For six months, Amigos has been negotiating with the two school Directors and others in Chocolá to build new classrooms that will house a computer learning center and other workspaces. We have found the process is not always as direct and straightforward as in the U.S. Unfortunately, we are unable to satisfy one person that this is a win-win situation for all involved. Therefore, the project has been on hold for a few months. We are not giving up on the project or the students in Chocolá and we hope to reach a solution in the coming weeks.
The other dilemma is that the property that housed our computer learning center is being renovated and is no longer available to us. Thus, the center is temporarily closed. We are searching for an alternative site in the village to accommodate our students. They are eager to get back to computer learning.
Despite these challenges in our educational assistance plans, our students have continued to persevere and keep up with their schoolwork in the best way possible. Teachers are doing their best to accommodate students’ needs and keep the lessons flowing. We are encouraged that many of our students continue to seek out community projects that will enhance their neighborhoods. Each student is expected to participate in a community service but it is not always easy to focus on that and their school work.
Lety, our staff director in Chocolá keeps very close track of all our students’ work and their school performance. She has provided both demands and encouragement to all our scholarship students and has found that nearly all of them are hard at work in school. Their success is due in large part to Lety’s kind yet firm direction. With a cadre of 68 students, our most ever supported in one year, Amigos is providing a way to help families overcome the ravages of poverty and poor literacy in rural Guatemala.