The Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic has affected countries, communities, and organizations everywhere. Guatemala, The Little Mountain School, and GEO are no exception. After the first death from Covid-19 in Guatemala in March, the government immediately closed all schools, including The Little Mountain School in Joya Honda. The safety of our students, staff, and their families is of utmost importance to us. Per the recommendation of the United States government that all citizens currently abroad return home, our English teachers, Molly and Zuri, flew back to their home states of South Carolina and Kentucky to work remotely until schools are able to reopen.

Our school’s (temporary) closure has meant that our students cannot come to class, see their teachers, enjoy their meals, and play with their friends as they had been. But our work continues. Though we can’t hold classes and host meals as usual, we are committed to continuing our involvement with our Joya Honda community through education and nutrition.

Our staff has created a YouTube page specifically for virtual learning, and our teachers upload videos of their lessons regularly. Our Spanish teachers have been creating worksheets and curriculum packets for our students to complete at home, delivered to them by Fr. Miguel along with additional learning materials. Our English teachers have been sharing other learning videos and online resources on our social media pages. Additionally, our staff has been collecting and handing out food for our students’ families to prepare at home.

Our expenses continue, as we are still paying our staff their full salaries and our building maintenance and costs have not decreased. We greatly appreciate any and all donations at this time, which will help us keep up our work during this pandemic. We look forward to and are preparing for reopening The Little Mountain School as soon as the Guatemalan government allows. Until then, we will not stop doing all that we can for our students.