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Volunteering with the Mayan Children of Santa Maria, Guatemala
- Miss Sharon Hodgkins, Teacher of Art, Bradfield School
In July and August 2006 I was given the opportunity to spend 6 weeks working a s a volunteer teacher in Guatemala in Central America. I worked for a charity organisation called GVI and worked with Mayan children in the small highland community of Santa Maria de Jesus. The children do not have easy access to the Guatemalan education system because their families are poor and are unable to afford the costs of sending their children to school. The average weekly income for a family is between $18-$20. Some families may have 7 or more children. GVi have set up a scheme where children are able to have free education in their project and they receive literacy and numeracy lessons along with some science, social studies and art.
I taught in Spanish, athough the childrens’ first language is Kaqchical - a Mayan language. I lived with a local family in the nearby town of Antigua and travelled each day to Santa Maria. I loved my work there and considered it a privilege to work in such a welcoming community.
On my return to Bradfield I chose to raise money to support the project which aimed to pay for as many children as possible to attend school and also to help the local community to improve their health and their general lifestyle. My target for the year was £5,000 but the children, staff and parents actually raised £6,500 in 9 months.
In 2007 I returned to work in the project and was able to give the cheque to gvi. This enabled them to create scholarships for the many of the children and also contributed to other initiatives in the community.
In 2008 I returned to work in the project again for 4 weeks and faced a new challenge of teaching a class of 5 and 6 year olds for their first time ever in school. It was a totally new experience for both of us because I had never taught small children how to form letters and do simple addition - all in Spanish! I also introduced them to the Hokey Cokey and it became a tradition to sing it at the end of every day.
I loved working with the young children but it was also wonderful to see my classes from previous years. Many of them were now attending real school for half days and it was good to see that they were performing at a very high level in their National Exams. Their confidence had also improved and their prospects for the future have increased dramatically. This then helps them to help their own family and community. Sadly a small number of my previous year’s students were no longer attending the project or school because their parents needed them to contribute to their family’s finances by working. Although this is upsetting, I also understand that some of the very poor families do need their children to work so that they are able to provide basic food.
I am returning to work in the project again this summer and I have seen so many changes over the last 4 years. During that time, there have been a number of developments which have improved the prospects for the children and their families.
In 2009:
• Over 10,000 teaching hours were completed by volunteers to over 550 children in Santa María de Jesús and the nearby community of San Andres Itzapa
• Over 35,000 breakfasts and 70,000 pieces of fruit were distributed to the children in the project
• 32 energy-efficient stoves were built to replace the open fires in the homes
• Over 200 elderly people benefitted from Plan Ancianos. This scheme distributes basic food parcels every month to the grandparents of children who attend the project
• 100% of the children finishing Primary school will enter Secondary school in 2010
• In 2009 there were 225 children in primary school ranging from ages 5 to 16.
I am looking forward to returning to work in the project this year (2010). I miss my students and am constantly amazed by their enthusiasm for learning and their ability to brighten every one of my days spent with them. I am very lucky to be given the opportunity to be part of their special community.
If you would like to learn more about the project, then please do not hesitate to contact me via the school e-mail system or you could visit the website at: www.gviphoenix.blogspot.com
- May 2010
