Photo Story: Cantón San José School Completion March 2022

Parents and community members come together to welcome the Pencils of Promise team and Air Plant Shop team.

Between the classrooms and bathrooms there is a cistern for the original hand washing station (so now there are two after the PoP build). The community got creative and made a small table with stools out of old tires!

A breezy hallway connects the classrooms – a very necessary feature as it gets extremely hot in this region.

An inside look at the final product – just imagine it filled with children learning. This is why we do it!

Another view of a classroom.

The teacher's desk and an EcoFiltro which is provided to each school by PoP. EcoFiltros are silver-enhanced ceramic filters designed by Guatemalans that remove turbidity and 99.99% of harmful water-born pathogens.

A teacher gave a quick speech about their implementation of PoP's WASH program and how impactful it has been. WASH stands for water, sanitation and hygiene – part of the program includes building bathrooms, distributing water filters and educating students and communities on healthy behaviors.

A fundamental aspect of the PoP school builds is the hand washing station. Clean water and soap is not a guarantee in rural Guatemala. Air Plant Shop is proud and humbled to help provide one aspect of the human right of hygiene to the community.

There are four bathrooms located adjacent to the classrooms. One of the bathrooms is wheelchair accessible.

The school playground!

Community members support is vital to the initial build and continued success of a PoP school build. PoP believes that this "collaborative approach is key to the long-term success" of the education programs, and "ultimately public school teachers and their students".

Keep an eye out on the blog and our Instagram @airplantshop_usa or Facebook @airplantshop for more updates and photos!