Cooperative for Education
In the heart of Guatemala’s Central Highlands, the nonprofit Cooperative for Education (CoEd) operates with a crystal-clear mission: to help Guatemalan schoolchildren break the cycle of poverty through education. Since its founding in 1996, CoEd has reached nearly 300,000 students through its diverse and comprehensive suite of programs - supplying textbooks, the Spark Reading Program, establishing computer centers, and the Rise youth development program.
CoEd is guided by a powerful belief: education is justice - a tool to level the playing field for impoverished and marginalized children in Guatemala. Rather than treating symptoms, CoEd addresses root causes of poverty by investing in sustainable education initiatives. Their model relies on layered, contextually anchored programs and partnerships with local schools, parents, and governments.
Spark Reading Program tackles a stark challenge - over 1 in 3 indigenous Guatemalans are illiterate. Teachers receive training in literacy techniques and access classroom libraries. And students learn twice as much as peers in schools without this program.
The Textbook Program exists where 90% of rural middle schools lack textbooks. CoEd builds self-sustaining textbook rental systems so students don’t have to copy notes by hand all day.
Computer Centers give rural youth vital digital literacy with 60% of job openings needing tech skills. A remarkable 95% of program graduates go on to further education or employment.
Rise Youth Development is a game changer. Confronting the reality that only about 10% of rural Guatemalans graduate high school, Rise removes economic hurdles while cultivating leadership, life skills, and community engagement. Graduates become role models and catalysts for change in their communities.
CoEd is a unique international partner; their vital work in education overlaps directly with the very same communities that comprise our network of coffee producing partners in Guatemala. It is a helpful reminder that we are all interconnected, and every cup of coffee can have a positive community impact.