September 15th, 2011 marked the 190th anniversary of Central American Independence. In small town Honduras, we prepared diligently to be the best school in the parade. We packed in as much work, money and as many hours for a simple parade than we have for anything else since I have been here. Everyone played a [...]
Today, International Literacy Day, Roots and Wings celebrates the efforts of all of its students and scholars to educate themselves through reading and writing. International Literacy Day also serves to remind RWI’s teachers and volunteers of the importance of literacy in our mission to educate children and empower rural indigenous communities. It is also a good [...]
While the London riots shook the world media, Chilean youths are quietly nearing the fourth month of protests against the failing education system. The university and high school student protesters in Chile have remained largely peaceful but are gaining more and more momentum as other special interest groups join in to protest poor social services [...]
Here’s a name to know: Flora Otzoy. The name belongs to a woman who is both contemporary and historic, an uncommon position earned as the first indigenous woman in Guatemala to complete a university education. Dr. Otzoy took her advanced degree in medicine in 1975. The last few decades have seen great improvement in education [...]
Erik Swanson is a dangerous combination of mainstream corporate and non-profit. I say dangerous because the efficiency and transparency of his methods are in danger of solving some of Guatemala’s most challenging problems one student at a time. Erik is the product of two education professionals that dedicated their lives and their income potentials to [...]
A coworker once told me, “Every single problem we have in Central America—poverty, crime, corruption, violence, economic trouble—is a direct result of drug trafficking.” That seems overly simplified, but may be more truthful than a lot of people would like to think. Ending the drug problem would end probably 90 percent of the corruption right [...]
The farther I got from Pasac and the closer I came to Antigua and the City, the grander the three volcanoes started to appear in a hazy silhouette of blackened clouds threatening rain. I continued to feel bare, alienated, and out of place as salesmen hopped on the bus peddling parasite medicine, mangos, and God [...]
I woke up around 7:30 not remembering where I was. Having traveled a lot the past month, I haven’t slept in the same bed for more than 3 days consecutively. After I got my bearings, I got dressed and looked outside to see a beautiful, temperate day. It was a perfect morning to hike. I [...]
Cristina Pascuala Guarchaj López is a fourth grade student from Pasac and she is just one of the many gifted students that attends tutoring and computer literacy classes at the RWI Learning Center. Cristina loves to read books and play with her friends when she is not attending school, visiting the RWI Learning Center or [...]
Roots & Wings’ primary aim is to enable indigenous Guatemalans to better their communities, and the organization does this, in part, by providing scholarships for locals to get a college education. Roots & Wings provides scholarships to those who have financial need and have shown both academic aptitude and involvement in their community. Yet there [...]
A recent study conducted by Digital GT, found that Guatemala has an internet penetration rate of 14.8 percent putting them in third place for the Central American market behind Costa Rica and Panama. Third place in Central America is nothing to celebrate when considering the internet penetration in more developed countries. Percentage of internet users [...]
I teach English as a second language in Central America, and it has been a disappointing couple weeks in school. It seems like things just haven’t been going our way. We had an unfortunate disciplinary incident with a student in secondary school that ended in an expulsion, as well as smaller disciplinary problems throughout each [...]
If you are reading this blog, you most likely have easy reliable access to the internet and by extension, a computer or smart phone. As a student, blogger, and office worker, I spend many hours every day online working, studying, surfing, and communicating with the world. As Americans we are often bombarded with technology on [...]
Guatemala houses a wealth of resources within its border—culturally, economically, and environmentally. As an economically developing country, Guatemala needs to pay attention to both the economic needs of the people who consume natural resources and the impact to the environment. Pristine tropical rainforests which are essential to the environment are intertwined with cultural treasures like [...]
The month of May, for many in North America, signals university graduations, the job search, and, to be glum, a new batch of young people joining the currently high numbers of the unemployed. Running on a different schedule, the Guatemalan school year is now reaching the end of its first semester, but the situation is [...]
