The First Secondary School Built in the Valley of Santa Catarina Ixtahuacan

It was quite a sight to witness the gathering of all of the families, the Community Development Committee, and the teachers of Xeabaj I and Xeabaj II as they met to discuss the future of the Secondary School being constructed in their local community, a resource that will ensure that students there have access to secondary education and the technical training that is crucial for access to more job opportunities and a better future.

The meeting was filled with a bustling discussion of window casings, roof installation details, and a construction planning timeline, all the while AMA staff worked to ensure that all steps follow our appropriate technology construction plan, and all decisions were reached via community consensus.  Though a long process, the whole community is invested in this project, working to build not only a school with their own hearts and hands, but through that school a new level of education and hope for the next generation.

The project began this July, as members of Aldersgate United Methodist Church of Alexandria, Virginia, joined community members to build and quite literally “iron” out the foundation and first steps of construction with rebar, block, and fellowship.  If continued construction follows as planned, within about fifty days the students of Xeabaj I and II will have a roof overhead and windows through which to see their dreams become reality.