{"id":32436,"date":"2019-01-30T08:30:00","date_gmt":"2019-01-29T21:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures?p=32436&preview=true&preview_id=32436"},"modified":"2024-10-16T01:56:48","modified_gmt":"2024-10-15T14:56:48","slug":"casasito-guatemala-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/casasito-guatemala-education\/","title":{"rendered":"How CasaSito is giving rural Guatemalans a chance at education"},"content":{"rendered":"

A shroud of grey hovered above the ground, which would make the distance ahead a mystery if she hadn\u2019t memorised the way.<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n

The morning sun had yet to rise, but when it finally reached its seat on the horizon, the fog would dissipate and reveal the verdant hills of Guatemala\u2019s central highlands<\/a>. By then, Leticia would already be at work, dusting and washing and folding and sweeping, after a tiresome trek to the next town\u2019s bus stop to board the 6am departure.<\/span><\/p>\n

When the sun finally reached its place directly overhead, 14-year-old Leticia began her return journey. Back in Santiago Zamora, a small indigenous village overlooking Antigua, she arrived at the local school for the afternoon classes. The $90 per month she earned was enough to support her middle school education \u2013 something her parents desperately wished they could do for all five of their children.<\/span><\/p>\n

RELATED: FROM LANDFILL TO JUNGLE GYM: THE AMAZING STORY OF AN UPCYCLED PLAYGROUND<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

By her final year, Leticia had found more cleaning work at a more convenient location: a nearby school. It was there she met Chris, a teacher in her village who would change everything.<\/span><\/p>\n

Teacher Chris founded a scholarship program for students like Leticia to fund their school fees, encouraging them to focus on their education instead of work. And when she graduated from middle school in 2007, he referred Leticia to CasaSito Association\u2019s youth scholarship program, where she would become their first graduate.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A

Students at CasaSito.<\/p><\/div>\n

CasaSito<\/span> comes from the Spanish word <\/span>casa<\/span><\/i>, meaning home, and <\/span>Sito, <\/span><\/i>a small yet powerful motorbike engine. Before its creation, founder Alice Lee and her husband Greg worked in Guatemala and had fallen for its tender people, inimitable culture, and stunning landscapes. It\u2019s not difficult to imagine why; the country is known as the Land of Eternal Spring. They wanted to make a home \u2014 a haven for people to feel safe, free to be themselves \u2014 in the place they loved. And <\/span>Sito? <\/span><\/i>Something efficient, with a big impact, that just happened to be Alice\u2019s nickname.<\/span><\/p>\n

What began as a modest program for 28 students in urban Guatemala has developed into a success story for hundreds of students: in 2018 alone, <\/span>CasaSito<\/span><\/i> funded 150 students in rural villages and semirural towns to continue their education. With the idea that development happens outside the lines of a textbook, they\u2019re given plenty of opportunities to learn about the world, and themselves, beyond the classroom. Students are free to explore their interests with a range of extracurricular clubs \u2013 theatre, math, computers, debate, and English, just to name a few \u2013 alongside workshops and volunteering. Keeping in mind the often difficult circumstances students come from, the program<\/span> also provides psychosocial support for them and their families.<\/span><\/p>\n

But <\/span>CasaSito <\/span><\/i>is also a family that supports them.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A

Leticia in her shop.<\/p><\/div>\n

After graduation, Leticia went on to earn a degree in Business Administration; she was the first in her family to finish high school and<\/em> attend university. These days, she\u2019s busy putting her education to use \u2013 she owns a Guatemalan handicraft store herself. And she wants to give back to the <\/span>CasaSito<\/span><\/i> family that helped her get there. A percentage of Leticia\u2019s proceeds from her online store will be donated to the scholarship fund, helping the next generation finish their education and reach their greatest potential.<\/span><\/p>\n

For five years, The Intrepid Foundation<\/a> has been a proud supporter of <\/span>CasaSito<\/span><\/i>\u2019s programs, raising almost <\/span>AU $100,000<\/span>. \u201cThe Foundation\u2019s matching has made such a huge impact,\u201d Alice explains over the phone. Her tone, and the sincerity in her voice, suggest a smile has crept across her face. \u201cIt\u2019s motivation for us to work harder, knowing how much support we\u2019ve gotten. And it tells our other donors that you trust our work and our impact.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

RELATED: WHY PLANTING TREES WILL BE THE HIGHLIGHT OF YOUR ICELAND ADVENTURE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The trust is well-founded, too. <\/span>CasaSito<\/span><\/i>, in its fifteen years of existence, has shown unwavering dedication to their students, ensuring that each one is safe and supported. Last year, they achieved a 98 per cent retention rate \u2013 a number difficult to achieve in rural Guatemala. By offering partial scholarships, they<\/span> manage to keep parents engaged and committed to their child\u2019s education. Without some level of involvement, kids can easily fall out of the system and back into working before they\u2019ve completed school.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A

Celebrating in Guatemala!<\/p><\/div>\n

Across the 52 communities supported, over 1,200 hours were allocated to psychosocial services, helping improve the livelihoods of both students and their families. <\/span>CasaSito<\/span><\/i> scholars, too, gave back to their own communities, completing over 7,000 hours of volunteer work as a cohort \u2013 a principle Alice feels strongly about. \u201cWhatever we have, we should be able to share with others. I don\u2019t let them forget that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

And as The Intrepid Foundation moves towards a new focus – <\/span>improving livelihoods through sustainable travel experiences<\/span> – it\u2019s time to share their support with other causes too. Although the partnership is coming to an end in 2019, the life-changing work of <\/span>CasaSito<\/span><\/i> will continue: a brand new youth development centre is set to open in February. Every donation has made a world of difference to young people across Guatemala, and The Intrepid Foundation is proud to have helped match every one.<\/span><\/p>\n

Find out more about The Intrepid Foundation\u2019s current partners here.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

All images provided by CasaSito.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What began as a modest education program for 28 students in urban Guatemala has developed into a success story for hundreds. Here’s what it’s all about. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16146,"featured_media":32439,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[47],"tags":[275,68,306],"class_list":["post-32436","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-responsible-travel","tag-central-america","tag-guatemala","tag-the-intrepid-foundation","ipf_region-guatemala"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow CasaSito Is Educating Students in Guatemala | Intrepid Travel Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What began as a modest education program for 28 students in urban Guatemala has developed into a success story for hundreds. Here's what it's all about.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/casasito-guatemala-education\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How CasaSito is giving rural Guatemalans a chance at education\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A shroud of grey hovered above the ground, which would make the distance ahead a mystery if she hadn\u2019t memorised the way. The morning sun had yet to rise, but when it finally reached its seat on the horizon, the fog would dissipate and reveal the verdant hills of Guatemala\u2019s central highlands.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/casasito-guatemala-education\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Good Times by Intrepid\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/intrepidtravel\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-01-29T21:30:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-10-15T14:56:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/The-Intrepid-Foundation-Guatemala_CasaSito_Smile-e1548389599979.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"450\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Kira Day\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Intrepid_Travel\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Intrepid_Travel\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Kira Day\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/casasito-guatemala-education\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/casasito-guatemala-education\/\",\"name\":\"How CasaSito Is Educating Students in Guatemala | Intrepid Travel Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/casasito-guatemala-education\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/casasito-guatemala-education\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/The-Intrepid-Foundation-Guatemala_CasaSito_Smile-e1548389599979.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-01-29T21:30:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-10-15T14:56:48+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#\/schema\/person\/d1de4b9d3a1f38aaf8618dde529ab366\"},\"description\":\"What began as a modest education program for 28 students in urban Guatemala has developed into a success story for hundreds. Here's what it's all about.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/casasito-guatemala-education\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/casasito-guatemala-education\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/casasito-guatemala-education\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/The-Intrepid-Foundation-Guatemala_CasaSito_Smile-e1548389599979.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/The-Intrepid-Foundation-Guatemala_CasaSito_Smile-e1548389599979.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":450,\"caption\":\"A young smiling woman with a pen and paper\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/casasito-guatemala-education\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How CasaSito is giving rural Guatemalans a chance at education\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/\",\"name\":\"The Good Times by Intrepid\",\"description\":\"adventure news\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#\/schema\/person\/d1de4b9d3a1f38aaf8618dde529ab366\",\"name\":\"Kira Day\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/42c9fe6601dcc2b43e45fe47e39c16fcf9b18f61d96dc491607625fb312896e7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/42c9fe6601dcc2b43e45fe47e39c16fcf9b18f61d96dc491607625fb312896e7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Kira Day\"},\"description\":\"Just an American girl trying to keep her voice down abroad so no one asks me about my president. I\u2019m a Sriracha lover, Will Shortz devotee, and avid list maker. I laugh at my own jokes and need a stool to reach anything in my kitchen. I thought I had a stomach of steel until India humbled me. I often feel like a fork in a world of gazpacho, but then I remember I don\u2019t like gazpacho anyways.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/author\/kira-day\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How CasaSito Is Educating Students in Guatemala | Intrepid Travel Blog","description":"What began as a modest education program for 28 students in urban Guatemala has developed into a success story for hundreds. Here's what it's all about.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/casasito-guatemala-education\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How CasaSito is giving rural Guatemalans a chance at education","og_description":"A shroud of grey hovered above the ground, which would make the distance ahead a mystery if she hadn\u2019t memorised the way. The morning sun had yet to rise, but when it finally reached its seat on the horizon, the fog would dissipate and reveal the verdant hills of Guatemala\u2019s central highlands.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/casasito-guatemala-education\/","og_site_name":"The Good Times by Intrepid","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/intrepidtravel\/","article_published_time":"2019-01-29T21:30:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-10-15T14:56:48+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":450,"url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/The-Intrepid-Foundation-Guatemala_CasaSito_Smile-e1548389599979.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Kira Day","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Intrepid_Travel","twitter_site":"@Intrepid_Travel","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Kira Day","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/casasito-guatemala-education\/","url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/casasito-guatemala-education\/","name":"How CasaSito Is Educating Students in Guatemala | Intrepid Travel Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/casasito-guatemala-education\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/casasito-guatemala-education\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/The-Intrepid-Foundation-Guatemala_CasaSito_Smile-e1548389599979.jpg","datePublished":"2019-01-29T21:30:00+00:00","dateModified":"2024-10-15T14:56:48+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#\/schema\/person\/d1de4b9d3a1f38aaf8618dde529ab366"},"description":"What began as a modest education program for 28 students in urban Guatemala has developed into a success story for hundreds. Here's what it's all about.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/casasito-guatemala-education\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/casasito-guatemala-education\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/casasito-guatemala-education\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/The-Intrepid-Foundation-Guatemala_CasaSito_Smile-e1548389599979.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/The-Intrepid-Foundation-Guatemala_CasaSito_Smile-e1548389599979.jpg","width":800,"height":450,"caption":"A young smiling woman with a pen and paper"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/casasito-guatemala-education\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How CasaSito is giving rural Guatemalans a chance at education"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/","name":"The Good Times by Intrepid","description":"adventure news","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#\/schema\/person\/d1de4b9d3a1f38aaf8618dde529ab366","name":"Kira Day","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/42c9fe6601dcc2b43e45fe47e39c16fcf9b18f61d96dc491607625fb312896e7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/42c9fe6601dcc2b43e45fe47e39c16fcf9b18f61d96dc491607625fb312896e7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Kira Day"},"description":"Just an American girl trying to keep her voice down abroad so no one asks me about my president. I\u2019m a Sriracha lover, Will Shortz devotee, and avid list maker. I laugh at my own jokes and need a stool to reach anything in my kitchen. I thought I had a stomach of steel until India humbled me. I often feel like a fork in a world of gazpacho, but then I remember I don\u2019t like gazpacho anyways.","url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/author\/kira-day\/"}]}},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/The-Intrepid-Foundation-Guatemala_CasaSito_Smile-e1548389599979.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4OQMK-8ra","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32436","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32436"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32436\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":77878,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32436\/revisions\/77878"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32439"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32436"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32436"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32436"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}