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We offer young newly graduated teachers aged 18-24 the opportunity to stay in their communities and to become social entrepreneurs by starting classrooms in primarily rural, Guatemalan Mayan communities. The teachers have to work with the community leaders to find the suitable space to hold the classes. We provide the materials and a stipend to the teacher each month, as well as additional training for them to become more effective teachers.

Challenge

Many parents in rural communities have not had enough education to prepare their kids for primary school. Without preparation, up to 30% of these rural children will not be successful in the first grade. There are graduated, unemployed teachers 18-24 years old available in these communities or in nearby urban areas, but the government is not providing enough classrooms in the rural area for the numbers of children who need the service.

Long-Term Impact

This past year we had 25 teachers in 23 communities preparing kids to be successful in primary school; 22 of them are girls. All of them had basic education (high school diplomas), but no jobs. They not only now have jobs, but are preparing other girls (and boys) , who have been underrepresented in the schools, to enter primary school and be successful.