Escuela Integrada The Door To Life

Education in Guatemala

Most schools charge an enrollment fee, monthly tuition fees, require full head-to-toe uniforms, and do not provide any textbooks and/or school supplies without also charging.
Public education costs less, but frequently is still too expensive for the average family of 5-6 people.
The average Guatemalan school day is from 7:30 am to 12:30 pm or five (5) hours (with a 1/2 hour recess).
In rural areas, some grade schools with between 100 and 200 students are covered by one (1) teacher.
Absenteeism among teachers can be as often as two (2) to three (3) times a week.Infrastructure such as roads and school buildings is extremely deficient due to the civil war which lasted 36 years and just ended in 1996.

Recent U.N. figures show that approximately 70% of Guatemalans are poor. 15% of this 70% live in extreme poverty.

The School Of Escuela Integrada

The typical Guatemalan school schedule only allows time for the four (4) main subjects of; Science, Math, Social Studies and Language. Escuela Integrada strives to provide an excellent, holistic education. We have extended our school day from 8:00 am to 2:45pm. So, as a result we are able to focus on the four main subjects in the morning and add additional areas of study in the afternoon such as: art, music, gym, bible as well as reinforcement of reading and writing skills. Field trips and recreational activities are also included in our programs.

Escuela Integrada started with 110 students in 2004, and in 2009 we expect to have 250 students enrolled in our grade school program.
A basic socio-economic background study is done to insure that each entering family has true financial need. And, all entering students sign a scholarship form and commit to maintaining good behavior and a grade point average of 75% or higher.

All Students enrolled in any Escuela Integrada school pay nothing to attend and 95% of school supplies are provided free.

The Clinics of Escuela Integrada

Medical Clinic - a part-time doctor attends to the children three (3) mornings a week. Family members are welcome as well. All necessary medicines and/or vitamins are provided free of charge.

Psychological Clinic - special counseling is available for all of our students. This is a serious need as many are subjected to all kinds of abusive home situations.

For the past four (4) years Escuela Integrada has been supported by Save the Children Denmark with monies that have been donated by a Danish corporation, Multidata. Multidata is the largest human resource and payroll systems company in Denmark servicing nearly 90,000 companies which represent more than 1.3 million Danish employees. They are responsible for making possible the functioning of the school's Medical Clinic and Psychological Clinic. All equipment, medicines and salaries associated with these two clinics are covered by their donation. In 2006 the amount of money given to Escuela Integrada by Multidata was 250,000 kronar or just over 300,000Q ($40,000.00). This represents 25% of the school's budget. In addition to the support given to supplement the physical and mental health care available to the children and families of the project, Multidata's support covers a percentage of: school activities, teacher's salaries, accounting salaries, investments in equipment, and purchases of books and supplies.

Perhaps after reading the life story of Luis Angel who is enrolled in Escuela Integrada, you will get a better idea of why an on-site medical clinic is such a necessity and why we are so grateful for the support that makes it possible.

Medical Report: LUIS ANGEL MARRROQUIN FAJARDO
Age: 8
Grade: First Grade

Medical History: Luís Ángel is a child in our school with a chronic problem of the hips. According to the information that the mother has given us, she is unaware of when the problem started. Apparently he was developing well and more or less when he was about 5 years old she noticed that he was having trouble walking. The child to date has not received adequate medical attention and his current state is the following:
Monday the 9th of October Luís Ángel was evaluated by Dr. Marco Antonio Ruiz, who is a specialist in orthopedics. Luis Angel's lastest X-ray gave as a result the following diagnosis:
Dislocatión of the Left Hip, with shortness of the same leg.
Right Hip: Vascular Necrosis of the head of the fémur (Syndrome -- Legg Perthes Calvé).

Diagnosis: Luis Angel's bilateral disease has been found to be in an advanced state because of this Dr. Ruiz recommends that the child be attended in the National Orthopedic Hospital in Guatemala City. Because of the severity of the damage the child will need treatment over a long period of time. There does exist the possibility of offering him surgery but his entire rehabilitation will require a long process. It is because of this that it is necessary to visit this hospital as soon as possible with the family to begin the treatments for Luís Ángel.

This report has been put together by Dr. Sandra Acajabón, Pediatrician of Escuela Integrada de Niños Trabajadores.

Escuela Integrada is proud to be a project supported by the Save the Children worldwide alliance and we participate wholeheartedly in their campaigns and initiatives. We are currently working with Save the Children Guatemala on the Global Challenge for Quality in Education.

Patzun is the nearest urban center to the village of Chuchuca. Limited middle school opportunities do exist there. However, for most area villagers, it is impossible to take advantage of this opportunity. One barrier is transportation: most prospective students must ride for over one hour each way on a public bus - which only serves the area three days per week. This is in addition to other high costs including: tuition, uniforms and all school supplies. This makes a middle school education an economic luxury that is beyond the means of most Mayan village dwellers. A final complication is that these parents cannot afford to lose all of the work time of their children.
Escuela Integrada - Chuchuca opened its doors in February 2006 with twenty-four (24) students in 7th grade. Enrollment for 2007 is expected to be approximately sixty (60) students; (35) in 7th grade and (25) in 8th grade.

Escuela Integrada Chuchuca is centrally located within walking distance of (6) additional villages in the Patzun area. All students studying with us would not have access to secondary education without this institute.

In rural Guatemala 6.5% of 7-14 year olds start secondary education.