Educating underserved children in Maya communities in Guatemala

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Lagunita

TEACH started to support this site in 2003. In 2019, TEACH is budgeting total funding for the site of $1,900 allocated to paying half of a primary school teacher’s salary. There are currently 26 students in the school. TEACH previously provided $1,600 funding for a school bathroom facility

Lagunita is accessible only by boat, and the ride along the Río Dulce and into the lagoon on which Lagunita is built is breathtaking. After docking, visitors go along a 100-yard boardwalk through the lush jungle and come to the village. Its ecologically friendly hotel provides some income for this primarily farming community. The primary school consists of two classrooms for grades K through 6. The students teach and learn from each other as they begin to discover the wide world.

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The only access to this predominantly farming community is by boat.

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A 100-yard boardwalk leads visitors and locals from the river through the jungle, over the swamp to the center of the village.

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25 students make up this primary school. It has one TEACH-sponsored teacher and one government-paid teacher.

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These three boys took first, second, and third places in the most recent canoe race.

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Students celebrating Día del Cariño (Valentine’s Day) with a piñata.

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Canoes carved from a tree trunk are the most popular form of transportation. A canoe lasts about a year.

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The primary school is the building on the right.

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Celebrating with a special lunch made by several of the village mothers.

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This little boy was having fun with the TEACH representatives by making silly faces.

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An eco-friendly hotel is a source of income for the village. The large field in front of the hotel is the center of the village. In addition to the hotel, it is bordered by a church and the primary school. Youngsters use the field for soccer and other sports.

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Gorgeous students posing in the foreground while those in the background are doing somersaults.