As mentioned in our initial blog regarding Escuela Rural Mixta Terrerito Matiak Foundation (ERMTMF), the school built on our family farm Finca Terrerito, one of the biggest barriers to entry for children attending school in Honduras is the distance between their homes and the nearest school. To determine just how badly a more accessible school was needed, Dana and Robbie Matiak from the Matiak Foundation set off on foot on the journey from El Caltatato, a village neighboring Finca T, to the nearest school. This journey took two grown adults an hour and 45 minutes to complete. Now imagine a 6-year-old making that journey alone on foot. It’s inconceivable.
Considering most families have no means of transportation, the only way children would be able to attend school would be to walk that journey alone in the early hours of the morning. Even walking with their siblings or friends, that trek would be riddled with dangers from wild animals to unpredictable rainstorms. Thanks to the Matiak Foundation’s partnership with Finca Terrerito, we’ve been able to close that physical barrier, making the one-way journey a mere 15 minutes for the majority of students.
Of course, distance isn’t the only barrier to entry for children attending school. In Honduras, formal education is not seen as a necessity. Most parents foresee their children following in their footsteps in the farming industry (a valid assumption considering that out of the 9.2 million people in Honduras, 40% work in the agriculture field) so they value the hands-on experience they can give their children at home over the formal education they would receive in a classroom setting. This might seem confusing to those of us born and raised in the US where education is essentially a given. We know when we’re 5 or 6, we’ll attend kindergarten and continue to stay in school for at least the next 13 years of our lives. This is not the case in Honduras. Because of this, ERMTMF has decided to include agriculture at the core of their curriculum.
Students at ERMTMF will still learn the basics of math, literature, and science, but on top of that, they will deep dive into the science of agriculture. When a student joins the school, they will assist in planting their very own citrus tree on the school grounds. That student will then tend to that tree until it is ready for harvesting. After their harvest, the students will be educated on how to properly price their bounty when putting it up for sale. By teaching them how to calculate price based on cost of materials, labor costs, etc., the hope is that if they do go into the agriculture business, they’ll have the knowledge base to avoid buyers who want to take advantage of them and will have the tools needed to grow a successful business.
What's Next?
Next up on our to-do list? A playground! Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, found that elementary school children who participated in recess were less likely to have behavioral issues inside of the classroom. Further studies have shown that kids who play outside not only have better vision and more creativity, but also are more inclined to have a positive attitude toward inclusion and less feelings of isolation. A playground will give students a chance to build imperative skills like being a team player, imagination, creativity, and problem solving. And from a more sentimental aspect, a playground will give the students a place where they can let loose and just be kids. After all, every child deserves to hear that one magical word: “RECESS!”
Stay tuned to the blog for updates on the school and playground. You can also follow along on Facebook or Instagram.
If you feel compelled to donate directly to The Matiak Foundation to assist with the updates to the school, you can do so here. Thank you!
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