GUATEMALA

The Need
The Impact
Guatemala Team
Guatemala Partners

THE NEED

Unequal distribution of income

The richest 20% of the population account for more than 51% of Guatemala’s overall consumption.          

59%

Population below poverty line.
23% are below the extreme poverty line (<$1.25/day)         

Violent crime

and drug trafficking are prominent, which generates an unstable atmosphere for children.

   

Nearly 50% of the population

is under age 19, making it the youngest population in Latin America.

   

*Sources: CIA World Factbook

THE IMPACT

Edify began operations in 2014.

We have impacted 49,095 students with a Christ-centered education.

Training

School leaders trained: 581  |  Teachers trained: 1,349

Loans

49 loans disbursed to 30 schools  |  Total loan capital (USD): $186,836

282

Total Schools Impacted

*Cumulative impact as of March 31, 2020

EDIFY TEAM IN GUATEMALA

Karla de Pineda,
Guatemala Country Director

Karla directed a bilingual Christian school as part of the El Shaddai Educational Foundation in Guatemala for 12 years and oversaw teacher training and supervision.  Karla also worked as an academic consultant to Culture & Education Corporation S.A., where she advised on integrating special needs students.

Karla is bilingual in English and Spanish and has an M.A. in Educational Innovation and a B.A. in Psychology and Pedagogy from Galileo University and the PanAmerican University of Guatemala, respectively. She has attended certificate-granting courses in Guatemala, the United States, and Israel.

José Antonio Pérez,
Christian Transformation Training Officer

José Antonio has served in education for over 14 years. For the past eight years, he served at El Shaddai Bilingual Christian School. From 2012-2017, he was the English Program Coordinator for pre-school, elementary, middle and high school students. Prior to this, he was the literature teacher for middle school students at El Shaddai Christian School. José taught English as a second language (ESL) and other advanced courses.

He attended Hillcrest High School in New York as well as continued his studies in dental hygiene and Liberal Arts at Hostos Community College in New York. From 2004-2009, he studied at Instituto Guatemalteco Americano (IGA) Guatemala earning certificates in ESL and Teacher training. He also has a SIT TESOL certificate from Vermont. José attended Universidad Da Vinci de Guatemala for further studies in teaching. He is married to Karen and they have one son, Jose Daniel who is six years old.

Abner Artemio Perencen,
Impact Assessment and Technology Officer

Abner Perencen joined Edify in January 2019. His role is to initiate and oversee the impact assessment process and to find education technology solutions for schools.

He previously served as an education technology facilitator in Guatemala, which is how he learned about Edify’s work. Before that, Abner served as a Learning Project Manager in a corporate setting, training executives to become more effective in their work.

Abner has a BA in Education and Instructional Design from Universidad San Pablo de Guatemala. He is passionate about designing learning experiences and training people.