**Education Hope Opportunity Educación Esperanza Oportunidad**
_**The new school plaque**_
_**– A celebration of two great men with vision and determination**_
## _**They made El Liceo a reality!**_
## _**Report to the supporters**_
## _**October 2022**_
Our updated news of October 2022, will show the remarkable resilience and commitment of all who work in the school, and all who have the shared vision to ensure its survival and growth in spite of adversity.
2022 has been a challenging yet exciting year. We, the Trustees were keen to gain an overview of how things were progressing, and were delighted that one of our Trustees, Simone Riddle, was able to visit in March this year. Her full report is uploaded onto the Study Guatemala website.
## **Summary**
Christie, Eduardo Estrada’s wife, took over leadership of the school following his death due to Covid in June 2021. Coached and prepared for this eventuality by Eduardo, Christie completed her Masters in Leadership, a requirement of the education department, for her to become the school’s director. She then began her six-month course called ‘profesionado’, to become the legal director.
As she developed her role, she connected with other headteachers in Zone 5, a group of 30-50 senior leadership teachers, and a valuable resource of support for her in her new role.
## **Structural Improvements**
Since its’ original construction the building has been under constant review. The teachers and pupils take a great pride in its outward appearance and structure and maintenance.
The external building has now been repainted, and looks terrific. The problematic leaking roof, has now, after numerous attempts, been fixed, enabling full use again of the third floor.
The boy’s toilet facilities have been reconstructed having fallen into desperate disrepair (it seems the boys do not look after their facilities as well as the girls!). New urinals have been installed which in Spanish are called “mingitorios”. We the trustees smiled on learning this new word!
## **Health and Wellbeing**
The school was required to create a clinic for students that may get sick and need medical care. This is very well equipped and managed by Christie. The school are also very aware of the mental well-being of the students, most especially following Covid, and continue to offer significant input to children and families in crisis.
## **School numbers**
Since the time of Covid there have been changes in how to help students engage with their education. For many months, all education was virtual, with students who were unable to access their education on line, coming to the school on a Friday to collect course work and leave work for assessing. Students who were struggling academically were given the opportunity to go to the school and get supplementary support on Fridays. Attendance at the school through the autumn is mostly full time, a great improvement for teachers and students alike.
There are now 180 students in the school. The school has for many years established a tapered payment system to enable the maximum access to those children in most need. 145 of these 180 pay, although significantly less than other schools in the area (approximately $70-80 compared to the $20 monthly cost at Liceo Britanica)
35 students are on scholarships paid for by Study Guatemala.
Demand for places continues to be high.
## _**Activities 2022**_
Covid has continued to affect the face-to-face activities of the school for much of 2022. However, the creativity of the school staff has been outstanding, most especially shown in the September exhibition of projects at the school.
A few photos have been attached to this report, to give a flavor of all the work completed both in school and at home **.**
IT,,11
-ril,
_**Music**_ A new music teacher has been appointed and is teaching the students to read music- something other teachers haven’t done before. Students also have the chance to attend an extra session on Tuesdays to learn this, for a small additional fee. The band usually plays on Saturdays. We look forward to an update on the band for the annual report in January.
**2023 – new entrants** All new students for 2023 have been pre-registered students. The school is once again full, with 35 Scholarships being paid for by the Charity.
**Finances** The financial support we continue to receive from all our supporters, has been fantastic. It has been a hugely difficult year for everyone, so all donations have been even more important.
The annual Open Courtyard and Gardens event in Wirksworth took place this year for the first time since the pandemic. We were thrilled that we were able to donate £1500, which has made an enormous difference to our bank balance.
We would like to thank our trustee Peter Riddle. Not an active user of Facebook, Peter asked this year that his friends and family supported Study Guatemala for his birthday – he was staggered and thrilled that this raised £265! A fantastic unexpected boost.
Please consider this if you do use Facebook – we have found that it can be an unexpected financial bonus.
We have also registered Study Guatemala with #Easyfundraising which means that every time you shop in more that 7000 outlets, a small donation is made to our charity. Please take a look at the link below to see how this works. Every penny counts!!
https:www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/study-guatemala
## **Awards and Celebrations**
Alejandro Castro Ajalip from Third B, has received an award for excellence – she has been noted as the best student of the school, a special award only awarded if the school is invited to participate, and representing the whole Municipality.
## _**Honouring Eduardo Estrada**_
The ministry of education, have awarded a special honour to Eduardo for his longstanding service to education in Zone 5. This was a prestigious honour, and attended by Christie, Miss Jennifer (administrator) and the children at a ceremony in Antigua. The certificate is now framed and up in the school’s director’s office.
## _**Chair of the Trustees comments**_
I am enormously proud to have the honour of being the Chair of the Trustees of Study Guatemala. I have watched with awe and admiration as the Estrada family, and the teachers of the school, have worked tirelessly to continue to deliver the vision of Phil Melling and Eduardo.
Covid presented unimaginable challenges, yet the school survives and thrives, and the community of Zone 5 is a far better place for it.
Thank you to all of our supporters; without your financial backing, none of this would be possible.
Jane Aitman
Chair of the Trustees
Study Guatemala
Click on link to donate.
http://www.justgiving.com/studyguatemala
## **Study Guatemala**
## **Charity No: 1099834**
Receipts and Payments Accounts
For the period 01/05/21 to 30/04/22
|||**Urestricted**|**Total**|**Last**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|||**Funds**|**Funds**
|**Years**|
|||**£**|**£**|**£**|
|A1|Receipt||||
|Donatons and fundraising||£54903|£54903|£17677|
|Income|Just Giving|£813|£813||
|Bank interest||£0.22|0||
|**Total**|**receipts**|**£55718**|**£55718**|**£17677**|
|A3|Payments||||
|Transfers to Guatemala||£59130|£59130|£16088|
|Travel and meetngs,
||£0
|£0||
|Postage||£0|£0||
|Bank|charges|£0|£0||
|Just|Giving fee|£216|£216||
|**Total**|**payments**|**£59346**|**£59346**|**£16088**|
|Cash funds last year end||£4406|||
|**Cash funds this year end**||**£779**|||
B1 Cash funds **Lloyds £779** Signed by one trustee on behalf of all trustees
Signature Print name
Trustees Notes on annual accounts
Total income from Just giving £813 Total payments not made directly to Guatemala – £216 for Just giving payment
All money raised and donated paid directly to Study Guatemala.
Independert 8xarn(nef8 Statement I have completed my exaMinatn.
I confjmi th8t no material matt8rs hav8 Cm to my attention in connedion with th•
•XarnatlOn me cause to believe that in any m8terial respect..
. accounting record$ wer8 not kept in re&pect of the Trust as required by 88Ction
130 oflhe Act,. or 2. the accounts do not accord with th08è records." or
3. the accountJ do not ¢omply whh Ihe applicab requtrements ¢tsnceminy Iha fomi
and tr)ntsnt ofa¢¢ouTts set out in the Charit$ (Accounts Ind Reports) Regulat*)ns
2008 other than a+ry r8quir8m•nt that th8 arxUts give a'tru8 and Pdir view whth is
not a matter ¢on$kl•red as part ofan independènt examination.
I have no concems and have com8 across FK) Other matters in Connoction with the
•xaminatKJn to which Attention shoukl te drawn in thi* mport in order to enabl• •
pmper under3tandlng of tha accx)unts to be reach8d.
ntd.. Name..
18vant profrsslonol qualThlcation or mbernhiP ol prol*sional bodi96 lif gny)".
i % G1£j1,w IPKSWr)f