PATRIZIA Inclusive School Alotenango
In San Juan Alotenango, children with an indigenous background who have physical or mental disabilities and learning difficulties often have no access to normal educational institutions. This reinforces the stigmatization and discrimination to which they are already exposed because of their ethnicity. This situation was exacerbated by the devastating consequences of the 2018 volcanic eruption, which further restricted the already limited educational opportunities. Children who were already facing enormous challenges found themselves in an even more precarious situation. Our local partner organization, Fe y Alegria Guatemala, is currently looking after 210 children in temporary facilities. These are temporary, which is why the need for a long-term solution is urgent. Together, we are therefore planning to build an integrative school to provide these children with a permanent and reliable educational facility.
“The community is looking for us, trusts us, but we can’t grow with more students because we don’t have the classrooms and infrastructure…”
Jessenya Sicajol
School principal
The school
There are currently 210 indigenous children aged 6-12 in five classes at the elementary school. These are children who have been turned away from regular schools because they have disabilities, learning difficulties or are too old. Despite limited resources, a committed community worked to provide educational opportunities. In the beginning, teachers even worked on a voluntary basis to give these children access to education.
However, the school faces challenges such as caring for children with special needs, mixed classes and a high attendance ratio. The school can no longer be maintained in its current form. The demand for education is increasing, but the already overcrowded school cannot accommodate any more children.
The PATRIZIA School Alotenango aims to expand access for a total of 450 children in an inclusive new school.
Our goal:
To give children in Guatemala better access to education and a more promising future by building a new inclusive school.
New construction of an integrative school
The current facility, a three-story rented apartment, suffers from ventilation and space problems. Lessons take place in limited living spaces. The school is planning to build five new classrooms, sufficient and handicapped-accessible sanitary facilities, an office for the school administration and an urgently needed school kitchen to be able to offer hot meals. In addition, disabled access routes and entrances within the school are to be realized in an urgent first construction phase. In a follow-up phase, digital teaching methods and the launch of a “Ready-for-the-Future” -program are to be introduced. The expansion will be accompanied by a close five-year partnership for quality development, including impact monitoring and evaluation in cooperation with the University of Vienna.
Support the PATRIZIA Inclusive School Alotenango and give children in Guatemala better access to education and a brighter future. Donate for the construction of new classrooms and the improvement of the educational facility.
Our promise: