As a "non-profit-collective" we believe that the personal profit of a single person is not the most important criteria of our work. We think about our work as a foundation for peaceful development of our country. Because of this, we dedicate a portion of the profits to support several social and ecological projects in and around Quetzaltenango.

Distribution of Funds

The distribution of funds is as follows:

• Income of the teachers: 42 %
• Host family: 24%
• Taxes: 12 %
• Projects: 8 %
• Maintainance (rent, electricity, telephone, etc.): 7 %
• Activities: 7 %

Staying with a host family

Staying in a family gives the student the opportunity to practice what they have learned and to participate in Guatemalan daily life. We understand the homestay in a Guatemalan family together with our activities as essential parts of our total immersion program.

Our projects

Educación para los Niños

We believe that education is an important medium to encourage peaceful social change. Because of this we think that this project is our most important one. In order to go to school in Guatemala there are certain expenses. A lot of families cannot afford these expenses for some or all of their children. We support these families by paying the school fees and buying uniforms, books, and other materials. We also buy shoes and clothes for the children. In addition to this we invite these families to a special dinner every three months. Since 2002 this project is co-financed to a large extent by the German association Tob'anik e.V. which was founded by a German couple, ex-students of our school.

Here you can find out more information about this project and how you can help.

Ingles para los niños

As a foreign language school, we know how important it is to know a second language. Most English clases are offered in private schools and are very expensive. Because of this, most people can not study English. With the help of our students, we give English classes in a local public school for children aged 12 to 18. We teach several classes of about 30 children each. Also, we are sponsoring a volunteer English teaching project where people can come for a minimum of two months, live with a Juan Sisay family (paying US-$40 weekly), and participate in the school activities for free. They teach English to girls ages 9 to 13 in public schools during the week. The program runs from February to September.

Reforestación

This is a reforestation project in which our students plant trees in deforested areas outside of Quetzaltenango. Deforestation is a problem because it is still very common to use wood for heating, cooking and so on. Many trees are cut down for this purpose.

The seedlings and planting equipment that we use are purchased with money from the school.