Background

Guatemala is the most populous country in Central America. A special feature of the region is the very high proportion of people of indigenous origin, at around 40 percent. As a rule, these people are less well educated and have less access to lucrative occupations. The country is still suffering from the aftermath of civil war. Since then, many Guatemalans have found violence a sad part of their everyday lives. Drug and gang crime are rampant in urban agglomerations, and land conflicts flare up again and again in rural areas.

More than half of the population - disproportionately the indigenous population - lives in poverty. It suffers from considerable unemployment and precarious health care. The situation of young people is particularly worrying. The government almost exclusively supports primary schools, so that the state's educational opportunities are extremely limited after completion of primary school. Young people with limited financial resources have no access to vocational training or secondary school. Many primary school leavers therefore are at risk of slipping into drug and gang crime or prostitution.

The project so far

Hilda Vásquez has a Master's degree in pedagogy and school administration, and taught at other schools until the project started. In 2010, she organised a reading and writing course for 15 indigenous women in her own home. The course participants drew Hilda's attention to the need for an affordable secondary school for their children. Several teachers agreed to teach at the neighbourhood secondary school and also helped to generate money to build a simple corrugated iron shelter on a rented plot of land. Classes began in 2011 with one class after the necessary school benches had been purchased.

The founding board of the supporting organisation consisted of parents who had just learned to read and write themselves. From the very beginning they were involved in construction work and contributed to the further expansion of the school. With occasional donations, the school management was able to buy their first teaching materials and build two more classrooms and three toilets. In the meantime, the number of pupils has risen to more than 60, divided into five secondary school classes. The registration of the sponsoring association and official state recognition of the La Esperanza district school followed in 2014. A school-leaving certificate from La Esperanza secondary school thus makes it possible to continue education at higher secondary schools or to attend vocational training throughout the country. Successful networking with public and private organisations has allowed the continuous expansion of an additional range of courses. In addition to cultivating Guatemalan culture, the young people learn about non-violent conflict resolution strategies and receive sex education or information on the consequences of drug use. Other course content includes dealing with social media, bullying and environmental protection. Sports and handicrafts are included in the weekly schedule, as are computer lessons and bookkeeping. One third of the student body is the pioneer group ("Grupo de Lideres"), which assumes more responsibility for itself and the others. Representatives of the pioneer group, for example, organise support classes for 15 primary school pupils from the surrounding area. The pioneer group is also specially trained in violence prevention and teaches this content in workshops at other schools. Each year, this group also develops a concept on how to raise money for the school. Creative ideas are tested and the main features of entrepreneurship can be learned in a practice-oriented way.

Successes and challenges

In contrast to other schools in the city, the Guatemalan curriculum is not only taught frontally, because the teachers demand active participation and practical application of what the young people have learnt. In addition, they consciously promote critical thinking and problem solving. The young people often work in small groups or prepare presentations which they then present to the plenary. In this way, they not only learn to make a presentation structured and understandable, but also lose their fear of speaking in front of other people. This ability benefits them later, for example when it comes to conducting an interview.

The school is a clear antithesis to the rough social conditions and the high level of crime in Chimaltenango. No violence is accepted on the school grounds. The mutual respect of the sexes is lived and the traditional culture of the Mayan people is given a place. The art and cultural offerings and the varied workshops help the young people to learn how to spend their leisure time without violence and with meaningful content. With the existing infrastructure, over 60 pupils can be taught in five classes and one weekend class. The size of the property does not allow class numbers to be expanded. But only with larger and additional classes can specialist teachers be deployed more efficiently and La Esperanza's level of self-sufficiency be increased. This would require a new building on a larger site.

Goals

Over 60 young people from low-income backgrounds are given access to a secondary school that is affordable for them. Thanks to high-quality teaching, it is ensured that at least 85 percent of La Esperanza's students move up to the next grade every year.

A comprehensive cultural, artistic and sports programme as well as versatile workshops with a focus on violence prevention should complement formal school education. Thus, the young people involved should become aware of their rights and duties and learn about alternatives to a life marked by violence.

Special lessons for the group of pioneers ("Grupo de Lideres") should enable their members to exemplify central values of non-violent coexistence and to communicate them to the rest of the pupils. Gradually, they should take on more responsibility in organising and financing the school and also gain concrete experience in entrepreneurship.

Continuous expansion of cooperation and networking with local NGOs and government agencies should help to supplement the school's range of courses and events. Finally, the network of relationships with national and international bodies that co-finance school operations should be maintained and expanded.

Support by the EEF

The president of the equal education fund (EEF) visited the La Esperanza project for the first time in 2015 and was immediately impressed by the interesting concept and the great commitment of those responsible for the project. This was followed in 2016 by the visit of an EEF team, whose evaluation formed the basis for the EEF Board's decision to support the project. As a first step, the EEF decided to put the existing situation on a solid footing. In particular, the salaries of the employees were to be secured and the implementation of all courses and workshops guaranteed.

Since the beginning of the partnership, the EEF has encouraged the project managers to find further alternative sources of income. In addition to its own fundraising, the training element in entrepreneurship is of some importance. La Esperanza has already achieved considerable success. It is important to build on this. Since the beginning of the partnership, the project director's reporting has been convincing, although the association sees potential for improvement in accounting. Those responsible for the project benefit from the EEF's know-how in administrative and planning matters. In the medium term, a concept and financing plan for the construction of a larger school will also be drawn up to increase the self-financing ratio.

Prices in Chimaltenango (as of September 2018)

• 1 litre of petrol:
  CHF 1.–
• 1 litre of milk:
  CHF 1.55
• 1 litre of Coca-Cola:
  CHF –.90
• 1 kilo of bread:
  CHF –.50
• 1 kilo of rice:
  CHF 1.05
• 1 cinema ticket:
  CHF 3.85
• 1 pack of cigarettes:
  CHF 2.55
• 1 bar of soap:
  CHF –.50

Sources:
CIA World Factbook, Unicef, information from Hilda Vásquez, own design and calculations