Our goals for 2024
We will continue with the scholarship programme aiming to help around one hundred secondary and college students. Thanks to the scholarships even more girls are continuing their studies and we aim to have half and half in 2024.
School materials will be purchased for primary school students who cannot afford the basics, in spite of the government providing some items at the beginning of the school year. Our local teacher will continue to work in the communities, offering help with homework and advice as well as managing the sustainable plans.
We hope to expand Plan Costura (sewing business) to help single mothers and University students cover extra costs of their education. Plan Huerto (school vegetable gardens) will provide food in the schools and Plan Reforestation aims to offset the carbon footprint of The Phoenix Projects.
How we are achieving our goals in 2024
April 2024
Many of our scholarship students were involved in a team-building day climbing Tolimán Volcano. These events not only allow them to see parts of the country they otherwise wouldn’t have though it also shows them what they can achieve personally and as part of a group.
March 2024
During the month we have handed out educational materials scholarships to one hundred children in primary school in various villages around the lake. The government provides the basics at the start of the school year though very often these run out quickly and the poorest families cannot purchase replacements leading to the children leaving education.
The classroom materials are not just for the younger children entering education. They are also for older students who had dropped out of primary school due to lack of money to buy these materials. They now have the chance to continue their education, graduate primary school and enter secondary school with our scholarship programme.
As has always been the case, education tends to be the first sacrifice when there is no money. Many days over the past two months have been spent visiting families in several villages and hamlets around the lake to find those in the most need and who are willing to continue their studies. Many have underlying health issues which have taken precedence too though with the necessary tools they can now continue their studies.
February 2024
This year we want to continue to emphasise the importance of team sports in the schools and our scholarship students got stuck into a football competition.
Parents of our scholarship students got together in San Pablo to clean the shores of the lake. In total they filled thirty sacks with discarded plastic and other litter. This will be repeated at the end of the month/beginning of March.
The communities around the lake are taking more responsibility themselves to clean up the ever-growing piles of rubbish that wash up on the shores and come down from the mountains in the rainy season. For Phoenix it is important to support these groups so they continue their work in their own communities rather than waiting for someone else to do it, if ever!
January 2024
As part of the scholarship programme, we supported a community-led scheme to clean the lake’s shore around Santiago Atitlán where our scholarship students filled thirty-five sacks with plastic and other rubbish. There will be another litter collection day at the end of February.
Our current and new scholarship students started the new school year this month. Our students come from several communities around the lake attending the main schools in San Pablo and Santiago Atitlán.
Meetings are underway with the headteachers in the schools to discuss the needs of the schools and the students. They are often the people who know the communities the best so their input is essential.
How we achieved our goals in 2023
November 2023
There were some very proud parents at the graduation ceremonies, especially for those with daughters. Many of our graduates have already secured good paying work which will help their families for years to come.
More ceremonies were held at the end of the month with some our scholarship students graduating in Business Administration.
Some of our college scholarship students celebrated their graduations early in November.
One of the successes of the scholarship programme is seeing so many more girls staying in education past primary school and going on to graduate from both secondary school and then college.
October 2023
The school year has come to an end for all our scholarship students with graduations due to be held during November. We hope to enroll more secondary school and college students for 2024.
September 2023
Independence Day was celebrated with various festivities and cultural events at the lake. Here are some of our college students getting involved.
All our secondary school and college scholarship students played a large part in the day’s events having spent the previous day planting trees.
Our scholarship students were involved in our annual reforestation programme, planting six hundred trees, which aims to neutralise our carbon footprint from our work in Latin America including flights taken by participants for charity challenges and transport in-country.
One thousand seven hundred trees will be planted this year in previously deforested areas. By buying and planting the trees ourselves along with the communities we can ensure that the reforestation is being undertaken responsibly.
August 2023
This year one of our students was chosen to participate in Riiy Rumaam Tz’utujil Po’p, the election of the community queen. She came second.
July 2023
Our scholarship students were involved in inter-school sports competitions and came out winners in several categories.
The Inca Trail Charity Challenge in Perú was undertaken with some great funds raised for the projects. If you are interested in joining us on a Charity Challenge in 2024 please follow the link on the right hand side of your screen!
June 2023
Whilst our priority is for secondary school and college education, there is still a huge need for primary school help with school materials. We have spent the last few months seeking out the families in the most need and supplying educational materials so they remain in school.
May 2023
Work has begun preparing the ground for a Plan Huerta (vegetable garden) in a local school in one of the communities where our scholarship students live. The harvests will go towards daily meals in the school and any extra shared amongst the families, especially the elderly.
Communication with the scholarship students’ parents is key to the success of the programme. Regular meetings are held to discuss education and issues.
As part of the scholarship programme the parents of the students get involved in community work including litter clearing during the year. The local Police even got involved to do their part in the most recent cleaning day!
The Lost City Charity Challenge was undertaken in Colombia raising funds for Guatemala, trekking a total of 105km (65 miles) during the week. For information on our charity challenges in 2024 please follow this link.
April 2023
We have started to hand out school supplies to dozens of primary school students from the poorest families in the region where we work.
The government has supplied basic materials for several years for primary school though they tend to run out quickly and the parents have to purchase more.
Primary students from the poorest backgrounds tend to miss out on full education due to not having the materials as their parents simply cannot afford the basics.
Without this extra cost the families can use what little income they have on buying food or medicines knowing their children have sufficient school supplies.
March 2023
This year we have expanded our scholarship programme to a new school in Santiago Atitlán on the other side of the lake, concentrating on “diversificado”, similar to college education.
February 2023
This year we are helping primary school students from very poor backgrounds with extra utensils and workbooks. Whilst the government now provides basic supplies there is always the need for more which is difficult for many families living in rural areas to provide. It is hoped that these students will then become part of our scholarship programme in the future rather than losing interest and dropping out just because they didn’t have sufficient school supplies. This is one of the primary school students doing her homework whilst working selling vegetables in the street.
January 2023
Local teacher meeting to discuss our scholarship students’ needs and how the new students are getting on after their first few days in class.
To thank all the teachers who have done a fantastic job with our scholarship students we invited them all out for a celebratory dinner for all they have done during 2022 and looking forward to 2023.
October 2022
The graduation of our secondary school scholarship students took place – a brilliant effort bearing in mind the past two and a half years.
Proud family members watching on as their children/grandchildren graduate. They are generally the first generation who have received any sort of education and the first to receive further education.
Our scholarship students at a local traditional and cultural event.
Our scholarship students spent the day clearing litter from the surrounding shores and areas of Lake Atitlán. On a good note, they cleared sacks of rubbish…on a bad note, it was there in the first place.
September 2022
Independence Day was celebrated in Guatemala with our scholarship students and quite a strong message!
Our scholarship students and parents planted hundreds of trees as part of our reforestation programme to help with climate change.
Extra workshops are being held this year to make sure all our scholarship students receive a full education and can catch up on anything they missed over the past two years.
August 2022
Our scholarship students took part in a community litter clearing day in an attempt to show the benefits of a clean environment and leading by example.
July 2022
Our scholarship students are taught a variety of different subjects, many of which cannot be learnt from home. One of these is electronics which can pave the way for future employment for both male and female students.
The majority of our secondary school, college and University scholarship students are girls who previously hadn’t been able to continue their studies due to costs associated with underlying health issues (medicine or study) and having to work at home. By removing the costs of education from the equation they are able to study now.
May 2022
Our scholarship students continue in-class teaching, albeit in outside well-ventilated areas with plenty of social distancing.
The scholarship programme covers secondary school, college and University with students from seven different communities benefitting.
We plan to build a bigger centre for our sewing programme for single mothers in the coming months.
March 2022
A large push to get vaccinated was undertaken by the students and teachers in preparation for the re-opening of actual classes which restarted with all of our scholarship students.
January 2022
A parents’ meeting of our one hundred secondary school and college scholarship students was held to approve actual classes to start mid-month… after two years. These will be reinforcement classes before the new school year starts later this month or early February.
