Yitrak Pingüinos is an elementary school which provides alternative education for marginalized children in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Mexico and surrounding communities. The school was founded on the principles of personal development and holistic education. The teaching staff gives individual attention to each student and promotes the mantras of respect and tolerance. The latter two are extremely important concepts, particularly in Chiapas, where there are often severe social and economic divisions between the indigenous population and the mestizo or “mixed” population.
Pingüinos makes an effort to maintain the student body’s socio-economic diversity by giving full scholarships to an average of fifty percent of their students. Thus, parents of students who can’t afford the yearly tuition (often single mothers) collaborate by participating in the Pingüinos educational community through cooking, cleaning, and crafts-making workshops.
Donations can be made just as any other donation to the IHF — click the donate button to the right. Please indicate “Pinguinos” in the box next to the donation amount on the paypal payment page.
To make monthly contributions, please go to Friends of the IHF
To make a designated donation, go to Yirtrak Pinguinos in the Catalog for Change
Check out this video of the kids in action!
