Pencils of Promise

Palanquix Cotiyab (Guatemala)

Broke Ground: November 2011

Up in the hills of the Solola department near Lake Atitlan is a village of 145 families of the Quiche ethnic tradition.

Farmers and laborers by trade, the people of Palanquix Cotiyab are committed to doing whatever is necessary to provide their children with the education they deserve.

Despite the fact that more than 180 students are enrolled in pre-school and primary school, there is currently no permanent structure in Palanquix Cotiyab specifically dedicated to classes. To accommodate half of the students, the village has converted their shared community space into temporary classrooms. The other half of the students are not as lucky – their classes are held in a provisional structure made entirely of corrugated sheet metal. These windowless classrooms have a tendency to get very hot when the sun is beating down. Clouds bring reprieve from the sun, but the sound of the rain is no less a distraction, amplified by the metallic roof.

It is clear that the parents and leaders of this community are determined to better the conditions for these students, but as of yet they simply have not found the means to realize their goal. In order to have a chance of continuing on to higher levels of education, the children of Palanquix Cotiyab will need an environment that promotes sustainable learning. In partnership with the community, Pencils of Promise hopes to provide them with a school of their own. In so doing, PoP will eventually be able to return to Palanquix the use of their community center for its originally intended purposes.

The PoP Guatemala team is very excited at the prospect of creating opportunity within this small but deserving community!

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