Las Delicias del Jobo, Taxisco: the village, its 7 schools and what is still missing

Where is Las Delicias del Jobo, Guatemala?

Las Delicias del Jobo is a village (an aldea) in the municipality of Taxisco, in the department of Santa Rosa, on Guatemala's south coast. It sits about 90 km (56 miles) from Guatemala City, a little over two hours southeast by car, according to Prensa Libre.

In the 2018 census, the community of Las Delicias del Jobo had 322 households and 1,432 residents, according to the census-based dataset on unmet basic needs published by Segeplan, the government's planning office. If you have been to the beach at Monterrico, you have already been to Taxisco: the Monterrico nature reserve is in the same municipality (AGN).

What is the weather like in Taxisco and on Guatemala's south coast?

Hot all year, with heavy rain in the wet season. Near the Pacific coast, the average daily temperature stays around 26 to 27 °C (79 to 81 °F), and in the south of the country the rain is concentrated from May to October, according to the State of the Climate in Guatemala 2023 report from INSIVUMEH, the national weather service. Prensa Libre describes the village by its heat and its sugarcane fields.

For the children, that means walking to school on dirt roads in the sun or the rain, and some cross rivers to get there. The project's photos show the school's dirt yard flooded after a downpour. That is why shoes, sandals, caps and sunscreen are on the donation list.

How do families in Las Delicias del Jobo live?

Families here have limited resources. The sugarcane fields are an important source of work, but the harvest lasts about six months on average and income varies the rest of the year, Prensa Libre reported.

The census adds detail. In 2018, in Las Delicias del Jobo (Segeplan):

• 54.7% of households lived in structural poverty, measured by unmet basic needs, and 18% in extreme structural poverty.
• 37% of households were overcrowded.
• 12.7% lacked an adequate water supply, and 9% had inadequate sanitation.

Across the municipality of Taxisco, 64.9% of people live in poverty, compared with 56% nationally, according to Segeplan's 2023 municipal poverty maps. The same report puts Santa Rosa's poverty rate at 74%, one of the highest among Guatemala's departments.

How many schools are in Las Delicias del Jobo, and how many children attend?

Start with a Smile Project works with 7 schools, both primary schools and telesecundarias (public rural middle schools that use audiovisual lessons), attended by more than 700 children aged 6 to 16. The project's founder, Amalia Jarquín, was born in this village, earned a scholarship to train as a teacher at the Escuela Normal in Jalapa and came back to improve education for its children. She tells the story in Amalia's story.

Getting into primary school is not the main problem: in the census, the indicator for inadequate access to primary school flagged only 2.5% of the village's households. The trouble comes later. In Santa Rosa, only 7% of the high school seniors tested in 2025 reached the expected level in math and 24% in reading, according to the Education Ministry's test results. You will find more figures in our guide to rural education in Guatemala.

What has been achieved in the village schools?

With help from family, friends, volunteers, donors and partner projects, the schools of Las Delicias del Jobo have received:

• More than 4,000 notebooks.
• More than 100 desks and more than 120 other pieces of school furniture.
• Electricity, a kitchen, chalkboards and roofs.
• Fresh paint and toilets.
• Medical days.
• School supplies for about 500 children every year.

Deliveries and progress are posted with photos on Facebook and Instagram (@proyectosonrisas.gt), and you can see many more on our photos page.

What do the schools in Las Delicias del Jobo still need?

Here is what is needed right now:

• School supplies and backpacks.
• Desks.
• Shoes.
• Recess games for the primary schools.
• A computer.

The biggest challenge is building a proper secondary school, so more young people keep studying after sixth grade. In the project's photos, telesecundaria students sit at desks outdoors, next to an open-sided shed. Nationwide, only 27.5% of adolescents are enrolled in upper secondary school, according to UNICEF, citing Education Ministry data.

How can I help Las Delicias del Jobo?

1. Donate through GoFundMe. It is the project's personal fundraiser, so donations are not tax-deductible.
2. Pack school supplies if you are traveling to Guatemala: notebooks, crayons, markers, paints, backpacks and children's books in Spanish. Our guide to donating school supplies in Guatemala helps you choose.
3. Run a school supply drive at your school, club or office with our school supply drive guide.
4. Message us on WhatsApp at +502 5562 3313, by email at amaliajarquin@gmail.com or through the contact form, and we will arrange how to receive your donation in Antigua Guatemala.

There is more on the Help Las Delicias page and on How to help. With more than 700 children in 7 schools, every notebook counts.