Eliseo worked very hard to make it to junior high school, but Covid has threatened to destroy all that. As schools in Guatemala locked down, Eliseo was left without access to the technology to communicate with his teachers and receive his school work. The brighter future he was working towards suddenly seemed out of reach.
When his teachers came to bring a food hamper to Eliseo’s family, they learned that Eliseo and his younger sisters hadn’t been able to access any of the study guides at all. So the teachers made a plan to deliver the schoolwork to them.
Eliseo was so thankful when he received the home learning guides to allow him to continue his studies. He worked hard to catch up on his assignments.
But life got even more complicated. Eliseo’s Dad, who was a groundskeeper at a local farm, lost his job during the pandemic. This left the family completely without an income. Eliseo tried to do a few odd jobs to help out, and his father was forced to leave his family behind and search for work far away. He finally found a job as a gardener in the capital city.
Dad soon brought his family to Guatemala City to join him – the distance and transportation costs were just too high for him to make the trip home regularly, and he wanted his family together again.
Once again, Eliseo was unable to receive his home learning guides and his Grade 9 year was in jeopardy.
But as soon as they could afford to, Eliseo’s family got a phone so that the children could receive their study guides online. They didn’t want their children to lose the school year.
Eliseo’s teachers are continuing to support him so that he can complete the school year from far away, and he’s sending photos of his completed assignments back via WhatsApp, which is the cheapest way to communicate in Guatemala. Eliseo’s brighter future is back on track.
Thank you for building a brighter future for kids like Eliseo who have seen their lives turned upside-down through Covid, lockdowns and economic hardship! Although the supports might be happening from a distance, you’re still providing access to academics, a loving community, and affirmation of God’s faithfulness.
And, until the end of the year, your donation will be matched dollar for dollar (up to $60,000!) to build a brighter future for Eliseo and children like him. Some of those dollars will be going specifically to develop distance education resources to allow students like Eliseo to continue learning even if schools don’t immediately reopen in January.