Education is a privilege here that unfortunately many can’t afford. Primary school through middle school is free (not including school supplies and uniform) through the unstable and unorganized government system. In our area if a student desires to continue their education they must either travel 20 minutes by boat to Puerto Barrios or travel 30 minutes on a motorbike (if they have one) to a village. Many times, sadly, many families decide not to push their kids to aspire to go to school because of the financial pressures it puts on the families. It is a very sad reality that disappoints and saddens many of those at El Faro especially when there is so much potential and dreams in the young person.

Karlita Gomez is a teacher by trade and a very good one at that. She has served at El Faro alongside her husband Sammy in many different areas including children’s ministry, youth group, graphic design, and homeschooling missionary’s children at El Faro. She saw the need in the village and knew there were little options for the youth and especially for the adults who never had the chance to finish their education. She worked hard at the end of last year to partner with a school she taught at previously in Guatemala City and in January El Faro became the proud new branch of the America Latina Academy.

The academy offers elementary school, middle school, and high school for adults needing to finish school and also youth who can’t afford to travel. In its first year we have 26 students from six different villages including Sarita which is an hour motorbike ride for our student who is a pastor and is finishing his elementary education.  The academy only is one day a week on Sundays and it is a neat sight to see students of all ages coming together with a dream for themselves and families. Within a normal “school day Sunday”, each student remains with their same classmates  and rotates to the different subjects given by different teachers from El Faro and the community. At the end of each Sunday, they have a small devotion focusing on values that can help them in their personal lives.

There are many stories of the students and the struggles that detained them from continuing their education. Girls who are needed at home during the week to help care for the house and don’t have the money to travel to another village, a woman who got pregnant too early in life and had to leave school to raise her baby, and the list goes on. One unique story is that of Daniel.

Daniel is an employee at El Faro who is 29 years old. Growing up his family lived and worked on a farm in the village of Santa Maria. He was a very good student and was awarded a scholarship on behalf of the farm to travel four hours each Saturday to a city called Chiquimula. He was in his last year of primary school when the farm closed unexpectedly and his family was left without a home, work, and Daniel’s scholarship was suspended. He was forced to begin working at the age of 14 in order to help provide for his family. Years later he was the only one of the El Faro employees who never finished school to stand up and persevere.

It is for people like Daniel that this academy was started at El Faro.  He is the oldest student in his class and although sometimes embarrassing and uncomfortable, he is overcoming and and making something of himself.

Many of the students who are in the academy still have many responsibilities with families of their own and work throughout the week. They are only able to study at the El Faro Academy because they are being supported by scholarships generously given at the beginning of the year through our education campaign. We are truly thankful for those who believe in the power of education and we are already seeing results and dreams coming true. Thank you for helping people like Daniel who believe is the first of many to be examples to their entire community.

If you are interested in helping the El Faro Academy, please contact Luis Pedro at misiones@fundacionephraim.org