Home: Freunde Waldorf

Guatemala: Escuela Caracol

 

Nutritious Food for the children of Escuela Caracol

The small Waldorf school Escuela Caracol is attended by a total of 130 children. One of the main costs that incur for the school each year are expenses for the children’s nutritious program so that the children can have the nutrition they need at this stage of growth.

Each year during the school term, the lunch program is held. During the school days each student receives a nutritious snack prepared with love and based on the needs of the children's development and growth. This is intended to end malnutrition of the children and prevent students from eating junk food or fast food, as many of the students come to school without any breakfast.

The food program has the purpose of nourishing in a balanced way all the students of Escuela Caracol, since we know the need that exists in the families, and the lack of information regarding healthy nutrition at home. Likewise, it is a way in which each student is involved since in each grade of elementary school the children rotate in terms of food duties: some are in charge of bringing the food to the kitchen, some have the task of serving and all have the task of washing their utensils used. In the kindergarten area it is similar depending on the age of each student, generally it is the older ones who perform some of these activities, which generates confidence and responsibility.

In 2023, there has been an increase in the basic food basket, daily consumption products and life in general by around 40% compared to last year, the budget of the food program has increased due to this domino effect that has impacted the country. In addition to this, annual donations have dropped to 60% of what is needed, so your support will be of utmost importance for the sustainability of the school.

To cover the food program annually, 17,000 euros is needed.

 

About the project:

Escuela Caracol is a non-profit institution in San Marcos La Laguna, on the beautiful Lake Atitlán in the Mayan highlands of Guatemala. It is the first certified Waldorf School in Guatemala and was founded in 2007. The Escuela Caracol includes a kindergarten and a primary school with 19 employees who take care of the 130 children attending the kindergarten and primary school. It started with a group of people from the villages of Lake Atitlán, who together seek to nurture and care for the children's childhood through respect and love. The school follows the principles of Waldorf pedagogy, which respects the individual processes of each child for their integral development. 

Almost 90% of the educational community are indigenous Mayan families who cannot pay for school fees, food, the cost of facilities or teaching materials. Therefore, all costs for education of children from indigenous families are fully financed by other income, such as donation or funds.

The school provides the children with an environment that serves to the needs of the whole being: hands, heart and head. Although the shared language is Spanish, the Mayan language Kaqchikel and English are also taught at the school. The vision of the small school is to guide children into free, autonomous human beings capable of using their heads, hearts and hands to transform themselves and their community.

Escuela Caracol is an example of a living pedagogy in which Waldorf education is interwoven with the Mayan Cosmovision.

“At Escuela Caracol we receive each student as a gift and honor them as individuals with extraordinary abilities that will develop if they are guided on the right path. The foundation of Waldorf education is based on offering the ideal experience at each stage of the child's development, and in its different aspects: physical, emotional and cognitive. That is why at Escuela Caracol we focus mainly on creative expression, practical work, and contact with nature, having access to multiple adventures and challenges, an extraordinary cultural exchange, and at the same time nurturing the heart, hands and head of the child.”

Empower & donate now
Empower & donate now