How a Box of Crayons Travels 2,000 Miles: Getting Supplies to Children in Guatemala
A box of crayons does not seem particularly remarkable. Neither does a package of pencils, a stack of notebooks, or a children’s book.
But getting educational materials from donors in the United States into the hands of children in San Andrés Itzapa, Guatemala, requires a surprising amount of coordination.
Throughout the year, supporters and volunteers collect Spanish-language children’s books and useful classroom materials. The items are sorted and prepared for shipment, with books selected both for individual children and for use by teachers and schools.
Then comes the interesting part: getting everything to Guatemala.
From Florida to San Andrés Itzapa
Once enough materials have been collected, they are packed into large shipping boxes. A typical shipment can contain hundreds of books along with classroom and school supplies.
The boxes are picked up in South Florida and begin a journey that takes approximately a month before reaching San Andrés Itzapa.
Shipping is one of the project’s largest expenses. Sending a heavily packed box to Guatemala costs more than $300, so financial contributions toward transportation are every bit as important as the materials themselves.
When a shipment finally arrives, however, its contents begin a second journey.
From a Shipping Box to a Child’s Hands
Some books and materials are used at Niños Creadores de Historia. Others are shared with schools and children in the surrounding community.
Many of the books are given directly to students to keep.
That distinction matters. A book that belongs to a child can travel home, be read again and again, be shared with siblings, and become part of a family’s everyday life. Over time, individual books can help create something that is difficult to ship in any box: a culture of reading.
School supplies serve an equally practical purpose. Pencils, crayons, paper, notebooks, and other materials give teachers the everyday tools they need to make lessons more engaging and productive.
A Simple Way to Make a Difference
There is nothing complicated about a crayon or a children’s book. The impact comes from putting useful educational resources where children and teachers can use them.
That is what these shipments accomplish.
Supporters in the United States contribute books, materials, financial assistance, and volunteer time. Those contributions are combined, packed, shipped, and ultimately placed in classrooms and children’s hands thousands of miles away.
One box at a time, something very ordinary becomes an opportunity to learn.
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