PLATTSBURGH -- Pens, pencils and paper.

Three things that almost all children in the North Country have packed away in their backpack with their peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches.

For children in Third World countries, the chance to even go to school, let alone bring basic supplies and a lunch, is a privilege, not a right.

Guatemala, a small Central American nation of about 12 million people, has one of the lowest gross domestic products and one of the highest poverty rates in the world.

Thanks to the efforts of a former North Country couple, current residents and a school community, one Guatemalan school is able to give its students a brighter future.

Colin Price, a 1997 graduate of Northeastern Clinton Central School, and his wife, Sarah, took a trip to Guatemala last spring. After visiting a school in the village of El Hato, they returned vowing to do all they could to help the children have the best educational and life experience possible.

El Hato, just five miles from Antigua -- a well-known tourist hot spot -- has a population of about 800 people. Families are often made up of six to eight children, many of whom live in poverty.

VITAMIN SUPPLIES

"The first thing I noticed is how calorie-deficient the children were," Colin said. "They eat a diet of mainly rice, beans and tortillas but very few fruits and vegetables, so they are therefore lacking essential vitamins."

Colin and Sarah, who are both pharmacists, had a friend who was more than willing to help with the problem. Dan Bosely, the owner of Cornerstone Drug and Keeseville Pharmacy, donated more than 20,000 vitamins to the effort. "Our biggest challenge has been actually getting the vitamins to Guatemala," said Colin. "Luckily, we've been able to find travelers who were going to visit the area anyway."

FINANCIAL STRAIN

Most of the effort has gone toward improving conditions at the school.

"Families only earn about $200 U.S. per month, while schooling one child costs about $30 per year," said Colin's mother, Janet McFetridge, who is also involved in the project.

"Multiply that a few times over, and there is little money left over for even the most basic necessities," she said, adding that many of El Hato's residents work for resorts in Antigua. "These people are often forced to walk five miles to work. There is a bus, but it costs about a third of their wages."

SCHOOL DONATIONS