News from GRACES
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Back to school in Guatemala!
Happy New (School) Year! School started this week for Escuela Integrada! On Monday, we welcomed 160 students at Escuela Integrada for a brand new school year. Twenty three of these students are brand new to our school. In Guatemala, schools begin in January and end in October. Instead of being off in June and July like many U.S. schools, Guatemalan schools have November and December off. As we kick off…
The countdown is on! Hours left to provide breakfast, lunch and food bags for Escuela Integrada
The clock is ticking on GRACES’ year-end campaign—at press time, we just passed the $25,000 mark. Thank you to everyone who has donated so far! Did you know that donations received on December 31 far outpace all other single-day giving the rest of the year?! Your donation today makes a big difference for GRACES’ Year-End campaign. All funds donated by 11:59 p.m. local time go directly to GRACES’ Meal Support…
I made an unspoken promise that we would always serve breakfast
Years ago I was attending a home visit with our psychologist, Lily. Periodically Lily will visit families’ homes, and I love being able to go with her. During this time, we had just started serving breakfast at Escuela Integrada. I have probably been on hundreds of home visits over the past 15 years, and there are some home visits that I never forget. As I walked into the home, I…
The impact of food insecurity on education is significant
“In reality, it is a big help because sometimes times are tough, and it is really hard to even buy sugar,” said Lisbeth, a parent of a student at Escuela Integrada. For the families at Escuela Integrada, vacation months are not packed full with adventurous travel or meals in restaurants. Instead, it’s quite the opposite. It can be an incredibly stressful time for families who try to get by on…
Feed a family of four for $30 this Christmas
Each November and December, every family at Escuela Integrada, including the teachers and staff, receive a food bag to get them through the months when school is not in session. In every food bag, families receive: 5 lbs bag of rice 5 lbs bag of beans 5 lbs bag of sugar Pancake mix 4 sticks of margarine 2 bags of pasta A bag of milk A bag of a protein/vitamin…
Hungry kids do not learn
Did you know that Guatemala has the 2nd highest rate of moderate or severe food insecurity in all of Latin America and the Caribbean? More than half of the population suffers from food and nutrition insecurity, which results in maladies such as stunted growth, susceptibility to illness, mental health difficulties and loss of structural brain development. We know from research and observation that hungry kids do not learn. A recent…