Bridge 4 Peace is an event hosted by the International Baccalaureate Honor Society (IBHS) to fundraise money for a chosen cause. In the past, the causes have differed from building schools in Haiti to creating an on-campus safe space for students with special needs to bringing latrines to less fortunate communities in the Dominican Republic. The International Baccalaureate (IB) program is an internationally renowned program that allows its students to not only be active in their community but become knowledgeable, worldly individuals.

This year’s cause was proposed by senior Marina Torras. Her cause was to raise money for a Catalan organization, Oberts Al Mon. The organization’s main goal is to bring education to areas of Guatemala deprived of schools and education centers. Torras’ grandparents are actively involved in the organization, and she served as the proxy between IBHS and the administrators of Oberts Al Mon.

The main goal was to raise approximately $12,000 while using as little of the donation money as possible, meaning a lot of cooperation from students was needed; from buying the tickets to donating items for the event anything that students were able to do was greatly beneficial to the cause. The donation money will be used for the building of a school fully equipped for the children in the community to receive a quality education.

“When I heard the cause was to help build a school for the Guatemalan community, a very big part of me felt compelled to help in any way I could. Bridge 4 Peace is a great way to help others in the international community if you do not have the opportunity to go these place that need help, yet still help in a way,” junior Isabella Pinera said.

Guatemala’s education suffers from one of the lowest literacy rates in Central America and Oberts Al Mon is making a difference by bringing these children the opportunity to learn. The creation of the Bridge 4 Peace event was meant to help organizations with the motivation to make a difference in underprivileged communities, and Oberts Al mon is doing just that.

“This year our goal was to raise $12,000 to construct a school in the village of “San Cristóbal La Laguna,” in the Quiché Department of Guatemala, allowing 50/60 children to receive an education in adequate facilities and to expand their opportunities in order to improve their lives. I’m very happy that the event was successful and that we were able to meet our goal,” senior Marina Torras said.

IBHS reviews several applications when looking for a cause, so keep this in mind if there is an organization you would like to contribute to next time!