In Guatemala, more than 50% of the population lives below the poverty line and half of all Guatemalan children under the age of 5 are malnourished. For people with scarce resources, access to quality healthcare and education is nearly impossible.
This struggle is magnified for those in Guatemala who live with a disability who often face discrimination due to misconceptions about disability in the country. According to a 2005 Guatemalan survey on disability, only 10% of children with disabilities concluded primary school, 77% did not have access to rehabilitation services and 53% could not read or write.
Exclusion from education not only has social and emotional impacts, but also leads to lower employment rates and a higher vulnerability to poverty. Given that over 10% of the population lives with a disability, the need for inclusive education and programming is urgent if the country is to meet the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
With this in mind, Ryan’s Rays has partnered with Absolute Results Foundation who work closely with Hope of Life International, an organization who has been serving the needs of hundreds of thousands of Guatemalans for over 30 years. It is in the mountains that Hope of Life calls home that Ryan’s Rays is funding our first project in Guatemala:
- Constructing and outfitting of the first Special Needs Education classroom at Liberty school in Zacapa.
- Funding of the operational costs of the Special Needs Education classroom including training, teacher’s salaries and occupational therapy costs.
