Why our new classroom is so important, M-Pow

Whilst Kaysey, one of our fantastic English teachers, briefly returned to the USA to celebrate her sister’s marriage, I was honoured with the rewarding task of covering her English lessons during her absence.

The children’s energy and enthusiasm to contribute and participate in all aspects of the classes were so refreshing. These children really love to learn! Miguel was proud to stand up in front of the class and count to twenty in English, and this triggered every child wanting to stand up and show off that they could do it too; my párvulos (pre-kindergarten) class would deafen my ears as they screamed/shouted (they were supposed to be singing) the “good morning” song; sexto (sixth grade) were all so excited to put forward ideas about phrases that we could construct in English.

The fervour in their spirit and their constant engagement in each activity was such a pleasant surprise. It became evident that these children really make the most of their education; they value it.

At the end of my English lesson with cuarto (fourth grade), Brenda came over and asked me a few questions about myself. I suddenly realised that we were speaking French! This 9-year-old girl not only had the confidence to come and approach me in the French language, but she was coherently maintaining a conversation with me in a foreign language! Having learnt basic French during the Niños de Guatemala summer school programme, she had continued practising and learning French in her free time. She is already able to introduce herself and ask questions in English and French!

Brenda’s determination to learn and to take advantage of every opportunity that she is given just showed me how important our school is for each and every one of our children. They are offered a space to learn, develop and engage with a good education, in a safe and comfortable environment with teachers and staff who motivate them to achieve the best that they possibly can.

Expanding our school and constructing this new classroom so that we can capacitate for more children, will allow us to offer more children these unreachable opportunities. Our schools do not just meet the national requirements, we completely exceed the minimums: our excellent social work and psychology department work closely with the families and children, to ensure that the children’s mental health and social situation is stable and safe for their upbringing; our excellent chefs work with nutritionists to make sure that our children are being fed well so that their bodies develop and grow healthily; our volunteers offer unique extra-curricular programmes (like French) from varying cultures that allow our children to engage with something new; I could continue listing how each aspect of our organisation gives that little bit more, but I am not going to because I think you get the picture.

All donations are super-duper appreciated, and we could not function without the help and support of all our donors, collaborators, sponsors and friends. Please help us fundraise so that we can have our new classroom up and running in no time, giving our determined children more opportunities to expand, develop and enrich their knowledge.

http://www.crowdrise.com/furnishingournewclassroom/fundraiser/ninosdeguatemala