How Improved School Infrastructure is Transforming Education in Rural Guatemala

BY: Misty Lopez

For years, students at Caserío Tizamarté Primary School in Chiquimula, Guatemala, attended class in a structure that had outgrown its purpose. The building was aging, the bathroom facilities were inadequate, and the growing number of enrolled students meant the space simply couldn’t keep up.

That changed through a collaborative project between Seeds for Progress and Fabretto Children’s Foundation. Today, 219 students, nearly evenly split between boys and girls, walk into classrooms that were designed with their learning and well-being in mind.

Expanding Access to Education in Guatemala

Two new classrooms now replace the previous structure. The spaces feature granite flooring, secure glass windows, and desks for daily use, giving students a safe, well-lit environment to learn and collaborate every day.

Beyond the physical upgrades, the expanded capacity means the school can better serve its community. For the 2025 school year, enrollment stood at 219 students (112 boys and 107 girls), all of whom now have access to the quality learning environment they deserve.

Before and after schools — Tizamarté Primary School classrooms, before and after renovation

Prioritizing Student Health and Dignity

One of the most impactful parts of this project was the construction of a completely new sanitation facility, built from the ground up with a modern biodigester system for safe wastewater management. The completed facility includes:

Five washable toilets: one for boys, two for girls, and two adapted for individuals with disabilities
Newly constructed urinals
Durable concrete handwashing stations in both the boys’ and girls’ areas
A complete potable water, drainage, and electrical system

Better hygiene facilities translate directly into better health outcomes for students. When children aren’t getting sick from inadequate sanitation, they stay in school. And when they have access to clean, private, dignified bathrooms, they feel respected, and that confidence carries into the classroom.

Before and after bathrooms — The school's new sanitation facility, replacing the previous structure

Built Through Collaboration

Transforming the educational reality of a community like Tizamarté requires dedication and strong collaboration. Seeds for Progress, Fabretto’s Impact Partner in Guatemala, provided the methodological accompaniment that grounds the school’s educational programming. The infrastructure work was made possible through additional support from the Embassy of Japan, the Municipality of Camotán, and the Roviralta Foundation, which together contributed construction materials, technical supervision, specialized labor, and classroom equipment.

It’s a model that works: one partner strengthening the educational approach, others investing in the physical spaces where that education happens.

Architect oversees Tizamarté School — A municipal architect oversees construction of new classrooms and bathroom facilities at Tizamarté Primary School

Looking to the Future

When students have well-equipped classrooms and dignified facilities, the ripple effects go far beyond the school walls. They build confidence. They stay enrolled. They develop skills that open doors for their futures and their communities.

This is what investing in education infrastructure looks like in practice, and it’s the kind of work Fabretto is committed to continuing across Central America.