The Maya B'elaj No'j  School Project, Guatemala

Support accessible education in remote indigenous communities

From our hearts to yours, thank you for taking the time to read about our school. B'elaj No'j educates students in the Huixoc village and surrounding regions beyond Grade 6. There is no other secondary school in the region. Our school offers a blended Maya education alongside a Spanish education. The levels of racism in Guatemala are extremely high, and schools like B'elaj No'j contribute toward a healthy education and provide access for Maya students to attend post secondary institutions.

The school is located on private property offered to ensure the education of local youth, in an ongoing in-kind donation from refugees of the Guatemalan Civil War. Traditionally, annual fundraisers in Vancouver supported the additional operating expenses for the school, and allowed for the school to pay the fees necessary for books and teachers' salaries. However, the pandemic ended these fundraisers and the teachers have now been working for two years, going on their third, without pay. As a result, this vital school is at risk of closing. We are asking for donations to keep the school open, as well as provide us with an opportunity to deliver back payment funds to the teachers who have volunteered during very difficult and precarious years of the pandemic. Our vision is to one day have a larger, self-sustaining school, one that can grow to welcome more students to complete their secondary education.   

Emergency Fundraising Campaign 2023 to keep the school open: $55,000 CDN fundraising goal

Ongoing

Earlier this year we were able to send some emergency funds to the teachers with the incredible generosity of donor support. However, the school property has suffered damage due to a road expansion, earthquakes, and village changes to water supply. We are hoping to fix the damages to our school as soon as possible.

ACEM Fees Fundraiser: $5000 CDN fundraising goal

Ongoing

This fundraiser is to fund the cost of the ACEM fees for the 2024 school year, and pay the back payment fees owed for the provision of books during the school years 2020, 2021 and 2022. Once the fees are paid, the teacher's salaries will be covered by ACEM and we will not have to fundraise for the teacher's salaries in 2024.

Back-payment Fundraiser: Paying back the teacher salaries from 2020-2023: Goal: $65,000 CDN

Ongoing

The pandemic was one of the most terrifying times to work in education. Our teachers bravely kept the school open without funding support in order to provide Huixoc youth with a consistent level of education, access to healthy routines, and ensured that Huixoc youth could continue to access post secondary opportunities after the pandemic. With your help, we can pay their salaries back.

Total Fundraising Goals 2020-2023: $125,000 CDN

Total Projected Fundraising Goal for 2024: $35,000 CDN