Last month I had the privilege of spending a week in the community of El Rincón, located in the Santa Cruz del Quiché region of Guatemala’s Western Highlands. El Rincón is a small community of about 40 families, with approximately 80 students attending the school which we worked with. For these 80 students, there was a total of 4 teachers and 4 classrooms.
Upon arrival, I noticed the community already had a three classroom primary school building for grades 1-6. The construction of this school was very similar to those School The World builds, which was interesting to see (please refer to my most recent blog post for more information on School The World). I was happy to see that the community already had a sturdy, comfortable learning environment for most students. The preprimary (preschool) classroom, on the other hand, was a small, tin addition off the side of the main building. Curtains were hung up around the outsides to keep the room enclosed, and students mostly sat on the floor or on small stools at a variety of makeshift desks and tabletops. There are 21 students learning in this classroom at a time (which is probably the size of an individual public restroom in the United States), and this is the first environment where these young children will go to learn, so the need for better conditions here was urgent.
Our goal for the week was to construct a new, more permanent preprimary classroom, as well as a playground outside of the school. We were able to successfully complete the project in the week we were there, and the reactions of the students and families at the final dedication ceremony made all of our hard work so beyond worth it. The old preprimary classroom that was made from tin walls was so temporary and unstable, that it was completely cleaned out and removed in less than one day – it was entirely gone before the final dedication ceremony.
One day during our week in El Rincón we were able to visit homes of the families living in the community to learn about their families and their daily lives. This is always an interesting part of the week, as it is the one time US students are able to fully step outside of their comfort zone and their own world, and into the home and culture of another. Talking to the parents and grandparents in these homes was an amazing learning experience, as they told us all about their household chores, how they make money, how they raise their children, and even some more personal stories about their hardships and losses. One family actually brought up the difference between our group and theirs, and explained how we live in completely different worlds, and so it is important to understand the way others live. This was difficult to hear, but very important in recognizing my own privilege, being thankful for it, and learning how I can use it to help others.
I have visited and worked in many communities in this region of Guatemala, though each time is an entirely new group of people, and therefore an entirely new experience. I am so lucky to have met these families and students, and I can’t wait to see the progress they make in their new classroom (as they all assured me they would study hard!). Each person I interacted with in El Rincón touched me in some way, and I hope to return to (or at least check in on) the community in the upcoming future. As always, I am so thankful to have these opportunities with School The World, and I can’t wait to see what lies ahead.
xx,
Megan
Megan Gilman 