open door policy
Over the years, Change for Children and our partners have supported education projects that extend beyond the classroom walls. Whether it’s solar-powered computer labs, libraries, clean water systems, or lunch kitchens, these investments strengthen entire communities.
LIGHTS OUT; SCHOOL OPEN
As students across Edmonton prepare for the final bell of the school year to ring, we’re celebrating the many ways schools help entire communities to thrive, recognizing that the impact of education projects isn’t contained within the confines of classrooms.
Recently, a power station explosion caused widespread outages across the Chicamán region of Guatemala, leaving many communities without electricity. As residents grappled with the disruption, the director of the Xecaguic school posted a simple message on social media: if the outages continued, community members are welcome to come to the school to charge their phones and power banks.
When the lights went out across the region, the doors of the Xecaguic school remained open.
Recently installed with support from Change for Children and partner, Mundo Posible, to support student learning, the solar panels became a community resource and the school became a place where families could stay connected, access information, and maintain a small sense of normalcy during an uncertain time.
The school’s solar energy system was still running.
It’s a reminder that schools are often much more than places where children learn to read, write, and solve equations. In many communities, they are gathering places, emergency shelters, meeting halls, and centres of connection.
