Radio Preschool Program for Guatemala

Every Tuesday afternoon, Rainbow Cafe (a popular tourist/volunteer hang out in Antigua) hosts a nonprofit organization for an informal presentation on their work. We had the chance to hear from Radio Preschool Program for Guatemala, which has a good idea to help the little ones (ages 4-6), especially in more rural areas with limited access to education (that would be a lot of places here).

They were inspired by the UNESCO program, Radio Instruction to Strengthen Education (RISE) in Zanzibar and are piloting a similar program in Guatemala.

They load up a solar-powered radio with interactive lessons based on the national curriculum -- taking care to ensure the content is relevant to the kids' lives (for example, the characters might eat foods that the kiddos see often where they live -- no Gogurts here) -- and train facilitators within the community to use the radios for preschool lessons. I also really liked that the lessons incorporate both Spanish and the Mayan language that is spoken in a particular area. There are at least 22 distinct Mayan languages spoken in Guatemala, including Kachiquel, one that I've heard often in the areas we've been so far.

Among those presenting at Rainbow Cafe was the family who records the Aula Magica (Magic Classroom) programs. The parents and the kids each play characters in the story.

I've tried to embed a video below, but if it doesn't work on the ol' iPad, check out the links below to read more.

http://vimeo.com/62519185

www.letsbeready.org

Aula Magica (Magic Classroom) Preschool Education Program - Guatemala from Fotis Kanteres on Vimeo.