Pura Vida Turns Guns and Bullets into Books and Opportunity
 For thirty-six years Guatemala suffered through a brutal civil war. Literally tens of thosands men, women, and children were killed at the hands of a brutally repressive military. In 1996 this conflict finally ended and as part of the peace agreement the government agreed to turn former miltary bases into educational complexes.
One of the most notorious of these military bases was Pedro Molino. This base has now become a public education center where 1200 high-school stduents from rural villages come to be trained as teachers. It is a truly remarkable change from an institution of death and destruction to one of hope and opportunity.
 Unfortunately, like most such institutions in Guatemala, resources or scarce. Child Aid along with its partner PROBIGUA has begun a library at Pedro Molino but it is poorly equipped. This is where Pura Vida had stepped in to offer help to those long suffering people who are bravely studying and working to make the future of their communities brighter.
Through Pura Vida's support, the library at this former military base will be turned into a center of learning. Students being trained as teachers will have access to books, the internet, and courses in teaching literacy. They will be able to go back to their villages with skills that will literally change the lives of thousands of children.
Children who, for the first time, will have well trained teachers from their own communities. The impact is far beyond the dollars and cents contributed. It will provide useful skills for generations to come and help the children of the rural poor to break the cycle of poverty. It is a remarkable and powerful gift. Once a campus for training killers, it now trains future leaders of the Mayan people and, hopefully, a democratic country.
|
