Today several of us here in Seattle connected through Skype with the community in Guatemala, to celebrate the graduation of the 38 teachers who participated in the TINFA program this year.

Yes, this year, and for the first time, 100% of the 4th, 5th and 6th grade teachers who entered the TINFA program, met all the challenging criteria and are graduating with a TINFA diploma recognized by the ministry of education in Guatemala.

Talking about first time, we had the honor to have the presence of the director of the ministry of education of the department of Retalhuleu for this celebration, in addition to the three coordinators of the ministry and the ten schools directors. This symbolic event means a great deal to the community.

We are very proud of this partnership with the schools and the teachers. As we were reminded during this exchange by three of the teachers, providing the tools and the know-how is very empowering to the teachers. This empowerment generates motivation that trickles from the teachers to the students. Together, we are confident that we are making a difference: the students are more interested and excited to learn. They are more engaged, their education is more relevant. They stay in school.