| Chajabal is one of several small remote village high in mountains above Quetzaltenago. Until recently, it was accessible by a dirt road, which during the rainy seaon often became nothing more than a slippery slope.
Education was available in the area, but only up to the sixth grade. Traveling to the larger towns to continue studies was nearly impossible, considering the distance, lack of transportation, and costs.
It was for those reasons that New Jerusalem Lutheran Church established a middle school, known as "básico" in Guatemala. The school opened with a 7th grade class, filled to capacity. The 8th and 9th grade were added during the following two years and each year all the classes were full.
Not long after the middle school was established, the church decided to add an elementary section. The school now operates grades 1-9.
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