Struggling to Stay in School in Guatemala
Schools are out for their three-month break, and Mayan Families, an NGO based in Panajachel,Solola has helped people sponsor almost 1,500 children! But despite this progress, many in the Sololá region are still without access to education: while 86% attend Primaria (elementary education), older students are often forced to drop out and work. Only 19.6% complete Básico (grades 7-9), and only 7.9% complete Carerra (grades 10-12).
The consequences of dropping out follow students for the rest of their lives. A Carerra education provides training for work in tourism, teaching, business, medicine, mechanical work or a host of other steady, higher-wage professions. Without this education, students are confined to unskilled labor-jobs that will never bring in more than a few quetzals (7.5 to the dollar) a day.
A lack of education has particularly severe consequences for women. Without the physical advantage of men, many low-wage labor positions are denied to them, and they are forced to depend on the men in their lives. They are unable to leave if relationships turn abusive, and unable to support themselves if they are abandoned or widowed. Women without an education have on average more than double the number of children as their more educated counterparts, stretching their already limited resources even thinner.
The gift of a Elementary, Junior High School or a High School education will bring students benefits that last a lifetime. A sponsorship for a year for Elementary School costs $180, Junior High School costs $380, a year of High School costs $480 and a University Education costs $1,200 a year. To read more about the student sponsorship program, and to meet some of the students seeking sponsors, see the Student Sponsorship page.
http://www.mayanfamilies.org/StudentSponsorship
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