Guatemala City
August 16, 2011

Two elementary school children enjoying the fiesta

Earlier this month, a group of folks from the Cincinnati area boarded planes and headed south to Guatemala City.

This was not your average getaway vacation. The travelers had, in many cases, never met each other. It didn’t matter — they had come together for a singular purpose: a desire to help Guatemalan school kids.

For five days in early August, the group of 27 traveled the highlands and mountains around Guatemala, visiting schools, viewing reading programs, and checking on computer labs set up by the Cincinnati based non-profit Cooperative for Education (CoEd).

Cincinnatians Mary Ann Brinkmeyer, Anna Kirwan and Mary Kirwan on Lake Atitlan

The most recent trip included large groups of people with ties to Summit County Day School and Thomas More College in Northern Kentucky.

CoEd has spent 15 years on the ground in Guatemala, reaching out to schools that often lack basic supplies and infrastructure for learning. Two Cincinnati native sons, Jeff and Joe Berninger, co-founded this NGO after they encountered the staggering need across the Central American country. The idea is sustainability. Instead of a one-time donation, textbook programs and computer labs are designed by CoEd to help children in a specific school for years to come. CoEd employs 35 people between the headquarters in Cincinnati and an office in Guatemala City.

A CoEd volunteer interacting with a student

As part of their work, the brothers run five day snapshot tours of Guatemala that serve as a chance for donors and tourists interested in service tourism to see CoEd work in action.

CoEd volunteers on the most recent trip had a chance to see a mix of elementary and middle schools in both rural and urban parts of the country. Each time the group visited a school, students and teachers put on a true fiesta, showcasing the programs, Mayan dances, songs, traditions and culture. It was a crash course in Mayan heritage, one that left a strong impact on the Cincinnati folks.

Elementary students during a presentation celebrating their heritage

Although many may prefer eco-tourism trips that include ziplining, mt. climbing, and riding ATVs, the Cincinnati crew found this experience to be priceless. And everyone was especially proud and pleased to know the CoEd organization started thanks to two Cincinnati boys.

We are lucky to be in their midst of kindness as they exemplify the true gift of life, the gift of serving others.

*To find out more about the Cooperative for Education please click HERE.

| | |