Contribute to Education in Santiago Atitlán
By donating to the
Puerta Abierta Building Fund!
Education plays a central role in poverty levels in Guatemala.
The Puerta Abierta team believes that children and families deserve a dignified and progressive education.
Their philosophy and curriculum values innovation, critical thinking, literacy, diversity, culture, entrepreneurship and lifelong learning. Their main objective is to accompany a new generation of students in our community and beyond as they acquire the necessary skills to become activists, problem solvers, dreamers, creators and proactive citizens.
The Ministry of Education has ordered them to locate the preschool and elementary schools in the same space or risk being forced to close the early childhood program.
Literacy - Santiago Atitlán, Guatemala
The Puerta Abierta Library Literacy Program reaches children, youth, grandparents, and families through multi-faceted projects. The Open Books Program, Reading Circles, Mobile Library, and Teacher Training Programs expand literacy in the community while exploring diverse themes that foster leadership, critical thinking, empathy, and inclusion.
Books are scarce in Santiago Atitlán, Guatemala, and the opportunity to learn to read or be read to is rare. Many schools and most homes have no books at all. The Puerta Abierta Library books are shared through open story hours, both in-person and online, and lent to families for home reading.
The Puerta Abierta traveling librarians multiply their impact by giving their skills, knowledge and talent to teachers and students of public schools. During classroom visits, the librarians model creative teaching techniques for teachers by reading out loud, coordinating a thematically related art project, facilitating individual reading, and leading light-hearted interactive singing with the students and teachers.
Teens participate in book clubs by reading and talking about a featured books that are carefully chosen by the librarians to include a variety of complex social, cultural, moral, spiritual, and political issues that invite thoughtful sharing.
The Open Books program teaches literacy curriculum to teachers from schools, organizations, and libraries working with children and adolescents throughout Guatemala.
Local fundraising and philanthropy
This magnificent team of teachers recently hosted a community fundraiser, La Loteria Puerta Abierta Atitlán. Children, parents, and members of the community came together to demonstrate their love and appreciation, and generate funds on behalf of the very special experience of the Puerta Abierta.
There is a strong correlation between quality education and poverty.
Family poverty results in less education for the children, which leads to continued poverty, thus creating a vicious cycle.
Children from poor families are more likely to drop out, repeat grades, or have poor academic performance.
The Puerta Abierta’s philosophy and curriculum address many of the root causes for continued poverty related to the lack of quality education.
Language Barriers
In Santiago Atitlán, many indigenous children speak Maya Tz’utuill at home.
Most the Puerta Abierta staff are Maya Tz’utujil, so children can ask for clarification in their native language.
Cultural Relevance
The Puerta Abierta integrates local culture and traditions into their philosophy and curriculum.
Children are encouraged to wear their traditional clothing and local holidays are celebrated
Quality of Education
Schools in rural and indigenous areas often operate with poorly trained teachers and inadequate educational resources, like books. The Puerta Abierta addresses this challenge through in-classroom teacher training and professional workshops.
Economic Barriers
Many families can’t afford to send their children to school, so they work instead of going to school.
The Puerta Abierta provides scholarships for many of their students and their artisan project helps mothers generate a dignified income. Their reading circles motivate adolescents to stay in school even when they must work in addition to studying.
Gender Inequality and human trafficking
Indigenous girls are particularly vulnerable, due to gender roles that prioritize domestic responsibilities over schooling. Parents of girls are frequently approached by human traffickers with tempting offers of employment as domestic workers in distant cities, with the promise of a safe home and education for their daughters.
The Puerta Abierta staff is mostly women and more than half of the children in the PA are girls. They focuses on empowering femails to find their voice, participate in local decisions, and be agents of change in Santiago Atitlán