Social enterprise owned by indigenous mayan women

Over the past three months, NGOimpacto has continued strengthening its monitoring and evaluation system as a core component of its long-term accompaniment model with Indigenous Mayan women artisans in Chiapas, including processes connected to the social enterprise Juxta.

For the organization, data collection is not understood as an administrative exercise, but as a tool for reflection, accountability, and collective learning. Through community-based monitoring processes, NGOimpacto seeks to better understand how women’s participation in creative industries influences economic autonomy, organizational development, access to technology, and long-term wellbeing.

As part of this effort, the organization continues working with the baseline census conducted in 2024 alongside a specialized team from the Faculty of Higher Studies Aragón at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). The territorial census included 206 Indigenous women artisans across 10 municipalities in Chiapas and generated key insights that continue informing mentorship, training, and organizational strategies.

The findings confirmed the importance of sustained accompaniment processes:

• 84.6% of participants reported improvements in their artisanal work during the last year
• 75.1% considered that trainings significantly strengthened their skills
• 94% expressed interest in continuing participating in future learning processes
• NGOimpacto has also documented average income increases of up to 51% among participating women

Beyond quantitative indicators, the monitoring system has helped identify transformations that are often less visible but equally important. Data gathered through surveys, mentorship follow-up, and territorial accompaniment has revealed growing participation of younger generations, increased interest in leadership and organizational roles, and greater engagement with digital tools and collaborative processes.

The organization carries out a triennial census process —the next one scheduled for 2027— allowing long-term comparative analysis that few organizations in the region are able to implement consistently. This process makes it possible to identify correlations between variables such as education, training participation, income generation, and household wellbeing, while also strengthening evidence-based decision making within the project.

NGOimpacto currently uses CommCare, a monitoring platform recommended by the Inter-American Development Bank, which allows secure data collection, storage, and analysis while improving the reliability and consistency of information gathered in the field.

Results & Impact

• Strengthened evidence-based decision making within mentorship and accompaniment processes
• Improved understanding of how participation in creative industries influences income generation, leadership, and organizational growth
• Identification of intergenerational participation patterns and growing involvement of younger women in organizational and digital processes
• Consolidation of a long-term monitoring system capable of measuring transformations beyond economic indicators alone
• Increased organizational capacity to analyze correlations between training, education, technology access, and economic participation
• Strengthened community-based data collection methodologies through territorial accompaniment and recurring census processes

Beyond quantitative results, the monitoring process has reinforced NGOimpacto’s capacity to understand transformation as a long-term and multidimensional process connected to economic autonomy, collective governance, cultural continuity, and wellbeing.

One of the most important challenges has been building monitoring systems that remain culturally grounded and accessible while also generating rigorous and reliable information for long-term analysis.

The organization has learned that meaningful monitoring requires more than collecting numbers. It requires sustained accompaniment, trust-building, contextual understanding, and methodologies capable of recognizing transformations that are not always immediately visible.

Monitoring processes have also revealed that some of the most important changes occur in areas such as confidence, collective participation, intergenerational collaboration, and women’s involvement in decision-making spaces. These dimensions are essential for understanding long-term sustainability and self-management processes.

Another important learning has been recognizing that data can strengthen organizational autonomy when communities themselves are able to reflect on their own processes, challenges, and possibilities through evidence gathered collectively over time.

In the coming months, NGOimpacto will:

• Continue strengthening its monitoring and evaluation system through recurring surveys and comparative analysis
• Deepen data collection related to market participation, technology access, and organizational growth
• Strengthen the use of community-based evidence to improve mentorship and accompaniment strategies
• Continue building long-term comparative analysis through the triennial census model
• Expand the use of monitoring methodologies in collaboration with allied initiatives and community-based processes

For NGOimpacto, data is not only a tool for measuring results, but a pathway toward long-term self-management and collective decision-making. Monitoring processes help identify how women strengthen their participation across different stages of the value chain —from production and design to organization and commercialization— while allowing initiatives such as Juxta to build stronger foundations for economic sustainability and collective governance.

By understanding how income, training, leadership, technology access, and intergenerational participation evolve over time, the organization can better accompany women in building models of ethical commerce rooted in their own realities, knowledge systems, and aspirations.

Ultimately, these processes contribute to a broader vision where Indigenous Mayan women exercise autonomy and leadership while safeguarding their cultural heritage and advancing toward Lekil Kuxlejal — the Mayan philosophy of harmony and integral wellbeing in personal, family, and community life.

Links:

• NGOimpacto

By investing in time, mentorship, and culturally rooted learning, this project continues to build the conditions for Indigenous Mayan women to lead a resilient, self-managed social enterprise rooted in their communities and values.

Over the past three months, the project has continued to consolidate its vision as a social enterprise owned and led by Indigenous Mayan women, with a strong focus on strengthening economic autonomy and long-term sustainability.

During this period, several complementary business lines were closed, including collaborations with the Government of the State of Chiapas. These institutional projects not only generated income, but also functioned as practical learning spaces where women strengthened productive planning, quality standards, delivery timelines, and collective decision-making. These experiences reinforced capacities that are directly transferable to other commercial and self-managed initiatives within the enterprise.

At the same time, the process of accompaniment has continued through a model of ongoing mentorship. While full autonomy is a long-term goal, this stage has required sustained support, particularly in organizational management, financial decision-making, and collective leadership. Rather than accelerating independence prematurely, the project has prioritized building solid foundations that allow women to assume leadership roles with confidence and clarity.

Results & Impact

• Indigenous Mayan women continued participating actively in income-generating activities linked to institutional and commercial projects
  
  
• Strengthening of productive and organizational capacities through real-market experiences
  
  
• Consolidation of self-management practices, including collective planning, role distribution, and accountability
  
  
• Ongoing development of leadership skills among women assuming coordination and decision-making roles
  
  
• Reinforcement of economic resilience through diversified income sources

One of the main challenges during this reporting period has been recognizing that the transition toward full self-management requires more time and accompaniment than initially anticipated. The complexity of managing multiple business lines and collective governance structures has highlighted the need for sustained mentorship.

A key learning has been the importance of pedagogy in economic empowerment. The project continues to refine its curricula and mentoring methodologies, prioritizing culturally relevant, accessible, and practice-based learning. This approach emphasizes learning-by-doing, collective reflection, and the integration of technical knowledge with cultural values and community-based decision-making.

In the coming months, the project will focus on:

• Continuing targeted mentorships in self-management, financial administration, and organizational leadership
  
  
• Strengthening internal pedagogical tools and curricula
  
  
• Consolidating diversified business lines that balance income generation with capacity building

Gradually transferring greater decision-making responsibilities to women leaders.

We are deeply grateful to our donors for believing in long-term processes rather than quick results. Your support makes it possible to sustain mentorship, strengthen culturally grounded pedagogies, and accompany Indigenous Mayan women as they build economic autonomy and leadership on their own terms.

Links:

• Landing page of the project