[color=#99cc00][b]Caracol[/b][/color] (ka ra kól), noun: A snail shell with a spiral formation that symbolizes the integration of all life’s facets into a common whole in Latin America, especially in Mayan culture.
[color=#99cc00][b]Escuela Caracol[/b][/color] is a kindergarten and primary school located in [color=#99cc00][b]San Marcos La Laguna[/b][/color], a village on the shores of Lake Atitlán, Guatemala (see map below). The community of San Marcos is made up of about 3,000 people, and is one of the poorest regions in Guatemala-- 80% of the population lives in poverty, of which 25% are categorized as living in extreme poverty. As a whole, Guatemala is recovering from a 36 year-long war (1960-1996), in which many schools were burned down. As a result, San Marcos and other villages are struggling with “overcrowded classrooms, absent teachers, chronic mismanagement of resources, and school climates that exhibit residual tones of oppression and often violence” (Escuela Caracol Site).
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[i]Location of Escuela Caracol in San Marcos, Guatemala.[/i]
After recognizing these issues, Joshua and Courtney Wilson chose to open Escuela Caracol in 2007; the school’s values are based around Waldorf pedagogy, which focuses on creative expression, practical work, and the natural environment. The school provides sponsorships for indigenous students who cannot afford tuition. By taking an innovative approach to teaching and learning, Escuela Caracol is working to decrease poverty levels in San Marcos, and provide an education which will reveal the amazing capacities of each child. [b][color=#66ccff]Keep reading to learn about Escuela Caracol's projects, graduates, as well as ways that you can help them![/color][/b]
[b][color=#99cc00][u]The Projects:[/u]
[i]School Lunch Program[/i][/color][/b]
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[/i][/b][i]Students at Escuela Caracol eating their nutritious meals. [/i]
As mentioned above, San Marcos is one of the poorest regions in Guatemala, with low rates of literacy and high rates of malnutrition. With this in mind, Escuela Caracol provides two nutritious meals a day to more than 80 students and 20 staff members; these meals are prepared with wholesome and organic ingredients.
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[i]This is Teresa Sancoy Sacach, the head cook at Escuela Caracol, who has been a part of the school’s community since its opening in 2007.[/i]
[u][color=#99cc00][b]Meet the Graduates:[/b][/color][/u]
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[color=#99cc00][b]Jacobo[/b][/color] is twelve years old and was born and raised in San Marcos la Laguna. He lives with his mother and his sister, Magda Luna. Jacobo's sister also studied and graduated from Escuela Caracol, she now studies tourism in a local university. Cecilia, Jacobo's mother works managing a hotel and a community artisanal cacao project.
Jacobo has been part of our school since he was three and after graduating from sixth grade he will continue studying in another town close to San Marcos la Laguna. He is very extroverted and curious, he loves learning languages and coming to school.
He has shown to be very good at playing musical instruments, music is his life.
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[b][color=#99cc00]Anita [/color][/b]is twelve years old, she is currently coursing sixth grade at our school. She came four years ago (for her second grade) and has become a fundamental part of her group; She speaks three languages (Kakchiquel, Spanish, and English), and She's well known for being kind and fun, she loves playing and chatting with her classmates. This is her last year at Escuela Caracol, she wants to continue studying after graduating from sixth grade.
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[/b][b][color=#99cc00]Anastacio[/color][/b] is a thirteen years old boy. He comes from Santa Cruz la Laguna where he lives with his family. He takes a daily roundtrip boat to come to school with his little sister, Ana María.
Anastacio is the second of four siblings. His mother is a housewife and his father makes a very low income working as a day laborer harvesting coffee beans as a day laborer, nevertheless, he always finds ways to give enough money to Anastacio and his little sister to pay for the boat tickets.
Anastacio has been studying at Escuela Caracol since first grade. He out-stands for being a kind and social kid with amazing skills for sports.
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Check out our Givology Impact Series podcast with Joshua Wilson, founder of Escuela Caracol!
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[b][color=#66ccff]Want to play a part in supporting Jacobo, Anita, Anastacio, and other graduates of TCF in this milestone?[/color][/b]
- [color=#99cc00][b]Donate[/b][/color] via paypal (finance@givology.org) and include a note to the student you want to fund. They will be transcribed and shared with students at the end of the campaign! They love receiving words of encouragement!
- [color=#99cc00][b]Share[/b][/color] this opportunity with friends, family, and fellow grads using [color=#66ccff][b]#GivologyGrads[/b][/color]
-For more information check out the Givology Instagram!