The historic marginalization of rural Mayan communities coupled with Guatemala’s Civil War has led to trauma, extreme poverty, inequality, and lack of access to essential services and high-quality education. In Guatemala, 1 out of 5 children drops out of school by age 6.  In addition, half of children are chronically malnourished, and in rural indigenous communities the literacy rate is just 46.1%. 

One Day’s Wages partnered with Planting Seeds International (PSI) to improve access to high-quality early childhood education in Sacalá las Lomas, San Antonio de Tioxya, and San Lucas Sacatepéquez, Guatemala. Through partnership, PSI expanded the services offered at rural preschools and turned them into comprehensive early childhood centers.  The preschools also offered healthy meals during school days, community lending libraries, teacher and parent trainings, and reproductive and sexual health workshops for families.  By actively engaging family members, parents are now better equipped to support their children’s learning outcomes.