In Guatemala, public schools are only free to attend through sixth grade. Many families in Guatemala City can’t afford tuition and fees for their children to continue their education. School also occupies a potential income earner.

Gang prevention programs for youth enable students to continue to receive a quality education from seventh grade to graduation. One partner, Asociación Comunitaria Alcance, serves more than 1,000 students at four Alcance community centers — Santa Catarina Pinula, El Pueblito, El Carmen, and Villalobos. The staff shepherd the youth through their studies – often encouraging, praying with, and guiding students through a world most of their parents have not known.

We believe that children with dreams of completing a vocational high school program to become a bank teller or secretary should have the opportunity to work hard and complete their studies. Formal education is vital if the children of Guatemala City are to escape gang violence, drug addiction, physical and sexual abuse, and the cycle of extreme poverty that grips the community.

To empower youth and grow responsibility, the centers provide youth with a stipend to serve as instructor assistants. Through their participation with the centers, they have opportunities to partner with local colleges and universities, receive computer and job training classes, and mentor the next generation to stay out of gang life.

The average cost of educating a student is $1,200 a year or $100 a month, which can include tuition, uniforms, books, school supplies, and guidance. You can invest in gang prevention and the future of a child in Guatemala City by sponsoring a high schooler today!

Sponsor a Scholar Today