Hope Renewed Preschool - Zone 3

 

[Google Maps - 2.9.21] DISTANCE FROM DUMP: 400 meters

As I am learning more about Guatemala I was intrigued by Kris’s blog post “Why we work in the “RED ZONES” of Guatemala City?” and wondered why is Guatemala City divided into Zones? So, I thought I would find out.

Guatemala City, founded in 1776 after the original capital was destroyed by an earthquake, is a planned city. It was designed with a central square and streets running east-west and north-south.

Migration from rural areas began to increase as people moved into Guatemala City, looking for work. This caused the city to grow, often with settlements made up of homes of corrugated iron, cardboard and plastic. (Like the ones many of our families live in)

By the 1940s, the rapid expansion made the old way of identifying locations and buildings cumbersome and unsustainable so city officials decided they needed a new system. In 1947 the city was subdivided into 22 zones, each one with its own streets and avenues. At that same time, the city adopted the location numbering system that is still in use today.

Addresses are assigned according to street or avenue number, followed by a dash and the number of meters it is away from the nearest intersection. For example, Hope Renewed Preschool’s address is 7A Avenida 29-45 Zone 3 - which means we are located on Avenida 7A, 45 meters away from the intersection with Calle (street) 29 in Zone 3.

Each Zone has developed its own unique characteristics. Some are very wealthy and others are some of the poorest and most dangerous (Red Zones) areas in Central America. Hope Renewed’s Preschool is in Zone 3. Zone 3 is considered is a Red Zone. In this zone you will also find Central America’s largest dump.

Our preschool is just 400 meters from the entrance of The Basurero (The Dump). Many of our preschool families work in the dump, making their living from the recyclables they can salvage and sell. Our preschool is serving children and families that live, work, love, study and play surrounded by stench and pollution that never goes away. While these conditions are something most Americans will never understand, what we ALL share is a love of our kids and the desire for a better life for them.

Mortgage Professionals Providing Hope (MPPH) has partnered with HRI since 2016 to offer parents a way to do just that! By enrolling their kids in an educationally sound, Christ focused preschool these parents are working to change the lives of their kids.

Hope Renewed Preschool has remained operational (virtual style) and the building continues to be used as a food distribution center for the community. We are so grateful to our partners and donors, that HRI can continue to offer HOPE to families in Zone 3. Check out this MPPH video for a glimpse of what life in Zone 3 looks like!

We look forward to the day when our kids fill the hallways at the preschool once again. Until then, our teachers are doing a great job connecting with families and supplying lessons for them to complete at home. We are working toward opening an internet station in the building where older students can come for free WIFI and continue their education (socially distanced of course).

Please consider donating toward the HRI Preschool and help us continue to show God’s love to these kids and their families while providing a hand up through educational support?