Education in indigenous communities during school closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico. by Bénédicte Desrus

Headmaster José Manu...acute;nédicte Desrus

Headmaster José Manuel Cen Kauil, 31, opens the gate of the Ignacio Ramírez Calzada primary school, before meeting with his pupils in small groups, amid the coronavirus pandemic in the indigenous community of Celtún, Chichimilá municipality, Yucatán state, Mexico on May 3, 2021. The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted education for an estimated 90 percent of the world’s school children. In Mexico, schools have been closed since mid-March 2020 and the government switched the system to distanced learning or “Aprende en Casa” (Learn at Home), where students learn on television and the internet at home. However, due to the lack of internet connectivity and the barrier of the language, distance learning has been impossible for many children in isolated and impoverished parts of the country. Celtún is a rural, remote and indigenous community in the state of Yucatán, with no telecommunications infrastructure. There, to ensure continuity of learning to their students, teachers at the Ignacio Ramírez Calzada primary school Mary Carmen Che Chi and José Manuel Cen Kauil, prepare bilingual learning materials at their home and distribute it to their students every two weeks. Today, schools still remain closed in Mexico, but since September 2020, the two teachers have gotten the green light from their supervisor to run small in-person classes every two weeks at the school as the coronavirus pandemic continues. Photograph by Bénédicte Desrus

Teacher Mary Carmen Che Chi, 31...acute;nédicte Desrus

Teacher Mary Carmen Che Chi, 31, portrayed in an empty classroom, during school closure due to the coronavirus pandemic at the Ignacio Ramírez Calzada primary school in the indigenous community of Celtún, Chichimilá municipality, Yucatán state, Mexico on May 3, 2021. The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted education for an estimated 90 percent of the world’s school children. In Mexico, schools have been closed since mid-March 2020 and the government switched the system to distanced learning or “Aprende en Casa” (Learn at Home), where students learn on television and the internet at home. However, due to the lack of internet connectivity and the barrier of the language, distance learning has been impossible for many children in isolated and impoverished parts of the country. Celtún is a rural, remote and indigenous community in the state of Yucatán, with no telecommunications infrastructure. There, to ensure continuity of learning to their students, teachers at the Ignacio Ramírez Calzada primary school Mary Carmen Che Chi and José Manuel Cen Kauil, prepare bilingual learning materials at their home and distribute it to their students every two weeks. Today, schools still remain closed in Mexico, but since September 2020, the two teachers have gotten the green light from their supervisor to run small in-person classes every two weeks at the school as the coronavirus pandemic continues. Photograph by Bénédicte Desrus

Headmaster José Manuel Cen Kauil, 31, teaches a small class of pupils, ranging from ages nine to eleven-year-olds, amid the coronavirus pandemic at the Ignacio Ramírez Calzada primary school in the indigenous community of Celtún, Chichimilá municipality, Yucatán state, Mexico on May 3, 2021. The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted education for an estimated 90 percent of the world’s school children. In Mexico, schools have been closed since mid-March 2020 and the government switched the system to distanced learning or “Aprende en Casa” (Learn at Home), where students learn on television and the internet at home. However, due to the lack of internet connectivity and the barrier of the language, distance learning has been impossible for many children in isolated and impoverished parts of the country. Celtún is a rural, remote and indigenous community in the state of Yucatán, with no telecommunications infrastructure. There, to ensure continuity of learning to their students, teachers at the Ignacio Ramírez Calzada primary school Mary Carmen Che Chi and José Manuel Cen Kauil, prepare bilingual learning materials at their home and distribute it to their students every two weeks. Today, schools still remain closed in Mexico, but since September 2020, the two teachers have gotten the green light from their supervisor to run small in-person classes every two weeks at the school as the coronavirus pandemic continues. Photograph by Bénédicte Desrus

Two pupils wash their hands to ...acute;nédicte Desrus

Two pupils wash their hands to prevent the spread of COVID-19 before attending a small-in person class, amid the coronavirus pandemic at the Ignacio Ramírez Calzada primary school in the indigenous community of Celtún, Chichimilá municipality, Yucatán state, Mexico on May 3, 2021. The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted education for an estimated 90 percent of the world’s school children. In Mexico, schools have been closed since mid-March 2020 and the government switched the system to distanced learning or “Aprende en Casa” (Learn at Home), where students learn on television and the internet at home. However, due to the lack of internet connectivity and the barrier of the language, distance learning has been impossible for many children in isolated and impoverished parts of the country. Celtún is a rural, remote and indigenous community in the state of Yucatán, with no telecommunications infrastructure. There, to ensure continuity of learning to their students, teachers at the Ignacio Ramírez Calzada primary school Mary Carmen Che Chi and José Manuel Cen Kauil, prepare bilingual learning materials at their home and distribute it to their students every two weeks. Today, schools still remain closed in Mexico, but since September 2020, the two teachers have gotten the green light from their supervisor to run small in-person classes every two weeks at the school as the coronavirus pandemic continues. Photograph by Bénédicte Desrus

Mary Carmen Che Chi, 31, teache...acute;nédicte Desrus

Mary Carmen Che Chi, 31, teaches a small class of pupils, ranging from ages six to eight-year-olds, amid the coronavirus pandemic at the Ignacio Ramírez Calzada primary school in the indigenous community of Celtún, Chichimilá municipality, Yucatán state, Mexico on May 3, 2021. The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted education for an estimated 90 percent of the world’s school children. In Mexico, schools have been closed since mid-March 2020 and the government switched the system to distanced learning or “Aprende en Casa” (Learn at Home), where students learn on television and the internet at home. However, due to the lack of internet connectivity and the barrier of the language, distance learning has been impossible for many children in isolated and impoverished parts of the country. Celtún is a rural, remote and indigenous community in the state of Yucatán, with no telecommunications infrastructure. There, to ensure continuity of learning to their students, teachers at the Ignacio Ramírez Calzada primary school Mary Carmen Che Chi and José Manuel Cen Kauil, prepare bilingual learning materials at their home and distribute it to their students every two weeks. Today, schools still remain closed in Mexico, but since September 2020, the two teachers have gotten the green light from their supervisor to run small in-person classes every two weeks at the school as the coronavirus pandemic continues. Photograph by Bénédicte Desrus

Headmaster José Manuel Cen Kauil, 31, teaches a small class of pupils, ranging from ages nine to eleven-year-olds, amid the coronavirus pandemic at the Ignacio Ramírez Calzada primary school in the indigenous community of Celtún, Chichimilá municipality, Yucatán state, Mexico on May 3, 2021. The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted education for an estimated 90 percent of the world’s school children. In Mexico, schools have been closed since mid-March 2020 and the government switched the system to distanced learning or “Aprende en Casa” (Learn at Home), where students learn on television and the internet at home. However, due to the lack of internet connectivity and the barrier of the language, distance learning has been impossible for many children in isolated and impoverished parts of the country. Celtún is a rural, remote and indigenous community in the state of Yucatán, with no telecommunications infrastructure. There, to ensure continuity of learning to their students, teachers at the Ignacio Ramírez Calzada primary school Mary Carmen Che Chi and José Manuel Cen Kauil, prepare bilingual learning materials at their home and distribute it to their students every two weeks. Today, schools still remain closed in Mexico, but since September 2020, the two teachers have gotten the green light from their supervisor to run small in-person classes every two weeks at the school as the coronavirus pandemic continues. Photograph by Bénédicte Desrus

Pupils portrayed at their desk ...acute;nédicte Desrus

Pupils portrayed at their desk during a small-in person class, amid the coronavirus pandemic at the Ignacio Ramírez Calzada primary school in the indigenous community of Celtún, Chichimilá municipality, Yucatán state, Mexico on May 3, 2021. The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted education for an estimated 90 percent of the world’s school children. In Mexico, schools have been closed since mid-March 2020 and the government switched the system to distanced learning or “Aprende en Casa” (Learn at Home), where students learn on television and the internet at home. However, due to the lack of internet connectivity and the barrier of the language, distance learning has been impossible for many children in isolated and impoverished parts of the country. Celtún is a rural, remote and indigenous community in the state of Yucatán, with no telecommunications infrastructure. There, to ensure continuity of learning to their students, teachers at the Ignacio Ramírez Calzada primary school Mary Carmen Che Chi and José Manuel Cen Kauil, prepare bilingual learning materials at their home and distribute it to their students every two weeks. Today, schools still remain closed in Mexico, but since September 2020, the two teachers have gotten the green light from their supervisor to run small in-person classes every two weeks at the school as the coronavirus pandemic continues. Photograph by Bénédicte Desrus

Mary Carmen Che Chi, 31, teaches a small class of pupils, ranging from ages six to eight-year-olds, amid the coronavirus pandemic at the Ignacio Ramírez Calzada primary school in the indigenous community of Celtún, Chichimilá municipality, Yucatán state, Mexico on May 3, 2021. The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted education for an estimated 90 percent of the world’s school children. In Mexico, schools have been closed since mid-March 2020 and the government switched the system to distanced learning or “Aprende en Casa” (Learn at Home), where students learn on television and the internet at home. However, due to the lack of internet connectivity and the barrier of the language, distance learning has been impossible for many children in isolated and impoverished parts of the country. Celtún is a rural, remote and indigenous community in the state of Yucatán, with no telecommunications infrastructure. There, to ensure continuity of learning to their students, teachers at the Ignacio Ramírez Calzada primary school Mary Carmen Che Chi and José Manuel Cen Kauil, prepare bilingual learning materials at their home and distribute it to their students every two weeks. Today, schools still remain closed in Mexico, but since September 2020, the two teachers have gotten the green light from their supervisor to run small in-person classes every two weeks at the school as the coronavirus pandemic continues. Photograph by Bénédicte Desrus

Pupils attend a small-in person...acute;nédicte Desrus

Pupils attend a small-in person class, amid the coronavirus pandemic at the Ignacio Ramírez Calzada primary school in the indigenous community of Celtún, Chichimilá municipality, Yucatán state, Mexico on May 3, 2021. The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted education for an estimated 90 percent of the world’s school children. In Mexico, schools have been closed since mid-March 2020 and the government switched the system to distanced learning or “Aprende en Casa” (Learn at Home), where students learn on television and the internet at home. However, due to the lack of internet connectivity and the barrier of the language, distance learning has been impossible for many children in isolated and impoverished parts of the country. Celtún is a rural, remote and indigenous community in the state of Yucatán, with no telecommunications infrastructure. There, to ensure continuity of learning to their students, teachers at the Ignacio Ramírez Calzada primary school Mary Carmen Che Chi and José Manuel Cen Kauil, prepare bilingual learning materials at their home and distribute it to their students every two weeks. Today, schools still remain closed in Mexico, but since September 2020, the two teachers have gotten the green light from their supervisor to run small in-person classes every two weeks at the school as the coronavirus pandemic continues. Photograph by Bénédicte Desrus

Pupils leave the classroom afte...acute;nédicte Desrus

Pupils leave the classroom after attending a small-in person class, amid the coronavirus pandemic at the Ignacio Ramírez Calzada primary school in the indigenous community of Celtún, Chichimilá municipality, Yucatán state, Mexico on May 3, 2021. The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted education for an estimated 90 percent of the world’s school children. In Mexico, schools have been closed since mid-March 2020 and the government switched the system to distanced learning or “Aprende en Casa” (Learn at Home), where students learn on television and the internet at home. However, due to the lack of internet connectivity and the barrier of the language, distance learning has been impossible for many children in isolated and impoverished parts of the country. Celtún is a rural, remote and indigenous community in the state of Yucatán, with no telecommunications infrastructure. There, to ensure continuity of learning to their students, teachers at the Ignacio Ramírez Calzada primary school Mary Carmen Che Chi and José Manuel Cen Kauil, prepare bilingual learning materials at their home and distribute it to their students every two weeks. Today, schools still remain closed in Mexico, but since September 2020, the two teachers have gotten the green light from their supervisor to run small in-person classes every two weeks at the school as the coronavirus pandemic continues. Photograph by Bénédicte Desrus

Rodrigo (R), 11, a pupil at the...acute;nédicte Desrus

Rodrigo (R), 11, a pupil at the Ignacio Ramírez Calzada primary school, portrayed with his father and sister (L), as schools remain closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, at their home in the indigenous community of Celtún, Chichimilá municipality, Yucatán state, Mexico on May 3, 2021. The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted education for an estimated 90 percent of the world’s school children. In Mexico, schools have been closed since mid-March 2020 and the government switched the system to distanced learning or “Aprende en Casa” (Learn at Home), where students learn on television and the internet at home. However, due to the lack of internet connectivity and the barrier of the language, distance learning has been impossible for many children in isolated and impoverished parts of the country. Celtún is a rural, remote and indigenous community in the state of Yucatán, with no telecommunications infrastructure. There, to ensure continuity of learning to their students, teachers at the Ignacio Ramírez Calzada primary school Mary Carmen Che Chi and José Manuel Cen Kauil, prepare bilingual learning materials at their home and distribute it to their students every two weeks. Today, schools still remain closed in Mexico, but since September 2020, the two teachers have gotten the green light from their supervisor to run small in-person classes every two weeks at the school as the coronavirus pandemic continues. Photograph by Bénédicte Desrus

Rodrigo (R), 11, a pupil at the Ignacio Ramírez Calzada primary school, is helped by his father (L) while working on his schoolwork, as schools remain closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, at their home in the indigenous community of Celtún, Chichimilá municipality, Yucatán state, Mexico on May 3, 2021. The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted education for an estimated 90 percent of the world’s school children. In Mexico, schools have been closed since mid-March 2020 and the government switched the system to distanced learning or “Aprende en Casa” (Learn at Home), where students learn on television and the internet at home. However, due to the lack of internet connectivity and the barrier of the language, distance learning has been impossible for many children in isolated and impoverished parts of the country. Celtún is a rural, remote and indigenous community in the state of Yucatán, with no telecommunications infrastructure. There, to ensure continuity of learning to their students, teachers at the Ignacio Ramírez Calzada primary school Mary Carmen Che Chi and José Manuel Cen Kauil, prepare bilingual learning materials at their home and distribute it to their students every two weeks. Today, schools still remain closed in Mexico, but since September 2020, the two teachers have gotten the green light from their supervisor to run small in-person classes every two weeks at the school as the coronavirus pandemic continues. Photograph by Bénédicte Desrus

Mary Carmen Che Chi, 31, meets ...acute;nédicte Desrus

Mary Carmen Che Chi, 31, meets with the mothers of her pupils, amid the coronavirus pandemic at the Ignacio Ramírez Calzada primary school in the indigenous community of Celtún, Chichimilá municipality, Yucatán state, Mexico on May 4, 2021. Mary Carmen meets with the parents every two weeks to distribute learning materials, as well as to support and coach them through at-home learning during school closure. The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted education for an estimated 90 percent of the world’s school children. In Mexico, schools have been closed since mid-March 2020 and the government switched the system to distanced learning or “Aprende en Casa” (Learn at Home), where students learn on television and the internet at home. However, due to the lack of internet connectivity and the barrier of the language, distance learning has been impossible for many children in isolated and impoverished parts of the country. Celtún is a rural, remote and indigenous community in the state of Yucatán, with no telecommunications infrastructure. There, to ensure continuity of learning to their students, teachers at the Ignacio Ramírez Calzada primary school Mary Carmen Che Chi and José Manuel Cen Kauil, prepare bilingual learning materials at their home and distribute it to their students every two weeks. Today, schools still remain closed in Mexico, but since September 2020, the two teachers have gotten the green light from their supervisor to run small in-person classes every two weeks at the school as the coronavirus pandemic continues. Photograph by Bénédicte Desrus

Leisy Liliana Pool Cen, 6, a pu...acute;nédicte Desrus

Leisy Liliana Pool Cen, 6, a pupil at the Ignacio Ramírez Calzada primary school, portrayed at her home, as schools remain closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, in the Indigenous community of Celtún, Chichimilá municipality, Yucatán state, Mexico on May 4, 2021. The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted education for an estimated 90 percent of the world’s school children. In Mexico, schools have been closed since mid-March 2020 and the government switched the system to distanced learning or “Aprende en Casa” (Learn at Home), where students learn on television and the internet at home. However, due to the lack of internet connectivity and the barrier of the language, distance learning has been impossible for many children in isolated and impoverished parts of the country. Celtún is a rural, remote and indigenous community in the state of Yucatán, with no telecommunications infrastructure. There, to ensure continuity of learning to their students, teachers at the Ignacio Ramírez Calzada primary school Mary Carmen Che Chi and José Manuel Cen Kauil, prepare bilingual learning materials at their home and distribute it to their students every two weeks. Today, schools still remain closed in Mexico, but since September 2020, the two teachers have gotten the green light from their supervisor to run small in-person classes every two weeks at the school as the coronavirus pandemic continues. Photograph by Bénédicte Desrus

Mary Carmen Che Chi, 31, visits...acute;nédicte Desrus

Mary Carmen Che Chi, 31, visits with the parents of her pupil Leisy Liliana Pool Cen, amid the coronavirus pandemic at their home in the indigenous community of Celtún, Chichimilá municipality, Yucatán state, Mexico on May 4, 2021. Mary Carmen meets with the parents every two weeks to distribute learning materials for the children, as well as to support and coach them through remote learning during school closure. The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted education for an estimated 90 percent of the world’s school children. In Mexico, schools have been closed since mid-March 2020 and the government switched the system to distanced learning or “Aprende en Casa” (Learn at Home), where students learn on television and the internet at home. However, due to the lack of internet connectivity and the barrier of the language, distance learning has been impossible for many children in isolated and impoverished parts of the country. Celtún is a rural, remote and indigenous community in the state of Yucatán, with no telecommunications infrastructure. There, to ensure continuity of learning to their students, teachers at the Ignacio Ramírez Calzada primary school Mary Carmen Che Chi and José Manuel Cen Kauil, prepare bilingual learning materials at their home and distribute it to their students every two weeks. Today, schools still remain closed in Mexico, but since September 2020, the two teachers have gotten the green light from their supervisor to run small in-person classes every two weeks at the school as the coronavirus pandemic continues. Photograph by Bénédicte Desrus

Omar Israel Hau Tamayo (R), 10,...acute;nédicte Desrus

Omar Israel Hau Tamayo (R), 10, a pupil at the Ignacio Ramírez Calzada primary school, portrayed with his cousin Grisel (L), 11, at her home, as schools remain closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, in the Indigenous community of Celtún, Chichimilá municipality, Yucatán state, Mexico on May 4, 2021. The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted education for an estimated 90 percent of the world’s school children. In Mexico, schools have been closed since mid-March 2020 and the government switched the system to distanced learning or “Aprende en Casa” (Learn at Home), where students learn on television and the internet at home. However, due to the lack of internet connectivity and the barrier of the language, distance learning has been impossible for many children in isolated and impoverished parts of the country. Celtún is a rural, remote and indigenous community in the state of Yucatán, with no telecommunications infrastructure. There, to ensure continuity of learning to their students, teachers at the Ignacio Ramírez Calzada primary school Mary Carmen Che Chi and José Manuel Cen Kauil, prepare bilingual learning materials at their home and distribute it to their students every two weeks. Today, schools still remain closed in Mexico, but since September 2020, the two teachers have gotten the green light from their supervisor to run small in-person classes every two weeks at the school as the coronavirus pandemic continues. Photograph by Bénédicte Desrus

Yahaira Ek Sosa (L) and Karla E...acute;nédicte Desrus

Yahaira Ek Sosa (L) and Karla Ek Sosa (R), sisters and primary school teachers, portrayed in the “escuelita móvil” mototaxi before heading to see their students during the coronavirus pandemic in Akil, Yucatán state, Mexico on May 5, 2021. The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted education for an estimated 90 percent of the world’s school children. In Mexico, schools have been closed since mid-March 2020 and the government implemented the system to distanced learning or “Aprende en Casa” (Learn at Home), where students learn on television and the internet at home. Since September 2020, two teachers, who are also sisters, Yahaira Ek Sosa and Karla Ek Sosa, have launched the “escuelita móvil” initiative to assure continuity of learning amid the coronavirus pandemic. The “escuelita móvil” initiative is a rural mobile school project being run out of a modified mototaxi, a motorized rickshaw, to safely bring in-person instruction every two weeks to the door of student homes. The project aims to help students with special needs, students who are behind in their studies, vulnerable students and students with disabilities. They serve students in the communities of Peto, Akil, Tekax, Kancab, Ticul and Mérida in the state of Yucatán and a majority do not have any access to internet, tv or other technology which have turned out necessary to follow the remote learning programs set in place during the pandemic. “We need to make sure that all of Yucatán’s students have access to education, regardless of their families finances, especially now that we are suffering the effects of the pandemic,” says Yahaira Ek. Photograph by Bénédicte Desrus

Karla Ek Sosa (R), a primary sc...acute;nédicte Desrus

Karla Ek Sosa (R), a primary school teacher, visits Abigail (L), a twelve-year-old pupil with intellectual disability, at her house, to give her instructions and distribute learning materials for her homework for the next two weeks, amid the coronavirus pandemic in Akil, Yucatán state, Mexico on May 5, 2021. The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted education for an estimated 90 percent of the world’s school children. In Mexico, schools have been closed since mid-March 2020 and the government implemented the system to distanced learning or “Aprende en Casa” (Learn at Home), where students learn on television and the internet at home. Since September 2020, two teachers, who are also sisters, Yahaira Ek Sosa and Karla Ek Sosa, have launched the “escuelita móvil” initiative to assure continuity of learning amid the coronavirus pandemic. The “escuelita móvil” initiative is a rural mobile school project being run out of a modified mototaxi, a motorized rickshaw, to safely bring in-person instruction every two weeks to the door of student homes. The project aims to help students with special needs, students who are behind in their studies, vulnerable students and students with disabilities. They serve students in the communities of Peto, Akil, Tekax, Kancab, Ticul and Mérida in the state of Yucatán and a majority do not have any access to internet, tv or other technology which have turned out necessary to follow the remote learning programs set in place during the pandemic. “We need to make sure that all of Yucatán’s students have access to education, regardless of their families finances, especially now that we are suffering the effects of the pandemic,” says Yahaira Ek. Photograph by Bénédicte Desrus

Abigail (C), a twelve-year-old ...acute;nédicte Desrus

Abigail (C), a twelve-year-old pupil with intellectual disability, portrayed at her home with her mother Silvia (L), 27, and her grand-mother Maria de los Angéles Quetz Chan (R), 67, as schools remain closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, in Akil, Yucatán state, Mexico on May 5, 2021. The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted education for an estimated 90 percent of the world’s school children. In Mexico, schools have been closed since mid-March 2020 and the government implemented the system to distanced learning or “Aprende en Casa” (Learn at Home), where students learn on television and the internet at home. Since September 2020, two teachers, who are also sisters, Yahaira Ek Sosa and Karla Ek Sosa, have launched the “escuelita móvil” initiative to assure continuity of learning amid the coronavirus pandemic. The “escuelita móvil” initiative is a rural mobile school project being run out of a modified mototaxi, a motorized rickshaw, to safely bring in-person instruction every two weeks to the door of student homes. The project aims to help students with special needs, students who are behind in their studies, vulnerable students and students with disabilities. They serve students in the communities of Peto, Akil, Tekax, Kancab, Ticul and Mérida in the state of Yucatán and a majority do not have any access to internet, tv or other technology which have turned out necessary to follow the remote learning programs set in place during the pandemic. “We need to make sure that all of Yucatán’s students have access to education, regardless of their families finances, especially now that we are suffering the effects of the pandemic,” says Yahaira Ek. Photograph by Bénédicte Desrus

Karla Ek Sosa (L), a primary sc...acute;nédicte Desrus

Karla Ek Sosa (L), a primary school teacher, visits Nancy Dzul Xool, a thirteen-year-old pupil, at her house, to give her instructions and distribute learning materials for her homework for the next two weeks, amid the coronavirus pandemic in Kancab, Yucatán state, Mexico on May 5, 2021. The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted education for an estimated 90 percent of the world’s school children. In Mexico, schools have been closed since mid-March 2020 and the government implemented the system to distanced learning or “Aprende en Casa” (Learn at Home), where students learn on television and the internet at home. Since September 2020, two teachers, who are also sisters, Yahaira Ek Sosa and Karla Ek Sosa, have launched the “escuelita móvil” initiative to assure continuity of learning amid the coronavirus pandemic. The “escuelita móvil” initiative is a rural mobile school project being run out of a modified mototaxi, a motorized rickshaw, to safely bring in-person instruction every two weeks to the door of student homes. The project aims to help students with special needs, students who are behind in their studies, vulnerable students and students with disabilities. They serve students in the communities of Peto, Akil, Tekax, Kancab, Ticul and Mérida in the state of Yucatán and a majority do not have any access to internet, tv or other technology which have turned out necessary to follow the remote learning programs set in place during the pandemic. “We need to make sure that all of Yucatán’s students have access to education, regardless of their families finances, especially now that we are suffering the effects of the pandemic,” says Yahaira Ek. Photograph by Bénédicte Desrus

Karla Ek Sosa (R), a primary school teacher, visits Rodolfo Villa Sánchez’s, a fourteen-year-old pupil with physical disability, at his house, to give him instructions and distribute learning materials for his homework for the next two weeks, amid the coronavirus pandemic in Akil, Yucatán state, Mexico on May 5, 2021. The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted education for an estimated 90 percent of the world’s school children. In Mexico, schools have been closed since mid-March 2020 and the government implemented the system to distanced learning or “Aprende en Casa” (Learn at Home), where students learn on television and the internet at home. Since September 2020, two teachers, who are also sisters, Yahaira Ek Sosa and Karla Ek Sosa, have launched the “escuelita móvil” initiative to assure continuity of learning amid the coronavirus pandemic. The “escuelita móvil” initiative is a rural mobile school project being run out of a modified mototaxi, a motorized rickshaw, to safely bring in-person instruction every two weeks to the door of student homes. The project aims to help students with special needs, students who are behind in their studies, vulnerable students and students with disabilities. They serve students in the communities of Peto, Akil, Tekax, Kancab, Ticul and Mérida in the state of Yucatán and a majority do not have any access to internet, tv or other technology which have turned out necessary to follow the remote learning programs set in place during the pandemic. “We need to make sure that all of Yucatán’s students have access to education, regardless of their families finances, especially now that we are suffering the effects of the pandemic,” says Yahaira Ek. Photograph by Bénédicte Desrus

Yahaira Ek Sosa (L) and Karla Ek Sosa (R), sisters and primary school teachers, sits in the “escuelita móvil” mototaxi as they are heading to see their students during the coronavirus pandemic in Akil, Yucatán state, Mexico on May 5, 2021. The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted education for an estimated 90 percent of the world’s school children. In Mexico, schools have been closed since mid-March 2020 and the government implemented the system to distanced learning or “Aprende en Casa” (Learn at Home), where students learn on television and the internet at home. Since September 2020, two teachers, who are also sisters, Yahaira Ek Sosa and Karla Ek Sosa, have launched the “escuelita móvil” initiative to assure continuity of learning amid the coronavirus pandemic. The “escuelita móvil” initiative is a rural mobile school project being run out of a modified mototaxi, a motorized rickshaw, to safely bring in-person instruction every two weeks to the door of student homes. The project aims to help students with special needs, students who are behind in their studies, vulnerable students and students with disabilities. They serve students in the communities of Peto, Akil, Tekax, Kancab, Ticul and Mérida in the state of Yucatán and a majority do not have any access to internet, tv or other technology which have turned out necessary to follow the remote learning programs set in place during the pandemic. “We need to make sure that all of Yucatán’s students have access to education, regardless of their families finances, especially now that we are suffering the effects of the pandemic,” says Yahaira Ek. Photograph by Bénédicte Desrus

Karla Ek Sosa (L), a primary school teacher, visits Nancy Dzul Xool, a thirteen-year-old pupil, at her house, to give her instructions and distribute learning materials for her homework for the next two weeks, amid the coronavirus pandemic in Kancab, Yucatán state, Mexico on May 5, 2021. The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted education for an estimated 90 percent of the world’s school children. In Mexico, schools have been closed since mid-March 2020 and the government implemented the system to distanced learning or “Aprende en Casa” (Learn at Home), where students learn on television and the internet at home. Since September 2020, two teachers, who are also sisters, Yahaira Ek Sosa and Karla Ek Sosa, have launched the “escuelita móvil” initiative to assure continuity of learning amid the coronavirus pandemic. The “escuelita móvil” initiative is a rural mobile school project being run out of a modified mototaxi, a motorized rickshaw, to safely bring in-person instruction every two weeks to the door of student homes. The project aims to help students with special needs, students who are behind in their studies, vulnerable students and students with disabilities. They serve students in the communities of Peto, Akil, Tekax, Kancab, Ticul and Mérida in the state of Yucatán and a majority do not have any access to internet, tv or other technology which have turned out necessary to follow the remote learning programs set in place during the pandemic. “We need to make sure that all of Yucatán’s students have access to education, regardless of their families finances, especially now that we are suffering the effects of the pandemic,” says Yahaira Ek. Photograph by Bénédicte Desrus

Nancy Dzul Xool, a thirteen-yea...acute;nédicte Desrus

Nancy Dzul Xool, a thirteen-year-old pupil, portrayed at her house, as schools remain closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, in Kancab, Yucatán state, Mexico on May 5, 2021. The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted education for an estimated 90 percent of the world’s school children. In Mexico, schools have been closed since mid-March 2020 and the government implemented the system to distanced learning or “Aprende en Casa” (Learn at Home), where students learn on television and the internet at home. Since September 2020, two teachers, who are also sisters, Yahaira Ek Sosa and Karla Ek Sosa, have launched the “escuelita móvil” initiative to assure continuity of learning amid the coronavirus pandemic. The “escuelita móvil” initiative is a rural mobile school project being run out of a modified mototaxi, a motorized rickshaw, to safely bring in-person instruction every two weeks to the door of student homes. The project aims to help students with special needs, students who are behind in their studies, vulnerable students and students with disabilities. They serve students in the communities of Peto, Akil, Tekax, Kancab, Ticul and Mérida in the state of Yucatán and a majority do not have any access to internet, tv or other technology which have turned out necessary to follow the remote learning programs set in place during the pandemic. “We need to make sure that all of Yucatán’s students have access to education, regardless of their families finances, especially now that we are suffering the effects of the pandemic,” says Yahaira Ek. Photograph by Bénédicte Desrus

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