Escuela Kemna’oj, founded in 2013 through the visionary work of founder Joe Collins, provides education at no cost to families living in the Santa María de Jesús community.
Education is crucial to the future of Guatemala’s next generation. Most adults in our communities have not had the opportunity to attend school. Part of our mission is to educate their children as one of the pathways out of poverty.
Escuela Kemna’oj is located in Santa María de Jesús
Our current enrollment at Escuela Kemna’oj is 202 students. To allow the opportunity for more children in the community to receive an education we have increased the class size to a maximum of 20 students.
The majority of the parents in the community do not read or write and thus is the responsibility of the teacher to be of complete support to the child.
There are currently 18 Kemna’oj graduates attending high schools and vocational schools in Antigua and surrounding areas. Twenty of our proud students have already graduated from a high school of their choice. This is an important milestone as we believe that education is the key to unlocking opportunities for better employment and living conditions.
Joe Collins at Escuela Kemna’oj Opening.
Our teachers at Escuela Kemna’oj.