classroom teacher and one headteacher. Closing the secondary school would mean that children in El Paredón would only receive an education until the age of 12. A child would have to travel "9 kilometres by tuk tuk and 1 kilometre by ferry." The cost of transportation there and back is $6.

As a result, it is critical that we find donors to assist in funding the salaries of the teachers at El Paredón Secondary School. El Paredón is a growing tourist town with increasing job opportunities, and in order for young adults to have a chance at these jobs, they must graduate from high school with a certificate.

Why do we need it: the challenge in El Paredón…

El Paredón is a small fishing community of approximately 1200 people located on the Pacific coast of Guatemala with an increasing footfall of surfers and tourists, both national and international. The main industries are fishing, agriculture and tourism, with a growing number of hotels, local businesses and eateries. The pandemic greatly affected the public education system in Guatemala. Schools were completely closed for two years. When they reopened again in February 2022, it became apparent that students had significantly fallen behind without consistent schooling. Literacy levels were already below national standards due to large numbers of children in each grade, lack of quality teacher training and poor leadership and accountability. In El Paredón, teachers cancel classes or the school is closed on a regular basis therefore contact hours are also highly inconsistent.

As students enter secondary school, 70% of them are literate in both reading and writing. El Paredón's rural public school classrooms, where there is frequently one teacher for every 30 children on average, are more about crowd control than anything else. Children and teenagers need to be educated, and even if the government doesn't think it's vital to support public schools this doesn't mean that the students don't care. They are typically more receptive to new ideas and eager to get involved in their own education. Young people are the community's future, so educating them is important for both the individual and the community if it is to increase the probability of long-lasting change.

Story of the secondary school

A non-profit organisation called Surf for Life provided funding assistance to build El Paredón's secondary school in 2014 with La Choza Chula. Since it opened a total of 600 young people have attended the school, with 40 children currently attending classes. The school features three classrooms, a computer laboratory, organic garden and community salon and serves students from the ages of 12 to 16.

Opinions from the local community on the importance of the secondary school

All have been directly translated from Spanish to English

“El Paredón is changing every day because it is now becoming a key tourist area and this demands an investment in our educational preparation for its community. The only way to do this is through further investment into our school..”

Jose Luis Valladares, Director, Secondary School.

“The school is fundamental for the children in this community. To be able to educate is to help children learn to know their world very well and at the same time, to look for alternatives and to generate capacities to imagine other better futures.”

Maria Jose Khristales, Library Manager, La Choza Chula

Why La Choza Chula?

Established in 2012, La Choza Chula focuses on two key areas: education and social enterprise. The organisation has been integral to the development of educational infrastructure in El Paredón. Over the years it has worked alongside the local community, as well as international volunteers, to fund and build a community library, a secondary school, a computer laboratory, a school garden and a community salon. The library hosts additional activities such as literacy classes, holiday programmes, teacher training and help with a homework club. We have excellent relationships with the local community and often act as a bridge between El Paredón and external influencers, such as project partners and potential funders. We believe by working together with the community we can bring about positive sustainable change.