This year, our Project Apoyo team has embarked on a mission to visit the home of each student in our sponsored Kindergarten (Prepa) class. These are amazing days where we get to meet the student’s family, take a tour of the home and generally just get to know and understand the student better. Each trip, we’re accompanied by Steph Esprester, Sponsorship Coordinator with our educational partner, the Education for the Children Foundation (EFTC). Here is her heartfelt recap of our visit with Marcos, the comedian that lives in Alotenango.

Driving along the highway south of Antigua, the city starts to fade and the countryside open up. It takes about 35 minutes to drive from the School of Hope in Jocotenango to the town of Alotenango. It sits between 3 volcanoes, including Fuego Volcano, which experienced a massive eruption on June 3rd, 2018.

The drive is calm and relatively quiet, with directions given by Ana, the mother of one of the students at the School of Hope. We park the car and start walking through a maze of alleyways to arrive at the front door of their family home. Upon entering the home we are greeted loudly and proudly by Marcos, who is 6 years old and in Kindergarten class at the School of Hope. He is beaming to see us, and the home visit begins with some friendly chats and jokes from the little comedian.

Although only 6 years old, Marcos knows a lot about the world around him. He shares with the group all the things he likes to do in his home including play with his cats, swinging around on the clothesline poles and telling jokes with his mother, grandmother and older sister, Vanessa. They are all too familiar with his charming charisma and positive outlook on life.

Marcos’ home is relatively large comparatively to other students. Comprised of a kitchen area, bedroom, bathroom and open patio space, Marcos has plenty of areas to play in. His family is proud of where they live, and every area is clean and organized. When we arrived, Marcos’ mother brought us stools to sit on and glasses of water, and continually thanked us for the support to Marcos. Throughout the visit, Marcos was the star of the show, confident and boisterous in the way that he speaks and explains his life in Alotenango.

It was a privilege for us to visit the home of Marcos and his family, who were so welcoming to us and obviously so encouraging to Marcos in his education. Although he lives a significant distance away from the School of Hope, he always arrives at the front door with a smile on his face and a skip in his step. Understanding where he comes from and the conditions in which he lives is beneficial to getting to know him better and to see the daily challenges and situations he faces. It also shows the importance of the School of Hope in being a safe, welcoming space where students like Marcos can learn and grow, today and everyday.

Steph Esprester

Sponsorship Coordinator, EFTC