English Page

 

Going to school can change the life of Guatemala’s children.

It is also one way to escape the circle of poverty.

 

Thank you very much for taking the time to see this page. I’m Miki Kawabe, a university student from Kobe, Japan. I interrupted my studies in 2017 and I was in Guatemala for 6 months to study Spanish and carry out research for my thesis about education in Guatemala.

 

There I joined the NGO organization, PRODESENH, and became a volunteer. PRODESENH provides education and supports after school programs to orphan children, children who have family problems (like single mothers, alcoholic fathers etc.) and those who are too poor to go to school.

 

In San Mateo, in the area of "Indigena"(native peoples of Guatemala, the peoples of Maya), there are so many families that are poor. The parents cannot find jobs due to the fact they can’t read or write. For children, going to school is the only way to change their future and at the same time it is their only hope to escape from the circle of poverty.

 

However, the project is short of funds. We need some help so that children can keep going to school.

 

 

「let my child join PRODESENH...」　

 

In April of 2016,when I was looking for some volunteer groups in Guatemala, I met Judith and Juan. They are the founders of PRODESENH. PRODESENH started in 1999 and has changed the future of many children. The number of children who cannot go to elementary school in San Mateo has decreased by 40 percent since 1999.

 

Moreover, it provides a place to do homework and help to do it after school. It is very useful to prevent children from being used by criminal organizations and turning to delinquency.

 

It means that it improves the order of this area. I was very surprised at how eager the children are when I joined as a volunteer and helped them to do homework. Every child enjoyed studying.

 

We can find the infinite "possibility" inside the smiling, shining eyes of a child, when they have overcome some problems they couldn't understand or solve. However, it reminds me of a number of sad stories behind the innocent smiles.

 

 

There are so many children who have such a painful past. For example, children whose parents died when they were so small. Or children who were used for violence and abandoned by their own parents.

 

The most shocking story is of Claudia, a first-year girl who always played with me and whose smile was very cute. Her father died suddenly in a car accident and her mother brought her up, but she also came down with a disease. Before she died, she said to Juan " I want her to go to PRODESENH and join."

 

Its story is one example that we can understand how this project, PORODESENH, is necessary for them to chage their life and future. 

 

 

 I don't want to let children give up going to school for economic reasons.

 

I want to give the children their tuition fee, writing tools and uniforms. By supporting this cause, I will be able to provide the children their tuition fee, writing tools and uniforms.

 

Those things are very important for children to get a proper education and continue going to school. Poor families and orphans cannot pay these costs and therefore, give up going to school.

 

I don't want them to give up realizing their dreams. I want them to be able to continue studying in school.

 Education has the power to change the future of children and the future of Guatemala.

 

 

In Guatemala, the existence of "street children" is sadly ordinary and common. I frequently saw a child begging for money. At the same time, I saw children working in the street, shining shoes, many times. Individually, only little changes can be made.

 

However, by supporting an NGO, like a PRODESENH, big changes can be made and sustained. Every child wants to go to school. They really look forward to studying and learning in the school.They do homework actively and have big dreams.

 

"I wanna be an ambulance attendant to protect this area." "My dream is becoming a doctor to cure the disease of my mother" "I want to become a teacher and tell future children how fun studying is."

 

Children keep making a big effort to achieve their dreams. I want to continue to support these children, to prevent them from abandoning school for economic reasons. For that, I need your help and support. Thank you very much.