Fit for school entry: Bilingual, intercultural and holistic education for Maya children | Vivamos Mejor

Country and Project location

5 indigenous communities (San Pablo la Laguna, San Marcos la Laguna, Santa Cruz la
Laguna, San Juan la Laguna, San Pedro la Laguna) in three educational districts of the
department of Sololá, Atitlán highlands, Guatemala.

Topics

Bilingual pre-school education, Community development.

Target group

Direct: 2,450 children, 2,250 parents, 80 Teachers, 9 school coaches
Indirect: 4'350 additional families

Local project partner

Asociación Vivamos Mejor Guatemala, Panajachel, Guatemala

Project costs

The planned project costs to be borne by Vivamos Mejor amount to CHF 1,037,401. Local contributions totalling CHF 1,027,200 are not included in the total costs.

Duration

2021-2024

Project background

A large gap between rich and poor prevails in Guatemala. Particularly the indigenous Maya population are affected by poverty and experience discrimination on different levels. In our project
region, over 90% of the population are indigenous. 85% of the inhabitants live in poverty and
20% live in extreme poverty. Less than half of the children of pre-school age attend a kindergarten.
The transition to primary school, however, is very difficult without early support. Their mother
tongues are Mayan dialects Quiché, Kaqchikel and Tzutujil and at school they are suddenly supposed to speak Spanish, but have never learned it.

Project Goals

The project improves the educational opportunities of indigenous children in 20 kindergartens
in three school districts in Sololá Department through bilingual, play-based preschool promotion.

Our bilingual, culturally adapted pre-school model is firmly anchored in 20 schools and the children reach an age-appropriate level of development.
Together with the Ministry of Education and the municipalities, sustainable strategies have been developed to further develop the model with a strong local and culturally adapted focus.

Impact

Strengthened age-appropriate development increases the chances of indigenous children for a successful school career, enables them to reach their full potential and thus increases dignified income opportunities later in life. According to studies by the World Bank*, every dollar invested in preschool education has a return of investment of 6 to 17 dollars, which feeds back into society. The present project increases equal opportunities and societal integration of indigenous communities in Sololá, Guatemala. Furthermore, the general educational level will thus rise in the region, enabling the future generation of adults to actively exercise their civic participation rights as informed and strengthened citizens.

Short project description

Further projects in Guatemala

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