Special fundraiser to feed the kids at the Escuelita!
In February, we are trying to raise $16,000 to feed all of the children at the Escuelita for a year. $145 feeds a child for a year. We have already raised enough money for over 10,000 meals! Check on our progress and help out here.
Escuela Comunitaria David LaMotte
Program Description: Preschool through second grade school, serving 111 children with a quality education free of charge in a small Maya village. All school supplies and a daily meal are also provided.
Location: Tzanchaj, Atítlan, Guatemala
History: In 2003, a local Maya man named Nino Tecún recognized the need for a preschool in the village of Tzanchaj (tssahn-CHAH) to help prepare children for elementary school. Despite having only a 3rd grade education himself, Mr. Tecun rented a small room and began coordinating a preschool. When he met David and Deanna LaMotte on their honeymoon in 2004, he shared with them his dream of creating a larger, more permanent school to meet his community’s needs. With $2500 from Senderos, a one-room school was built, opening in January 2006. To David’s surprise and honor, Mr. Tecun named the school “Escuela Comunitaria David LaMotte,” or EDL. We often call it “EDL”, or “the escuelita” (little school).
EDL began with roughly 30 students in 2006, but enrollment steadily grew, and by 2018, it had outgrown its space. The school sought additional support to purchase land for a larger building. Thanks to many individual donors, Senderos raised the funds to purchase land, and with a generous grant from Rotary International, the community built a new school that accommodates the current enrollment, with room for growth. The teachers and parents have an ambitious vision to expand the school through the 6th grade. EDL’s leaders and parents are actively working to make this a reality by fundraising locally through raffles, making and selling beaded items, and other innovative efforts. Given the widespread poverty in the local community, however, they require additional financial support to hire the necessary staff and ensure sustainable growth.
Currently, the school serves 111 students through 2nd grade. Beyond academics, the school acts as a community center where mothers can gather to work on traditional handicrafts such as beading, embroidery, and weaving. This provides a supportive environment for the women, who received little to no formal education themselves, to develop their skills, create goods to generate income, and empower themselves economically by contributing to their households.
Highlight: Escuela Comunitaria David LaMotte stands out in several significant ways: First, it provides a completely free education, ensuring that families, even those with many school-aged children, can send all of their children to school without having to choose one child’s education over another. Second, the school offers a healthy meal each day, a vital resource for students who come from families unable to provide adequate nutrition. The provision of meals also serves as an important motivator for parents to send their children to school rather than having them work, which is a common practice in a culture where child labor is more of a norm than an exception. The school also provides staple foods to the families of students several times a year. During the pandemic, this became a literal lifeline for local families. Third, the school is bilingual, teaching in Spanish, which gives the students access to further education and the wider world, and Tz’utujil (Tssootooheel), which is their native Mayan language, preserving their indigenous culture and identity.
Escuela Comunitaria David LaMotte is dedicated to enhancing the overall well-being of its students, focusing on emotional, physical, environmental, social, and intellectual development. Teachers are trained in classroom management and Montessori practices at a nearby library/school/resource center called Puerta Abierta. The teachers focus on fostering a nurturing environment that promotes critical thinking and learning through play. This approach ensures that all children can actively engage in their education, regardless of background.
Annual Budget: Total $62,300. Senderos provides about 85% of the annual budget for the school. This budget provides for the salaries of 8 teachers, the director, a cook, a janitor, and other administrative support. It does not include school supplies and cleaning/maintenance which are donated in kind.
