Guatemala Volunteers
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25 May 2011
“Volunteering at the school is not work, it will probably be one of the best life experiences you'll ever have.”
Dates at project: January- February 2011
"The community atmosphere at the school is incredible, there is a real sense that everyone at the school is pulling in the same direction. The teacher-student relationships are very healthy; there is loving, mutual respect. The school provides a safe and secure environment to both play and learn, and I don't think any of this is lost on the children. I took my education for granted; none of the children at the school appear to do that.
The opportunities to assist the staff and students are plentiful. I helped organise the library and set up the computer room; I helped take photos of the children for school records and for their individual sponsors; I contributed to English classes with the older students; I helped out with lunchtime duties like washing up or slicing fruit; at the end of each day I removed footballs from the roof; I helped out as a classroom assistant for the youngest students; I translated letters from sponsors as well as sitting down with the children to help them write replies to their respective sponsors; but most importantly of all I played with the children and gave them as much time and attention as I could.
Seeing their enjoyment of the simple things that we take for granted was also refreshing. The children seem genuinely excited to brush their teeth or wash when so many of them come from homes without access to clean water. Many families have few toys let alone books so to see such a strong desire to read and improve their literacy by spending spare time in the library also made me feel very proud to be associated with the school.
It was hard to process witnessing the outward happiness of the children and their families once I had visited their homes and seen the challenges that extreme poverty present them. Most of the children are perfectly turned out for school, and then you spot a piece of string holding up their trousers. Children in Guatemala die of preventable illnesses because they may not have access to clean water or health care, or in one family’s case, the mother had died due to exposure to fumes from the family stove. Tragedy seems so close to the surface for many in Guatemala and I was pleased to see that aspects affecting the children’s wellbeing outside of the school are also being tackled through the provision of water filters, clean cooking stoves and access to a school run safe house project to house vulnerable children.
Spending time with the community at Jocotenango made me understand that whilst as an individual you might not be able to cure world poverty you can certainly make a difference, even if it is for just one child and their family. So my parents and I have committed ourselves to sponsoring two 6 year old girls who are in their first year at the school. (The photograph shows Graham with one of the girls he sponsors with his parents, Elizabeth). I firmly believe that a major contributing factor that can elevate people from a life of poverty is their attitude to education and I hope that by providing long distance support to the families it will enable the children to better the life prospects and opportunities for both them and their families.
If I could give new volunteers some advice, it would be this: Scrub up on your Spanish; the more you have the better your experience will be, although as I discovered having a limited vocabulary won't prevent you from joining in. Throw yourself into the heart of the school, look for ways to help out and just get stuck in. Engage with as many children as you can, if you have a skill use it. If you can juggle, show them. If you can play football, join in with the kids. Many children, even if they come from a loving family background, do not receive one-on-one adult attention. Spoil them- they deserve it.
I formed so many connections with the students that I would love to come back to retrieve footballs from the school roof, cut oranges at lunch time and hug the children one more time."
To read the full interview with Graham, click below.
made quite a few posters, illustrating different concepts from maths, language and communication, and citizenship. I help give out the snack during the morning and juice during lunchtime."
have good food. We're given breakfast, lunch and dinner through the week and we're given breakfast and lunch on Saturday and then nothing on Sunday- but that's nice because it's nice to travel on the weekends.