The School of Hope

In September 2016 I found myself back home in Nottingham after four years of university. Post-graduation and I'm pulling pints instead of writing poetry; not what I had planned. But eight months and some hindsight later, I can see that moving back to Nottingham was in no way the step backwards I feared, but a springboard for the next leap I would take.

For at least a few months after graduating, the question many dread is: “So, what now?” One evening in January I was at work and one of our regulars asked me this awful question, but finally I had an answer, “I'm going to Guatemala”. He looked confused and even a little concerned, so I began to explain my plans for the spring.

Education for the Children Foundation (EFTC) is an international NGO, with their UK office right here in Nottingham. They run Escuela Proyecto La Esperanza – The School of Hope – a school that educates and supports disadvantaged and impoverished children and young adults in Guatemala. After talking to some friends and doing some research about the project I discovered that Rushcliffe School, my old secondary, has an annual fundraising event for EFTC and teaches their current Spanish students about Guatemala. This discovery was followed by a frighteningly small amount of research about Central America, and by the end of January, I had contacted the organisation and booked my one way flight to Guatemala City.

The day of my departure came around extremely quickly and I had arrived in Guatemala before even reaching the second checkpoint on Duolingo. My Spanish A-Level suddenly felt like longer than five years ago, and my mouth had unhelpfully disconnected from my brain. I spoke a language I coined Sprenchlish and the sentences I attempted were a bizarre mix of my native English, my passable French and my stilted Spanish. Despite these linguistic hiccups and my host mum’s confusion about my nationality, I quickly settled into life in Guatemala.

Only my second day in Central America and it was straight to The School of Hope. Just walking through the door it was impossible not to feel the positive energy and enthusiasm that surrounded those children every day. I was given a tour by Sara, who coordinated the visitors and volunteers at the school, and she told me about the amazing work the school and foundation were doing. She explained how although education in Guatemala is “free”, due to the extra cost of uniforms, resources, exams, projects and food for the day, many families cannot afford to send their children to state run schools and instead they are put to work from a shockingly young age. For the children at The School of Hope, their extensive education and a nutritious food programme are completely free.

During my time volunteering at the school, I was helping Miss Emily, the first and second grade English teacher. Her classroom was full of music and laughter, but most importantly, it was overflowing with English. To my surprise, and relief, my limited (but improving) Spanish wasn't needed in Miss Emily’s classroom. She ran a tight ship of immersion; with songs, games and classroom management all conducted in English.

The School of Hope offered these children much more than English lessons. The school provided nutrition, counselling, health care and careers advice. On a Monday morning many children wouldn’t eaten since Friday. Domestic violence and alcoholism are huge problems in the area, so many will have seen or experienced horrific things. Growing up in extreme poverty and poor living conditions means many need medicine they can't afford, and even with an education, without advice and support, many will fall back into the cycle of poverty their parents have experienced. While volunteering at the school every reminder of what these wonderful children had to deal with in their home life was heartbreaking, but it was amazing to see the support the school could offer.

Looking back at my five weeks at the school, the most memorable moments were often some of the most chaotic: sports day; a trip to the zoo; pretty much any lunch time with the notoriously troublesome Primero A; my dance class and their performance to the teachers; and the chaos of all the hugs and tears on my last day. These will be my lasting memories of The School of Hope because what lies within the chaos is what, for me, the school is all about. The School of Hope gives its students a childhood they would otherwise missed out on. The love, the laughter and the learning that you find in these moments of chaos is what will one day bring me back to Guatemala. I'm sure of it.

EFTC and The School of Hope rely on sponsorship and donations from wonderful people like you to keep doing all their incredible work for more information take a look at their website.

Rushcliffe School are holding their fundraising event Esperanza Festival on 15 July, it is open to the public between 5-7pm. Join the students as they raise money for their friends in Guatemala.

EFTC website