| Frequently Asked Questions |
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Don't see your particular question? Email it to coed@fuse.net. |
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 Why Guatemala?
Guatemala has one of the lowest literacy rates in the Western Hemisphere. In some regions, nearly three out of every four adults cannot read or write. These staggering statistics are largely the result of an absence of fundamental learning tools: over 90% of schools lack textbooks and basic library books and fewer than 5% of children have ever used a computer.
In particular, CoEd projects serve primarily Mayan Indian communities that are plagued by systemic poverty, illiteracy and inequality. The vast majority of wage earners in the Western Highlands are subsistence farmers, earning less than $4 a day. In this region, educational attainment is extremely low—4.3 years on average. The statistic is much bleaker for indigenous women, who complete only an average of 1.8 years of schooling (The World Bank, “Guatemala: Poverty in Guatemala.” February 2003).
For those who do manage to receive an education, the lack of basic resources means that most Guatemalan schoolchildren graduate without the skills needed to get mid-level jobs and are therefore condemned to a life of ignorance, poverty, and discrimination. |
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 Why does CoEd work only in Guatemala?
We recognize that many developing nations would benefit from CoEd’s programs. However, our experience in Guatemala makes us best suited to remain in that country, at least for the foreseeable future. Expanding to another country—even a neighboring Central American nation—would require us to adhere to an entirely new set of legal, accounting, and government requirements, not to mention a different culture and geographical area. This would significantly increase the cost of administering our projects and at this time, CoEd does not believe this is a fiscally responsible decision.
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 How can I help?
Simply click here to learn ways you can help the children of Guatemala!
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Why don’t you ship books from the U.S.?
There are several advantages to purchasing books in Guatemala instead of shipping them from the U.S.:
- The books are in Guatemalan Spanish with examples and subjects relevant to Guatemala.
- We purchase textbooks in large quantities and receive volume discounts from local publishers, so therefore it is more efficient to purchase the textbooks in-country because shipments of donated books are very expensive.
- It supports the Guatemalan economy to purchase from local publishers.
If you have used books available for donation, please consider visiting Books for Africa’s website at http://www.booksforafrica.org/.
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How much of our donation goes directly to the kids?
88 cents of every dollar donated to the project goes directly to the children of Guatemala. The additional 12 cents that goes to “administrative costs” is used to help implement all CoEd projects, assure that sound accounting and legal practices are in place and that the organization implements adequate long-term planning and leadership. We pride ourselves on being good stewards of our supporters’ donations because we realize you trust us with your hard-earned income. |
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 What good does it do to “throw money at the problem”?
Financially supporting our projects is actually one of the most efficient ways for you to help the children of Guatemala. When you donate to CoEd, you are not just “throwing money” at a temporary fix because CoEd’s programs are designed for long-term sustainability, thanks to our innovative “revolving fund” model. With this model, we help each school set up a rental program whereby it rents its books to its own students for a small fee each year. The fees are put into a revolving fund, which is used to purchase a new set of books when the original ones wear out.
Once the textbook projects are established, they become self-financing in perpetuity. Furthermore, since the communities are involved in every step of the process, including the management of the projects once they are up and running, their long-term success is virtually guaranteed. This system gives the local people the pride, confidence and dignity that come from helping themselves.
With our 11-year track record and proven, sustainable projects, CoEd has the experience and resources required to best utilize your donation.
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Would CoEd like contact with other groups working in Guatemala, education, etc.?
If they are working in secondary education in Guatemala in the region we serve, we’d be happy to talk to them. Otherwise a collaboration may not be the best fit.
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 What are the trips to Guatemala like?
Click here to learn more about Guatemala Project Tours.
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Does CoEd provide speakers for groups to learn more about Guatemala?
Absolutely. CoEd can offer your school, church or group a multi-media presentation by a trained member of our Speakers Bureau. This presentation will educate your group on the plight of the poor in Guatemala and what CoEd is doing to end the cycle of poverty through education. Click here for more information about our Speakers Bureau.
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 Do you offer scholarships to any student in Guatemala? Can I sponsor a specific student?
Our Scholarship Program benefits 30 students at a secondary school in Santiago, Sacatepéquez. If you would like more information about sponsoring a student in this program, please click here. Unfortunately, we cannot provide additional scholarships to any other students at this time.
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 Can I see profiles of students that my money is supporting?
Absolutely. A recent independent evaluation of CoEd by Marroquín University in Guatemala City documented the lives of many individuals who benefit from your support. For some of their stories, click here to read “Personal Stories from CoEd Projects.”
For more stories or a complete report on this evaluation, please contact coed@fuse.net or 513-731-2595.
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Do you evaluate your projects to determine what kind of impact they have on the recipients?
Yes. CoEd projects were recently evaluated by independent researcher Marroquin University. Click here for a selection of statistics from this report.* If you would like to read profiles of individual beneficiaries, please visit “Personal Stories from CoEd Projects.”
CoEd is currently in the process of the second phase of this evaluation, which involves interviewing graduates of our textbook and computer center programs. The results of this study will be available in late 2008.
Additional evaluations conducted by CoEd include:
- Interviews with teachers at our textbook project schools within 3 months of receiving the books to determine the impact they are having on teaching and learning in the classroom.
- Standardized pre- and post-tests to measure technological skills for all computer center students.
*For the complete evaluation report, please contact coed@fuse.net or 513-731-2595.
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