{"id":7519,"date":"2019-09-03T19:36:57","date_gmt":"2019-09-03T19:36:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gophilanthropic.org\/?p=7519"},"modified":"2019-10-25T13:52:00","modified_gmt":"2019-10-25T13:52:00","slug":"more-than-meets-the-eye-in-guatemala","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gophilanthropic.org\/more-than-meets-the-eye-in-guatemala\/","title":{"rendered":"More than meets the eye in Guatemala"},"content":{"rendered":"
by Travis Day<\/strong>\u00a0<\/i><\/span> Over the course of the last two years I have participated in four GoPhil journeys to Guatemala, while making a total of eleven trips to this fragile yet stunning country within that same window of time.<\/strong> Given my close proximity – living in nearby Costa Rica – it has become one of my most frequented and favorite destinations. A place where I feel quite at home, where I can really dig in and learn more about mesmerizing Mayan culture, and ultimately, take time to \u2018listen and learn\u2019 with an incredible network of amazing people.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div> I have traveled with GoPhil groups both large and small, and I am always astounded by the amount of collective heart that exists within a group of GoPhil travelers. On this most recent journey I had the pleasure of sharing space with Cynthia (GoPhil Ambassador) and her husband Richard, as well as their lifelong friend, Mark. Cynthia and I traveled together in India earlier this year, and Mark and his wife Judi – who also traveled to Guatemala in April 2018 with her cousin Merry – joined GoPhil during last year\u2019s Journey to Southeast Asia. We were a small and intimate group, and given our past travels together, a lovely level of comfort existed before we even hit the ground.<\/span><\/p>\n Also worth noting is the fact that Richard, Cynthia and Mark have spent the better part of their lives working in healthcare in various fields. As such, their understanding of complex social issues, vast knowledge in healthcare and education, as well as a continued interest in the work of GoPhil and its partners created space for incredible, thought-provoking conversations.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div> Guatemala really is quite complex to understand. A popular tourist destination where – despite what you may see in the news – upon arrival you are immediately greeted by the majestic beauty of ancient ruins, sweeping volcanic views and bright, colorful textiles at every turn. It really is like a picture perfect vacation in a postcard with bright smiles and friendly people making space for your journey. But like most countries, what you see on the surface is not wholly indicative of the day-to-day realities.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n In an effort to provide insight into GoPhil\u2019s various partnerships in Guatemala, I always find it important during a journey to offer general context in 6 main areas of focus – all of which are naturally rooted in education<\/strong> – to better understand the work of each of the programs we visit.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div> GoPhil\u2019s newest partner, Comunidad La Esperanza<\/b><\/a> (CLE), is a middle school founded in 2012 by a group of concerned mothers \u2013 several with teaching degrees \u2013 who didn\u2019t want to send their children on the long commute to the nearest school in Chimaltenango, a dangerous area with a high prevalence of gang activity. Rather than travel the distance, many adolescents were dropping out of school and spending their time unsupervised on the streets, placing them at risk of gang violence and drug use.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div> Our visit began with a tour of the school where we visited the 7th, 8th and 9th grade classrooms. We were able to ask and answer questions of students – quickly so as to not disrupt their valuable classroom time. Several students made mention that their dream is to move to the United States because other members of their families had migrated there, while others mentioned that math is their favorite subject, or expressed their desire to continue their studies and become a teacher one day.<\/span><\/p>\n After our tour we sat down with Hilda, CLE Director, who shared the history and future plans for CLE, along with challenges and successes of the school. A neighbor who wanted to practice his English joined the discussion to translate for us, and a team of past students presented us with a delightful lunch that they had prepared for our visit. Having met Byron during our last visit in 2018, he and I reminisce of that past visit and I share Christina Bruce\u2019s most recent blogpost<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span> with him, in which she highlighted his remarkable story.<\/span><\/p>\n Equity is a core and guiding principle at CLE<\/strong>, a school which believes that all children deserve a chance (and a second chance where needed) to succeed. CLE passionately believes that with sufficient investment, knowledge, encouragement and role models to look up to, the children of Chimaltenango can and will transform their community.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div> EntreMundos<\/a><\/strong> was established to shift the power imbalance and elevate smaller, local organizations, associations and grassroots groups. With a database of over 900 local NGOs, EntreMundos helps give these resilient groups the opportunity to defend and promote human rights of the most marginalized populations in Guatemala.<\/p>\n Workshops organized by EntreMundos are aimed principally at nongovernmental, community, and grassroots organizations with humanitarian missions – primarily in the fields of development cooperation, awareness-raising, social education and advancement – that aim to make the most of the resources available in their local communities to reach objectives in the most effective and sustainable way possible.<\/p>\n<\/div> We sit down with EntreMundos Director, Yessica Pastor and Capacity Building Program Director, Lourdes Aguilar, to discuss GoPhil’s recent support of EntreMundos\u2019 local capacity-building efforts for rural, impoverished, and mostly indigenous Mayan communities in Guatemala, including the piloting of virtual trainings. Virtual trainings are offering an incredible opportunity to reach groups that don\u2019t have the financial ability to travel to the EntreMundos headquarters.<\/span><\/p>\n In the words of EntreMundos Director, Yessica Pastor, \u201cGoPhil and EntreMundos are both looking to strengthen the impact of grassroots organizations through training and education and building solidarity among organizations, donors, and direct constituents. Because we share these values, vision, and approach, we are creating trust as partners<\/strong>. We work together to determine how best to use the funds and respond to needs as they arise.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div> Guatemala is a country where preschool is not mandatory and the distances and the lack of teaching staff make it almost impossible to get off to a great start in first grade. In fact, half of Guatemalan children don\u2019t enter a classroom for the first time until the age of seven, and as a result of almost non-existent preparation for the challenges of attending school,\u00a0a whopping 27% of students throughout the country drop out or fail the first grade<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>
\nGoPhilanthropic Foundation Director of External Communications and <\/i><\/span>
\nGoPhilanthropic Travel Director of Operations & Guide<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>1. INDIGENOUS PEOPLES (and Education)<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
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2. POVERTY (and Education)<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
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3. MALNOURISHMENT (and Education)<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
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