Difficult Decisions

By Rich Rice

As the sun was dipping behind the surrounding mountains, Freddy lowered his eyes to the ground and announced that he was going to drop out of school. I stared at him in disbelief as his eyes, then mine, filled with tears. The harsh reality of living in extreme poverty had caught up with this talented young man.

Freddy will graduate with honors from trecero basico (9^th grade) in October. He is one of the brightest students ever to graduate from Colegio Horeb - top in his class when he graduated primary school in 2013.  In basico (middle school) he continued to excel in his education, scoring nearly 100% in most of his course work.

Last year he had shared his dreams and desires with me proclaiming that he wanted to become a doctor or dentist. He set his sights on studying medicine in university then returning to his community to help his neighbors. I have had a chance to get to know hundreds of kids in the region, and Freddy is the real deal. A long time missionary once told me, “I try to help each of the children as best I can, but every now and then one comes along who you choose to bet the future on.” Freddy is like that. I refer to young students like Freddy as game changers. He has the ability to forever impact the lives and the future of his community.

I visibly watched the air get sucked out of Freddy’s hope and dreams for the future. 

His dad wants him to take a “rest” for a few years from his studies. As the oldest of five children, it was time for him to start contributing more significantly to the finances of his family. Completing 9^th grade had already far surpassed his father’s 1^st grade education.  What more could he possibly learn? His father told Freddy he would begin working with him on the coast – picking pineapple, sugar cane and coffee.

Freddy understands the consequences. Matter of factly he told me that if he did not return to school, his future would look much likes his father’s … away from home for months at a time working the crops. As his father followed the work in the fields, he had only been home a handful of times in the past year. He did not discount his father’s role and love for his family, but he had dreamed of something different.

Freddy admitted it would better for his brothers and sister if he worked and supported their future. As the oldest, he has a responsibility to those that come after.

The family is forced into making difficult choices ... food, shelter or education. If Freddy continued on in school, it would deny the family precious resources today. Freddy could take a “rest” from his education and provide resources to enable his siblings the opportunity of education. And it would be one less mouth to feed while he is away in the fields. Freddy is resigned to honor the request of his parents.

Families if Guatemala is frequently faced with these difficult situations. There is not a government program to turn to for help. The church is financially not prepared to extend help – it is full of families just like Freddy’s. But Freddy is a game changer. Any hope for transformation of a community like Cotzal rests in the hands of the next generation. Education is a pillar of hope.

WIND has offered the family another possible option to consider. WIND has offered Freddy the opportunity of a scholarship to continue on to a private high school. This will eliminate the financial burden which comes with education. We hope to find him a part-time tutoring job that would contribute a little money without going to the fields on the coast. Freddy’s future hangs in the balance; now we wait and watch to see what the next chapter reveals. 

www.WIND-Guatemala.org