Elin Banessa Zelaya Ramirez

Elin is one of our smaller students but she makes up for her size with determination and excellent work habits. Early malnutrition leaves much of the local population smaller than their potential. In the first three months of school she has finished all but the last few sections of her work in Grade 8. By the end of March she will be starting Grade 9.

Another of our students, Blenda, also in Grade 8, told her about Centro de Enseñanza Fraternidad. At first she had concerns about our credentials but after she and her mother checked at the local education office, she was happy to come to our school.

The youngest of seven children, she is the only child to study beyond Grade 6. Her father does not read or write but her mother is studying Grade 5 with the Adult Educatodos program. She may also be a student of ours in a couple of years. Only two of her siblings have finished Grade 6.

Elin is excited about the speed with which she is progressing and hopes that by finishing Grade 9 this year she will have a much better choice of job opportunities. Her family and friends are all supporting her efforts and providing her with the dollar it takes for transport each day.

In the future we hope to have satellite centres in communities like Elin’s so that she will not have to travel to school each day. That will be an exciting step in our development.