Founded in 1997, Colegio Juan Wesley in San Cristobal Totonicapan, Guatemala has experienced rapid growth. There is a great need for an alternative to the public school system in this region, as there are only half of the needed public schools in Guatemala. This means that those who cannot attend public schools nor afford the expensive private schools are left behind.

Learn more about our Proposal to improve Colegio Juan Wesley to support needs

Colegio Juan Wesley is made up of 300 students - mostly from Quiche families of Mayan descent. The school's vision is to form men and women who are elements of social, economic, political, and religious change, and its mission is to provide an education that pays attention to the individual needs of the students, and create an alternative to the overtaxed public school system.

As a result of the school's apparent success in recruiting students, a Methodist facility in the area called Camp Shalom has already donated a third of its property for the construction of a new building for the school, much to the relief of parents, students, and school director and co-founder Karla Santiago. But money is scarce when it comes to accommodating the school's long-term vision of teaching elementary, junior high, high school, vocational training, and eventually university classes all on the same campus. Santiago states that the plan is to design the school in stages that function independently, allowing the school to build as it grows and as funds come in.

Stage one of the construction process will involve an expansion to ten classrooms and the addition of a vocational workshop and computer lab. Stage two will add 14 classrooms, a library, and a multi-purpose hall. Stage three, finally, will add another 14 classrooms and administrative offices for a future university.

These larger, more modern facilities are needed to serve more children in areas without educational opportunities - to provide kindergarten through college education, and academic and vocational opportunities such as wood shop, electrical shop, and home economics. "The school is low in maintenance and designed to last," wrote Engineering Missions International, an organization that drew up the architectural plans. "It maximizes the use of the land."

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