This year marks ten years since the beginning of the scholarship and mentoring program Brillaguate in the town of El Tejar, Guatemala. Ten years of walking alongside students and their families, offering weekly tutoring in Spanish, English, math, and computer skills, along with monthly financial support to help students stay in school.
Sara Morales, who directs the program, reflected on what this time has meant. She shared how impactful it has been to see the need up close, but also to witness the changes that happen in young people over time. To watch them grow, and to see them begin to imagine something different for their lives.
For Sara and her team, that kind of change is part of their everyday work. Work that can be heavy at times, but also deeply rewarding.
They walk closely with students whose lives are not simple. Some want to keep studying but cannot, because their families need them to work. Responsibility comes early, and school becomes something they have to leave behind, even when they do not want to.
Most of the families in the program are facing significant economic challenges right now. Many students are being raised by single mothers or widows. Some families are navigating illness. Others are struggling to find steady work. These realities shape many of the decisions students are forced to make about school and daily life.
This year, Brillaguate welcomed eleven new scholarship recipients into the program. Each one comes with a different story and a different set of needs. Some are more urgent than others, but all of them share the same desire to move forward.
Right now, a couple of students are dealing with malnutrition, and the team is working to find ways to support them more fully. Others are carrying the weight of difficult experiences at home. Sara shared that there is a growing need for psychological support for students who have lived through family violence. Because of this, their upcoming retreat will focus on emotional health, helping students learn how to process what they have experienced.
There is one young man they are especially concerned about. He is intelligent and full of potential, and he has lived through very hard situations and has struggled with thoughts of suicide. Sara and the staff provide ongoing support, extra attention and care.
Even with these difficult realities, there are stories that bring encouragement.
In January, the first round of support was distributed. Families gathered, and parents signed a commitment to support their students in staying in school. Each student received Q600 ($80) to help cover uniforms and school supplies.
This year, there was something extra to give. Along with the financial support, each student received a bag of high-quality school supplies that were collected and donated by Senderos supporters just like you! It was a simple thing, but it made a real difference. Sara says you could see it in the way students’ faces lit up when they received them.
Last year, six students graduated from the program. Five of them are now in university. One young woman told Sara she could hardly believe it. She had grown up with a single mother who never learned to read or write, and now she was sitting in a university classroom herself.
There are many more stories like these. Sara said she could keep going, naming case after case. But what she keeps coming back to is this. There is still so much to be done!
Sara ended her report with gratitude. She spoke about how much it means to have people who continue to support this work, knowing the effort it takes to raise those funds. She also recognizes that many supporters may never meet the students whose lives they are shaping.
That is why we share these stories and why we send photos. It is our way of bringing you closer to what you are part of. Because of Senderos and this community of support, Sara and her team have the resources they need to walk with these students in a critical season of their lives.
Thank you for being a part of this.