At first glance, Simsbury, Connecticut, and Guatemala might seem to be worlds apart. On a map, it certainly looks that way. But this didn’t stop seventh graders Elizabeth and Maddie from feeling inspired to make a difference for youth in another country more than two thousand miles away.
The girls first learned about the persistence of poverty in Guatemala while watching a documentary in school. In Guatemala, many students at Elizabeth’s and Maddie’s age find themselves in a generational cycle of poverty. The way out of that cycle isn’t always a straight path either—often filled with insurmountable obstacles, like financial barriers to education and limited access to resources in rural areas. In fact, only 2 in 10 Guatemalan students living in poverty graduate high school. Realizing how fortunate they were to have a quality education, Elizabeth and Maddie looked for ways to pay it forward and support youth in Guatemala. Through their research, they found out about the work that Cooperative for Education (CoEd) does to help break the cycle of poverty in Guatemala.
“While doing research, we found [CoEd] and felt strongly about supporting a student around our age because we believe everyone deserves the chance to get an education,” share Elizabeth and Maddie.
The two students reached out to us, wanting to start a fundraiser to cover the cost of half a scholarship for a student in the Rise Youth Development Program. Their plan was to create bookmarks inspired by Guatemalan textiles, which would be sold to raise funds for Nancy, a seventh grade student in Chimaltenango, Guatemala. Elizabeth and Maddie took the lead on this project, making and selling the bookmarks themselves, with a little help from their moms, who set up the GoFundMe page. As of their latest update from mid-May, the girls have already raised $345!
The work of advocating for education comes with its challenges, but when the going gets tough, we’re inspired by the determination of young people carrying on the torch of building a brighter future—from students like Nancy, who continue to follow their dreams in spite of the systems built against them, to supporters like Elizabeth and Maddie, who prove that you’re never too far or too young to care.
