Help Feed and Support 600 Students in Guatemala

Four months in and we are now fully settled into the rhythm of this academic year. It has been an exciting and productive start, filled with many new experiences, activities, and improvements to our school. Throughout these first months, we have focused not only on academics, but also on health and wellbeing.

This semester, students enjoyed several important health initiatives. We were fortunate to have a team of ophthalmologists from a British eye hospital visit us.This was their second visit. Eye tests were conducted on all of our students and those that need glasses are expected to receive them in the next month 2-3 months! We also administered VPH and TDAP vaccinations to our students in accordance with Guatemalan Government guidelines to prevent cancer and protection against harmful bacteria and viruses respectfully. On top of this, the children also received doses of Albenzanol, an antiparasite treatment!

Staying fit and healthy, we also  encouraged physical activity and teamwork through our football tournament. We played a round robin knockout football tournament. Tensions and the energy were high as the classes battled it out. In the end, for the girls grade 5 and 8 and for the boys, grade 6 and 8 took the trophies home! These matches were used to select our U12 and U18 boys and girls teams to participate in the inter school tournament that was held this past week.We are pleased to announce that our U12 teams and our U18 girls team both reached the semifinals! Our coach states “all our athletes gave their best, and we are very satisfied with our performance”, we are all super proud!

We are always looking at ways to improve and enhance our school.This term has seen the introduction of a new improved school menu - offering more variety and nutritious foods. To everyone's delight, a pizza restaurant chain generously donated several pizzas, which the children and staff enjoyed.    

Our school community also celebrated and participated in important educational and cultural events. In February we were reminded of national hero Tecun Uman through an assembly and re-enactment given by grade 1. On Women's Day, our older students participated in the local women's day parade around Jocotenango. Our oldest students were invited to a university open day at the San Carlos campus in Guatemala City. We were welcomed with an introduction speech to the university and learnt about the diverse courses they offer. Afterwards we were given time to wander around the different stalls to talk to the staff and students. It was an insightful day and inspiring for their future education goals.

We also had visits from university students of clinical psychology in our secondary school who delivered psychology talks on healthy relationships. The talks aimed to strengthen adolescent skills on identifying risk factors, making responsible decisions, self care, emotional management, and seeking support in situations that could affect their emotional physical and social well-being. The talks were engaging with the children actively participating. 

These are just a few of the exciting initiatives that have been happening at the School of Hope, along with welcoming lots of volunteers, reading initiatives, and structural updates! 2026 is looking like a promising year. All this would not be possible without your support, so we continue to express our gratitude towards all those that help! 

We are proud of everything accomplished so far and look forward to a strong and successful remainder of the school year.