When School the World first arrived in Marina’s remote village in Guatemala, education was on shaky ground—literally. The local school had no real roof, no desks, and classrooms divided only by blankets.

Then a storm destroyed the roof—and that moment changed everything.

“We received a phone call that School the World was arriving with materials and tools,” Marina recalls. “All the parents wanted to help and we were happy.”

With concrete floors and real walls, the new school offered children a safer, more dignified place to learn. But the real transformation came after the building was done.

Through our Parent Engagement Program, parents like Marina began attending structured training sessions to learn how to support their children’s learning, advocate for their rights, and take ownership of education in their community.

“Before, parents thought that studying was not important,” she says. “But parents began to be a part. School the World helped us involve more parents. It was very successful!”

“Parent training has helped us a lot,” Marina continues. “Parents, children and young people are included. The purpose was to focus on the vision we had of how important school is. Because if there are no children, there are no teachers. We all had to be united. And that helped us.”

Since launching in 2011, the Parent Engagement Program has evolved into a five-year curriculum covering parenting skills, health and hygiene, early childhood development, literacy and numeracy support, and civic engagement. It’s designed to build confidence and leadership among caregivers—especially in rural communities where systemic support is limited.

To date, 14,142 parents across Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama have participated in this program.

This parent-led transformation was previously recognized by the Brookings Institution as a best practice, and inspired our Mayor’s Conference for Parents, where graduates of the program trained others through role-play and storytelling.

Marina’s story is one of many—proof that when parents are empowered, communities thrive.

Watch Marina’s Story
See how parents in her village went from bystanders to changemakers.

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