Help the Children at the El Hato School!

The village of El Hato is located about 7km outside of Antigua, Guatemala which is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country. El Hato has a population of about 800 people, most of them under the age of 18. It is not uncommon for a family to have 6 or 8 children and some families have as many as 12 children.
The public school in El Hato has 217 children from kindergarten up to 6th grade. Families pay about $2 US to sign their child up for the school year and then have to purchase school supplies in Antigua that range from $20-$30 depending on what grade their child is in. The average income for each working family member is about $200 per month, with most families having only one income. Therefore the cost of buying school supplies can be quite a burden especially if there are several children attending school. Some families send their children to school without the supplies needed and the teachers try to solicit funds from businesses in Antigua or from the government.
Many parents opt to keep their children at home to help with the cooking, collecting of firewood, cleaning and caring of younger siblings. Some children are kept at home while both of their parents go to work in Antigua. Some families send their children to school only until they are able to read, write and do basic math which are skills that will help them find work in the future.
The government of Guatemala provides funds for each child to have breakfast before they begin school. Breakfast is prepared by mothers of students and is prepared in the kitchen on school property. The amount of money supplied to the school for each student is a meager 12 cents per child per day. The money is paid every 3 months and by the end of that time, there is usually little or no funds left. A typical breakfast could be corn flakes with milk or rice & beans or atol, which is a local drink made up of corn & sugar. We have concentrated many of our funds on buying fruits, vegetables and other staples to give the children a better breakfast. The children also take a multi-vitamin with every breakfast.
For the 2009 school year, we got ALL of the kids sponsored!! We bought all of the school supplies for these children, plus we took all of the kids that finished the 2008 school year on a field trip the Guatemala City Zoo and Kid’s Museum. The children had an amazing day and we hope to be able to take them again next year. English classes are continuing twice a week and we are continuing to buy vegetables for the children’s breakfasts.
This year we also found donations to send 7 kids to middle school in Antigua. This is a private school and it costs about $1000 per year per child. This includes their uniforms, books, supplies, and transportation to and from school. This is the first time that children from El Hato have gone to private school and due to the small class size, they are doing very well.
OUR GOALS FOR THE FUTURE
The school is looking for more 2nd hand computers for the lab. We have some funds to build a better fence around the school, but the project has turned out to be bigger than we thought so more funds are needed for that. We always are trying to raise money to buy vegetables & other food staples for the schools’ breakfasts and also for additional school supplies needed throughout the year.
We also hope to start raising funds to send more kids to Antigua next year for middle school.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Any monetary donation is much appreciated and will be used towards kitchen, school or construction supplies. Many people who travel from North America or Europe to Guatemala bring school supplies with them which is something that is always needed. Please contact Briana Havey via email at earthlodge@gmail.com to find out more information on how to help the children of El Hato.