My name is Ismar Monzón, the principal of the school, la Escuela Guardiana 1. Thank you for the opportunity to share a part of what is happening now in Guatemala, and thanks to TINFA for the technology that has helped us to be better informed of what is happening at the national and international levels.
This pandemic has had serious consequences for our country. Many families, instructed to remain sheltered at home by the government authorities, are unable to do so; lacking sufficient food and supplies they must go out and work, exposing themselves to a possible contagion just to obtain the necessary financial resources to feed their families. But so far, there have been no reported positive cases of the virus in our community and the surrounding area.
Most children 10 and older who would otherwise be in school are helping with subsistence farming and housekeeping while the parents work outside the home on farms, in sugar cane processing, etc. As for the academic activities of the children, the following are currently underway:
Children who have electricity, cable, and a television are watching the program “Yo apprendo en casa” (I Learn at Home) promoted by the Ministry of Education and Government of the Republic.
Children who have access to the internet, or who have Android phones, are supplied with digital materials provided by the Ministry of Education, and by their teacher through WhatsApp.
Most (90%) of the teaching staff living in or near the community are providing children of all grades with physical learning materials.
Children who want more homework can visit teachers to request additional material.
In parts of the community, teachers are paying visits to some of their younger students, particularly those in the first and second grades.
But it should be mentioned that not all children who are legally enrolled are covered by these actions. We are all anxious for classes to resume, and hope that this pandemic will soon lose strength so that everything can return to normal. To date none of the parents of the children attending the school have benefited from the promised government programs and have only received a bag of groceries donated by the municipality of Nuevo San Carlos, Retalhuleu. Teachers who delivered the groceries have reported being greeted from afar by the longing gaze of the children, reflecting their desire to learn.
Hopefully, we will soon be back to our educational work. Best wishes until next time.
Here’s what the school looks like, waiting for the children to return to their classes soon:
