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Creek de Cuatro Cayos

TEACH started to support this site in 2017. In 2019, TEACH is budgeting total funding for the site of $7,000 allocated to salary for a teacher, meals and medicine for students, and school maintenance. The school currently has 21 students.

During the 2017 TEACH delegation visit to our sponsored sites and institutions in Guatemala, we were introduced to a rural village that had an adequate school building, but, prior to our visit, had been without a teacher for several years.

We were pleased to see that a new teacher, for whom TEACH is now providing funding, was now present. There were 13 families — approximately 80 Q’eqchi’ and Ladino people — including 15 children of school age. The villagers are subsistence farmers who also fish for commercial purposes and for their own consumption.

The community lacks basic services such as electricity, running water, and health care.

We observed that the children appeared malnourished with listless expressions on their faces. When we mentioned this to some of the parents, they told us that, in fact, most of the children were malnourished and had stomach parasites. Nutrition, clean water, and good health are key to a child’s education. As the Bishop of Izabal told us, “You can’t preach religion or educate people unless they have clean water and food in their bellies.”

Before leaving the villagers, TEACH agreed to fund a teacher’s salary, a water filter for the school, anti-parasite medicine, vitamins (prescribed by a pediatrician), and a nutrition package.

The nutrition package for each student’s noon meal consisting of “incaparina” and a high-protein cookie. Incaparina is a porridge-like dish made of water, corn flour, soya flour, cinnamon and sugar. Served hot, this is a very nutritional and tasty dish.

When our TEACH contingent again visited Creek de Cuatro Cayos in February of 2018, we were pleased to see that the children appeared livelier and more spirited — evidence that the nutrition package and medicine had improved their diet and health.

After that visit, the villagers forwarded to TEACH a proposal for an expanded Nutrition Project, with the explicit goal of further improving the nutrition and academic performance of the community’s children. The project involves the organization and training of parents, with emphasis on the value and importance of their children’s food and nutrition, deworming and distribution of vitamins, and preparation of a dietary chart with different menus adapted to the area. TEACH presented this plan to St. Mary of Sorrows Catholic Church, in Fairfax, Va., for fiscal year 2019 funding. It was approved, and the first installment was sent to the village.

It was heartwarming to see the children’s faces and lively expressions during our 2018 visit, and we saw even more progress when we next visited in 2019. TEACH continues to fund the nutrition programs for this site.