Getting to know the Alotenango Carpentry School

As a local development specialist passionate about social issues, I was very enthusiastic when I received an invitation to visit the Alotenango Carpentry School.

The morning I visited Alotenango was a busy one. The main road was full of street sales, businesses, and buses. On a less noisy alley, I met Suzan Eleveld, a warm Dutch woman who initiated this heart-fulfilling and inspirational project 20 years ago.

She first showed me the vocational workshop with all the technical equipment that had been recently acquired. “Before, it took us longer to produce the items. Now, we also have woodworking safety equipment. Everything is here, in this closet, organized by the students, who are responsible for cleaning the space after each use”, she added.

She then showed me the second level of the building, where the master carpenter, Mr. Augusto, was already waiting for us with his current students, six young people between 16 and 19 years old. After a round of greetings and introductions, each student presented their work: coffee tables, jewellery boxes, and mirror frames,  among others. Each piece showed meticulous detail, worthy of an art gallery.

They also showed me photographs that not only registered each product’s process, but also revealed progress and higher complexity in design and techniques.

The pieces are not for mass marketing. This is a school, and each product is unique and the result of the Vocational Workshop, a two-year practical learning program on carpentry with hand tools and industrial machinery.

The school supports students with a monthly scholarship of Q 600 uniforms, industrial boots and safety kits, and also financial support to purchase their tool kit. For the school, the cost per student is Q23,046.23 per year, and they cover this amount through donations. This financial support is crucial to ensure attendance and participation.

The school offers different learning modalities. The basic level option, called “Artisan Workshop”, receives 40 students each year, who take classes twice a week in the mornings or afternoons, depending on their availability. The course lasts three months, and students learn to make lamps, tables or chairs. They make five objects each, of which they keep three and sell two, to raise funds for the school. At the end of the three months, a meeting is held with the parents who can see the effort of their sons and daughters and receive the product.

The young people in this school come from low-income families and pay according to their economic possibilities: Q5 for registration, and a monthly fee that is determined after a socioeconomic study.  They can even receive a full scholarship. Classes are taught from March to November.

The other modality is called “Intensive Students”, which covers children and youth who unfortunately do not study, but can create pieces and generate some income for their families. The school welcomes students aged 11 to 18 for the basic level and in each group, one adult can participate when there is a commitment to arrive all year round. Young people aged 16 and over can register for the advanced level.

In its 20 years of operation, this school has trained many students. Some have become wood professionals and have helped to provide economic support for their families, transforming their standard of living. In this school, values for life in general, discipline, honesty, responsibility at work and fellowship are also promoted.

My visit to the Alotenango Carpentry School ended around lunchtime. The students came to say goodbye with a handshake. Susan mentioned that they would return in an hour, but that in many cases, there was no food in their houses. We talked about other activities we could develop with the young, like a simple stroll around  Antigua, something that is not common for them, despite being very close.

If you are interested in learning about this experience and supporting these young people, or if you know people who would like to contribute to this project,  do not hesitate to contact the Alotenango Carpentry School! It urgently needs support to buy paint for the folding chairs, tables and benches made by the students of the Artisan Workshop, to be able to sell them.

Written by Sofia Escoto