New Life with Education, a school for children with special abilities, it is located in the village of Santa Maria de Jesus, Guatemala.
In January 2000 the school, Nueva Vida, was founded for those with different abilities who were not allowed into public schools. It started in one room with one Guatemalan teacher and eight students. Three of those students had spina bifida, the others with muscular dystrophy, autism, Down syndrome, mental retardation and dwarfism. They were all studying on a kindergarten or first grade level.
The school’s vision is for the children to see themselves in God’s eyes, to know He loves them and has a purpose for their lives and to help them obtain that purpose. They want them to become productive adults who have a strong personal relationship with Jesus Christ as their foundation.
New Life is a licensed primary school and now has grades pre-kinder through sixth. The children are out in the street headed to school instead of hidden in their homes. Some reasons for their impaired learning are severe hearing or vision deficits, learning disabilities, or attention disorders. They are placed in classes of not more than ten students per teacher, some classes as few as four. Due to the students’ varied abilities, in 2010 there will be 1 kindergarten, 2 first grades and 2 second grade classes. Any child who cannot gain an education in public school may attend New Life. Most graduates of sixth grade are continuing to study.
To learn more about New Life, please visit their website.
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