Guatemala in numbers

While we have some great number to show just how far our supporters incredibly kind donations can go in providing schools in Central America with school and teaching materials, I really wanted to show some numbers which demonstrate what access to education in like on the ground level in these countries.

This post focuses on Guatemala, the first country in which we supported local schools. 

• The illiteracy rate in many rural areas of Guatemala is 75%
• Two-thirds of Guatemalan children live in poverty
• Nine out of ten schools in rural Guatemala lack books
• 60% of entry-level jobs in Guatemala require computer skills
• One out of ten of rural Guatemalans attend middle school
• 1.8: is the average number of years an indigenous Guatemalan woman stays in school

(Courtesy of http://www.coeduc.org/guatemala/poverty.html)

I'm sure you agree, these are scary figures.  Even if a child manages to attend school, of which that number is incredibly small, that school is 90% likely to be lacking in the teaching materials to provide these children with an adequate education.

In addition, 60% of jobs require a skill that children are unlikely to learn at schools that are lacking books, let alone be able to provide computers to equip children with this skill.

We are incredibly lucky to live in a country that provides us with the tools and skills to have every opportunity as we become adults and seek to forge our own career paths and provide for ourselves and our families.  

We believe every child deserves this opportunity, and thanks to the support of our friends and family, we do what we can to help make this belief a reality.