El Naranjal

TEACH supports a preschool in this small, remote Mayan community of only 15 families by providing students with and paying for a teacher. The site is only accessible via boat, an hour from the nearest city (Livingston) and located about 3 miles south of the border of Belize. There are 34 students, 10 of which are preschoolers, and at the moment, all 34, plus 2 teachers use the same small room every day for school.

Upon our arrival, we were greeted by the teachers and students, who then performed a dance for us. After, the parents and teachers expressed a need for a floor for an outdoor portion of the building, an area which is currently dirt and could be used for education if made habitable for the students. Since then, thanks to the generosity of our donors, we have been able to fund the creation of an entirely new classroom space, with a covered roof and concrete floor, which can also be used for community events (pictured below).