LIGHTS FOR KIDS DURING QUARANTINE
WE DELIVERED SOLAR LAMPS FOR KIDS LIVING IN THE DARK
La Zona Reina is one of the poorest areas of Guatemala, where over 75% of the population lives in poverty. Thousands of people live day-to-day, but have been out of work for over 2 months due to national self-quarantine laws. The national regulations are responsible, we are fortunate to have Guatemala’s new president with medical doctor. It’s not clear when we’ll be allowed back to work and school.
Living in isolated villages, kids in la Zona Reina rely on school as the only building with lights, music, cell phone charging and computers. With school closed, they spend long days and nights at home in the dark.
Now the school principals of Chitas and Tiritibol are working with us to help their students cope with the added isolation.
April 28, 2020
Your generosity helped us serve 319 children last week with basic lighting to read and feel safe while school is closed. Their parents save precious funds on candles for food,and can be more productive at night.
It wasn’t easy. With the whole of Guatemala on lock down, our field staff couldn’t travel out to the poorest communities who need help. Luckily, our past collaborative projects with local community leaders developed mutual trust, transparency and a culture of cooperation to take action during this situation.
Two school principals in the un-electrified interior of Guatemala have shown exemplary community leadership since we worked together to install solar panels, lights and a computer lab at their schools. We organized the distribution of solar lamps to 319 primary school children by matching school enrollment lists with signed documents and using shipping services to send documentation and solar lights back and forth. When we can move around the country again, our field staff will visit Tiritibol and Chitas to interview parents and children for monitoring and evaluation purposes. We’ll update you with that information when the time comes.
Thanks to your recent donations, over 125 water filters are now on their way to Guatemala for distribution in May to help poor families stay healthy, save money and save the environment.
Stay tuned for more updates about our response to the pandemic.