Rosa Christina is taking the Chef program at the trade school INTECAP.
It is a one year course where she attends college 3 days a week. The course is across Lake Atitlan. It is quite a journey to get to Chef school. She rides in the back of a truck from her village to the lake, then takes a 40 minute boat ride across the lake to Panajachel. From Panajachel she must walk 1 and 1/2 miles to the bus to Solola. From Solola she takes another bus to the college. Just getting to school is quite the commitment, takes around 90 to 120 minutes and costs $11 for a return trip.
The college course is very impressive and takes place in a wonderful facility. However in Guatemala you often have to supply everything you need in a course.
As a result, we needed to supply Rosa with All her equipment from uniforms to bowls, to pots to knives. This cost more that $1000. The next step is purchasing the weekly food for the course. This can cost from $80 to 120/ week.
Finally Rosa will need to do practicums at restaurants or hotels anywhere in Guatemala. You very quickly realize why only the wealthy or those with a scholarship can attend higher education. Luckily we are helping Rosa and she is loving the course.
She is also coming back to the village and sharing her recipes. The grade 6 students are all going to be receiving a citrus tree though our garden program and Rosa is going to be teaching the grade 6 students how to make marmalade.
