Creating Opportunities makes critical investments in Guatemala's most disadvantaged population: rural, indigenous girls ages 8-17. The program offers vulnerable Mayan girls a safe space to meet, the opportunity to make friends, and mentors within the community. Girls come together to gain skills and build their social networks. The program is currently reaching over 4,000 girls from 48 communities, 5 departments and 6 linguistic groups.
Early marriage and childbearing are the norm in Guatemala, especially for indigenous girls. Nearly 40% of indigenous women marry before age 18, almost twice the percentage of non-indigenous women who marry by that age. Over two-thirds of indigenous girls live in rural areas where they often lack access to basic health and social services. On average, indigenous girls in rural areas complete only 1.2 years of schooling, compared to 8.9 years for non-indigenous boys in urban areas.
Participation in the program builds girls' self-esteem, offers them support from peers and realistic role-models and provides them accurate information about sexual/reproductive health. This support helps girls make more informed, responsible choices and teaches them to advocate for their rights. Girls in the program create a life plan and they are staying in school longer, getting married later, and becoming role-models and leaders in their communities.
Girls often enter the program with few goals for their future. Girls who participate in the program are exposed to other models of living and the program helps girls create a "life plan" in which they indicate a desire to achieve higher levels of schooling, become professionals, get married later, have more independence, delay age of first childbirth, reduce the number of children they have, and become role-models for young girls in the community.
" 'Abriendo Oportunidades' allows girls to realize that there are other options in life. This helps them to leave fear behind and advocate for more education and participation in their communities."
- Maribel Gutierrez, Mentor
Total Funding Received to Date: $5,714
Remaining Goal to be Funded: $14,286
Total Funding Goal: $20,000
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
Donate by US Mobile Phone
Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala,
Sacatepéquez,
Guatemala
http://www.popcouncil.org
Promote This Project On Your Site
Get Updates via EmailProjects on globalgiving.org undergo compliance checks to ensure they have a bona fide charitable purpose and meet applicable laws relating to international philanthropy. Organizations listed as partners do not necessarily endorse or support any particular project listed on globalgiving.org. The GlobalGiving Foundation is a 501(c)3 organization (EIN: 30-0108263).
GlobalGiving
1023 15th Street, NW, 12th Floor, Washington, DC 20005
Phone: (202) 232-5784 Fax: (202) 315-2558
Contact us
