CORE PROGRAM
Education and Hope nurtures the whole child. Our work at Education and Hope is a multifaceted system focusing on strengthening academic achievement and core life skills through comprehensive scholarships, after-school programs, balanced nutrition, health care, psycho-social wellness and family outreach. Together, through passion and perseverance, we have created a refuge, a safe place where children can grow in the love they need to thrive.
25 YEARS OF NURTURING A CHILD
Program Participants
High School Graduates
University Graduates
Scholarship Program
With over half the population living on less than $2 a day, Education rates in Guatemala are extremely low, with the average child remaining in school for just 10 years. Education and Hope provides academic scholarships to children and young adults, in addition to covering registration fees and monthly tuition. Each student is given a new backpack filled with school supplies, a school uniform, a pair of school shoes and sneakers, bus fare to get back and forth to school, and any materials required throughout the year. The amount of each individual scholarship varies according to the particular expenses of that child’s educational institution and the economic situation of each family.
After School Program
Hand-in-hand with our concern for access to education is our concern for the physical, emotional and social well-being of each student in our program. The after-school program is our way of nurturing the holistic well-being of each child we work with. In order to thrive in school, children need to be healthy and well-nourished; they need shoes on their feet and backpacks to carry school supplies; they need access to proper hygiene and they need to feel loved. Our after-school program is a safe space for children to learn and grow. We provide tutoring for school subjects, a reading specialist for comprehension and confidence, a psychologist for mental health and wellness, an infirmary for medical issues, hot showers for hygiene (unavailable to most at home), two nutritious meals, and an outdoor patio for recreation.
Day Care Program
In recent years we have formalized an early childhood education program to care for the small children of our employees who have no one to care for them while their mothers work. Morning meals, play time, reading readiness, baths and naps are all part of the loving attention they receive. We are pleased to see evidence of this “head start”when our little ones begin kindergarten more readily able to adapt to their new environment.
The Hope Center
Casa Esperanza is our resource for family health and wellness. We recognize that the stability of the family in inextricably linked to the success of the student and this part of our program contributes in small ways to helping families through crises that might impact a student’s education. To that end, Casa Esperanza provides a food pantry for monthly nutritional assistance, small grants to make necessary home improvements (fix a leaky roof, install indoor plumbing), and loans in the event of medical emergencies.
