Build Bright Futures, Together
Fifteen years ago, the doors at El Patojismo opened to enrich and save the lives of at-risk children in Guatemala. To celebrate this anniversary, and because of the success of the JustWorld mission, we are happy to announce the groundbreaking for a secondary school, Centro de Oportunidades.
A very generous, anonymous donor has pledged to match your donation, up to $100,000, toward the construction of this much-needed facility.
Every donation received, today through the end of 2021, will be matched - dollar for dollar.
This is your opportunity to provide the bricks and mortar that will frame new classrooms where young minds will forever be positively impacted. This is your opportunity to outfit each classroom with the desks and materials students desperately need. Because of this gift, more children will graduate with a quality education, ready to enter university or prepared to secure career-based jobs. Your donation to this matching capital campaign will create a lasting, measurable impact in a country with very little resources.
JustWorld welcomed children of Guatemala and promised to provide an inclusive, safe place to learn, grow, and thrive. Over the past 15 years, these same students have graduated, entered university, and started their careers. This is the JustWorld mission at work. JustWorld donors have successfully helped to fracture a cycle of poverty.
El Patojismo has grown from a small after school program providing a safe haven to youth in the founder’s own home, to a fully accredited institution which provides a quality education and life-saving resources to thousands of youth and families in the community. El Patojismo is not stopping there.
The original school was designed for primary students only; it is now overflowing with students from Kindergarten to Grade 11. In order to continue the progress, the next plan for El Patojismo is to build a secondary school designed for the educational needs of upper school students from grades 7 to 11. The new school will continue to provide a supportive, inspiring community with a safe learning environment. More children will have the opportunity to graduate and build a brighter future for themselves.
TIMELINE OF JUSTWORLD SUPPORT IN GUATEMALA
2006
While working as a teacher in Guatemala, Juan Pablo Romero Fuentes saw his students struggling with drugs and gangs, issues that his own generation had faced. Therefore, at the age of twenty-three, Juan Pablo turned part of his family's home into a community center in Jocotenango, Guatemala. His intention, by opening his doors to children, was to create a shelter away from the everyday street violence, drug dealing and illegal activities that continue to plague a country recovering from a civil war.
He began tutoring and mentoring a handful of kids after school. Word spread quickly, and children from all over the community joined the group. “I created a safe place for them to realize that they actually can change bad aspects in their lives and their community,” explained Juan Pablo. “I wanted to give them a better present in order to attain a brighter future.”
2008
JustWorld began working with El Patojismo in 2008, providing funding to help Juan Pablo take his vision and grow. With the support of JustWorld and the global equestrian community, a new school was built to serve more children. El Patojismo, an accredited alternative education institution for hundreds of students in Pre-Kindergarten-Grade 11, incorporates a holistic approach by including a nutrition and health program as part of its daily offerings.
At El Patojismo, hundreds of students can study in a modern, progressive learning environment, develop valuable skills, and learn how to start their own businesses and careers. The Samuel-Sanford Family Performance Hall also serves as a healthy outlet for children to express themselves and to learn new trades such as music, dance and art, and the chance to perform in front of the entire community. The onsite clinic provides basic services such as check-ups, preventative care, and prescribed treatments.
2014
Recognizing the immeasurable impact El Patojismo has on its community, CNN awarded Juan Pablo a CNN Top 10 Hero award from thousands of candidates in 2014. This nomination earmarked a page in history for El Patojismo and JustWorld, symbolizing the positive change their relationship is making for children in Guatemala.
2020
Although El Patojismo was closed due to COVID-19 for 11 months of the 2020 school year, the work did not stop. Those students who had access to Wi-Fi received online instruction and the remaining students who did not have access to technology, participated in face-to-face teacher visits weekly. Not only were teachers able to continue to educate their students using innovative techniques, they also provided essential resources. They supplied and administered food, clean drinking water, and vital healthcare and delivered “dignity packages”, which included nutritional relief, supplies, and educational materials, directly to children and their families.
Through adversity:
A graduation ceremony took place at the JustWorld school in Guatemala to celebrate the first graduating class. Each of these students are equipped to either be accepted into university or employed with a career-based job.
“La Casa,” a new program focused on creating additional safe spaces and opportunities for female students was launched.
El Patojismo was selected by The Ministry of Health to administer vaccinations for the cities of Jocotenango and Antigua.
2021
As El Patojismo and JustWorld celebrate the fifteenth anniversary, they plan to expand their reach in the community. The original school was designed for primary students only; it is now overflowing with students from Grades 1 to 11. In order to continue the transformation, the next plan for El Patojismo is to build a secondary school, “Centro De Oportunidades,” which is designed for the educational needs of senior students. The new school will continue to provide a supportive, inspiring community with a safe learning environment off the streets.
The new school will provide a quality education with a core curriculum, which includes Math, Science, Accounting, Technology, and English as a second language, coupled with vocational training. Students will receive project-based learning with hands-on training in the areas of tourism, business development, and the food and service industry. More children will have the opportunity to graduate, pursue careers, and build a brighter future for themselves.