Education is the foundation and primary purpose of Mayan Hope. We believe that education holds the key to the future for all. At present Mayan Hope is working with these educational projects:
Special Education
Mayan Hope has operated the only school for learning disabled and physically disabled children since January of 2005. Due to the fact that we work in one of the poorest and most isolated areas of Guatemala, this is the only school of this type in the entire region.
Prior to the beginning of the first school year – which here in Guatemala runs from the middle of January to November – we made an extensive search for children needing special education and that we thought might benefit most from the class we were beginning. After visiting children in more than 20 local homes we selected 6 children between the ages of 6 and 8 years old to begin working with in the first class and have slightly increased this number with each subsequent class. Due to the special needs of these children, all classes must be very small in number and teachers must be highly qualified. Under normal circumstances none of these children would have attended any type of school here. All are quite shy and withdrawn when they come to us as none of them have ever spent any time outside of their homes or in the presence of people other than immediate family members. All of the children are now much more outgoing and have developed some normal social skills. They now play games with each other, and all – to varying degrees – now recognize colors, shapes, numbers, letters, and even pictures of animals and other objects. These are all things that none of these children were capable of doing when they came to us. At least two of our children originally came to us unable to walk and are both now running around and playing with the other children.
Sadly, we have seen first hand the results of children even older – in the 16 to 20 age range – that have lived their lives without any program such as this and are now not only virtual prisoners in their own homes but also in their own minds and bodies. Young people who could not walk or often even stand, who could not verbalize, and were daily fed, clothed, and cared for by family members as if they were infants. While we are probably too late to affect the lives of these young people, with your help, this does not have to be the future for other children here.
However, a school of this type is expensive compared to a regular primary school. The cost per child can be as much a five to ten times the cost of sending a child to a regular school. These children require more school equipment and supplies, very low student/teacher ratio, and a more qualified and therefore more highly paid teacher. In addition each child is provided a small home cooked lunch each day at no cost to the parents. Children attending a regular school here would normally be required to pay an enrollment fee and a monthly tuition of somewhere between 25 to 40 quetzals ($3.50 to $5.50 U.S.) in addition to school uniforms, lunch, school supplies and other costs. While this may not seem like a great deal of money to many people, here in Guatemala just the monthly tuition can amount to a day’s pay and a school uniform can be as much as two weeks of labor. Families with 5 or 6 children generally have no alternative but to be pragmatic and only send those children to school that they perceive as having the greatest promise. Rarely if ever would a family here be willing to expend very precious and limited resources on schooling a special needs child. Therefore, in order to provide these children with any kind of future, all costs of educating them must be provided free of charge to the families. Your help and donations to keep this schooling operating will be greatly appreciated.
The Ixil teacher that has been working with us has done an incredible job working with the children. This year, in addition to the regular class of special education students, we have been in contact with several of the regular schools in town and have started operating an after-school reading and tutoring program for regular school students in the first and second grades of primary school that are identified as having learning problems and therefore at greater risk of dropping out of school. Each afternoon we have approximately 25 young students receiving tutoring in reading and math for four hours. Because of the variety of problems and special attention all of our students require it is mandatory to have teaching assistants working with the classes in small groups. The teacher and the assistants also make regular visits to all the homes of the students to consult with the parents of the children.
Central Education Center 
It is the goal of Mayan Hope to one day construct a Central Education Center as part of an orphanage and subsistence/experimental farm facility. We hope to develop a private educational facility that provides not only pre-school classes but quality primary and secondary schools as well. In addition we would like the facility to have trade school courses and adult education for adults that have literacy problems or would like to learn the Spanish language or a trade. We would also like the facility to encompass an English language program, computer training and laboratories, and environmental programs.
We realize that this is a grand endeavor but we also know that with your help it can be realized. If you or your organization would be willing to help us make this dream real, please contact us or make a donation today. We anticipate start-up costs for this project to be in the area of 50,000 U.S. dollars for the purchase of land and to begin construction. While the final cost of the project may be considerably more, we expect to purchase the land and begin construction once this goal has been obtained. This would be the only facility of its kind in this area and would make a huge difference to so many kids and the people of the area. Please make a donation to this project today.
Student Exchange and College Scholarships
One of the goals and dreams of Mayan Hope is to develop a student exchange program with secondary school students in other countries and a college scholarship program to allow those students with the abilities and dreams of a university education to realize their goals. We would like to work with any individuals, schools, or organizations interested in working with us in a student exchange program and would certainly be interested in hearing from anyone willing to sponsor students from Guatemala in a scholarship program or to fund or donate to a scholarship program. If you would be interested in donating to this program, please click here or write to us at admin@mayanhope.org.
Sponsor and Scholarship Needed
This young man is Edin Alexys Cruz Castañeda. Edin was born in the northern department of Guatemala called Peten in 1982 during the worst period of the civil war here. He was orphaned at the age of one year and lived with grandparents until he was sent to an orphanage in 1994. He completed his primary school education in the orphanage and with the assistance of a German patron managed to complete his secondary school education in the Guatemalan City of Chiquimula.
Edin now lives in Guatemala City where he is going to the university and working full-time. He has now completed his first year of study at the university in the area of systems engineering and electronics. Through his own determination he also has learned to read, write, and speak English although not yet perfectly. It is Edin's dream to one day go to school at a university in the United States, Canada, or other English speaking country where he can not only get a quality education that is not really available to him here in Guatemala but perfect his English language skills as well. To do this he needs a sponsor and university scholarship or funding.
This is a very determined young man who is serious about his studies and has a high moral character and sense of responsibility. He truly deserves all the help we can give him. He has been a great help to us here at Mayan Hope and we would very much like to see him fulfill his dream and maybe one day return here to work with us again. If you know of any scholarships that might be available or if you or anyone you know might be able to help sponsor Edin in his studies, please contact us. Any help or information you might be able to provide would be greatly appreciated.
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