During this year, we undertook an intense strategic planning process and are proud to present the steps we will take to achieve our goals as an organization.
We are deeply grateful for the collaboration we received from the entire Natün community, which encourages us to evolve and deepen our work in Guatemala in the coming years.
Through education we create a positive impact that will benefit an entire community for years to come. By educating students today, we foster generational change to help communities overcome poverty in the future. Recognizing the importance of developing leaders for the future, our staff works with educators, parents, and schools to develop an accessible, bilingual, culturally responsive education that encourages critical thinking, creativity, and cultural pride.
Through three core programs, we complement and strengthen local educational systems to provide access to academic opportunities for students of all ages.
Scholarship program
Through donations, we raise funds to financially support more than 1,380 students from preschool to university level. We also organize cultural activities and social gatherings with scholarship recipients and donors.
Preschool Nutrition Centers
We have educational centers strategically located to serve children from 3 to 5 years of age. In addition to teaching classes in Spanish and Kaqchikel, our educators also provide vital nutritional support so that students develop their full physical, emotional, and intellectual capacities in a warm and loving environment.
Learning Communities
We offer tutoring to support primary and secondary students in Panajachel and Tierra Linda who are at risk of failing a course or have academic difficulties, while encouraging active participation in the learning process, collaboration, and unity among students.
Sololá is one of the Guatemalan jurisdictions with the highest malnutrition rates in the world, with more than 60% of children chronically malnourished. Recognizing the importance of developing leaders for the future, our staff works with educators, parents, and schools to develop an accessible, bilingual, culturally responsive education that fosters critical thinking, creativity, and cultural pride.
Through three core programs, we complement and strengthen local educational systems to provide access to academic opportunities for students of all ages.
Preventing malnutrition: With a deep respect for Mayan culture, our indigenous medical team implements the best international practices by working with pregnant mothers and their children in their “First 1000 days” to prevent and treat malnutrition. At the end of this stage, the children begin the next program at the Preschool Nutrition Centers. Through three core programs, we complement and strengthen local education systems to provide access to academic opportunities for students of all ages.
Community health: We focus on improving health aspects to ensure the ability of families to access education, earn income and participate in their local communities.
We provide water filters and efficient firewood stoves to reduce preventable diseases.
We review sexual and reproductive health issues through our Women’s Health initiative.
Through our Intergenerational Center, we offer health and nutrition support to seniors and allow them to connect with younger members of the community.
Medical care: We offer general medical services to our beneficiaries and the general public at our clinic in Panajachel. We are proud to work with an indigenous doctor, who ensures that we provide adequate and culturally appropriate medical care in their language.
We support families so they can achieve a better quality of life by providing them opportunities to develop their skills and turn them into a sustainable source of income. Through three core programs, we complement and strengthen local educational systems to provide access to academic opportunities for students of all ages.
Handicrafts program: We work with 190 artisans and their families or collectives, helping them to access markets, protect their traditional techniques and earn a fair price for their handmade products. We have an online store and a showroom in Panajachel to improve their sales opportunities. We have partnered with artisans and women’s collectives, specialists in beading, weaving, sewing and embroidery, from:
Santiago Atitlán
Peña Blanca
San Jorge la Laguna
San Antonio Palopó
Nahualá
Sololá
Vocational workshops: Through intensive courses, we focus on teaching technical skills to adults and teenagers interested in improving their economic future.
