Providing life skills for rural Mayan girls

 
$5,714
$14,286
Raised
Remaining

Summary

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.

What is the issue, problem, or challenge?

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.

How will this project solve this problem?

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.

Potential Long Term Impact

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.

Project Message

" '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

Funding Information

Total Funding Received to Date: $5,714
Remaining Goal to be Funded: $14,286
Total Funding Goal: $20,000

Additional Documentation

This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).

Resources

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Organization

Population Council

Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala, Sacatepéquez, Guatemala
http://www.popcouncil.org

Project Leader

Alejandra Colom Bickford

Antigua Guatemala, Sacatepequez Guatemala

Where is this project located?