SCHOOL IMPACT
IMPROVING ENTIRE COMMUNITIES FROM THE GROUND UP BY FOCUSING ON ONE CHILD AT A TIME
IEP adopted Escuela El Molino, a government-managed nursery, preschool, and primary school on the outskirts of Tecpán, Guatemala, in September of 2017. At the time, it was understaffed, under-attended, and in desperate need of renovation. First, IEP pledged to give each student the books and supplies they needed to learn, as well as a daily meal and snack–food that many wouldn’t get otherwise. Then, we extensively renovated the facilities and hired additional teachers. Today, thanks to our School Impact Program, El Molino School is thriving. Better attended than ever before, we now even offer a secondary school program for children who want to continue learning past the 6th grade.
CURRICULUM AND ENRICHMENT
IEP provides primary school students with textbooks, school supplies, and enrichment programs such as English, Music and Visual Arts. We give teachers manuals and supplemental training, and a librarian an ever-growing collection of books.
NUTRITION
IEP provides students with one nutritious meal and snack each day. In a community where families consistently struggle to put food on the table, our School Food Program is a huge incentive for parents to send their children to school. Enrollment at El Molino has increased by more than 50% since it began, and daily attendance remains extremely high.
SECONDARY EDUCATION AND VOCATIONAL TRAINING
In rural Guatemala, many students do not continue their education past the 6th grade. IEP gives the children of El Molino School the opportunity to continue their education with an innovative high school program which involves both at-home study and in-person tutoring. After-school and vocational training for older children and adults is already underway in the form of an introductory sewing class as we await the completion of a new facility. This will give many in the community the chance to start the education they never received or pick up where they left off.
FACILITIES AND INFRASTRUCTURE
IEP’s first contribution to El Molino was to renovate the school’s original buildings–giving it new doors, windows, roofs and floors. Two new classrooms followed, then a fully stocked computer lab, a kitchen, bathrooms, and a guardhouse. Our latest project has been to expand the school’s property to make room for athletics fields and a playground, along with an outdoor eating area.
HOME IMPROVEMENT
With an understanding that students’ health is essential to learning, IEP has promised to install smoke-free stoves and water filters in each child’s home. By committing to pay a small percentage of the cost of installation, each family becomes invested in its own future. Thanks to them, this community will soon be free of toxic smoke.
JOIN US
International Esperanza Project draws volunteers from all around the world. Trips to Guatemala depart year-round.
344 STUDENTS ENROLLED
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