By Nancy Press, Ph.D., Child Aid CEO
It’s perfumed and lush in Guatemala during monsoon season.
I’ve been away from this nation for nearly two years – the pandemic keeping us all from traveling safely, and I forget how much I love this ancient, thrumming place: thousand-year-old cobblestone streets; looming, tree-covered volcanos that silently puff smoke; gorgeous, endless, curvy, vertiginous roads; and busy people with warm smiles.
I’m back in Guatemala to connect in-person with the work I love. I’m here to take the pulse of the educators we serve, to take the temperature of a school system badly injured by a two-year closure.
I Have Questions
Are children returning to regular school? What about the girls? Are teachers well-equipped to handle children who are woefully behind? I’ve heard third graders are particularly struggling, as most of them missed two years of fundamental reading and writing instruction. I want to see first-hand what’s happening in our schools.
And I want to see the innovative techniques Child Aid is using to help struggling teachers usher kids back to learning. I’ll visit one of a handful of radio stations where we’re broadcasting educational programs to eight departments (states) in Guatemala. I’ll observe classrooms where our literacy trainers are coaching teachers how to story map kids’ favorite books.
What do you want to know?
I’ll be in Guatemala for more than a month, and my days are packed with school visitations and staff meetings in our three offices, but I’d love to hear from you, too. What questions do you have about the children of Guatemala and their educational opportunities?
What are you curious about? Chances are, I’m curious about that, too, and I’d love to find answers for both of us. Email me, and I’ll do my level best to answer your questions in future emails.