Project Report
| Nov 11, 2013
Scaling up in Alta Verapaz
By Alejandra Colom | Program Coordinator
![new AO community]()
new AO community
These past three months have been very busy and exciting! Abriendo Oportunidades is scaling up and incorporating a weekly radio program to add to the regular club meetings. We have started work in 50 new communities in the municipality of Chisec, a predominantly Q'eqchi' area in the department of Alta Verapaz. This region has some of the worst indicators in terms of maternal health, maternal and child mortality and early marriages and pregnancies. School drop out rate is high and girls barely finish the 6th grade.
We have an excellent team on the ground visiting communities and engaging leaders, parents and adolescent girls in AO. The mayor of Chisec has been incredibly supportive and this has helped us establish our activities more efficiently. The logistics of the scale up are great, since we have continued with our mission of reaching the poorest, most distant and forgotten communities. The pictures attached correspond to some of these villages.
We hope to add 50 new communities every year. With your support, we may reach even more!
![The rainy season adds some challenges to the work]()
The rainy season adds some challenges to the work
Aug 9, 2013
Involving young men in changing gender dynamics
By Alejandra Colom | Program Coordinator
![Adolescent boys' and girls' leaders]()
Adolescent boys' and girls' leaders
While Abriendo Oportunidades focus will remain in investing in adolescent girls, young men from five different communities approached us to participate in some of our activities. These young men are working closely with girl leaders organizing co-ed activities as well as inviting younger boys to learn about rights, equality, and prevention of gender based violence. This past June, young male leaders from participating communities joined 45 girl leaders in a one week workshop that included activities to reflect and discuss about issues related to gender relations, myths, prejudices and possible new paradigms that will improve the life of girls in rural communities.
![The entire group of leaders]()
The entire group of leaders
May 10, 2013
Successful transition to our new curricula and update on graduates
By Alejandra Colom | Program Coordinator
![Group work during March workshop]()
Group work during March workshop
Girl leaders began using our new curricula after the November leaders' camp. During the past months we have observed participants' increased knowledge on the topics including the importance of safe spaces for girls to meet, gender, sorority, and self esteem. Girl leaders find the new curriculum more user friendly and the activities easy to follow and plan for. Our March leaders' camp was also successful, allowing girl leaders to practice new activities and learn new topics.
Some Abriendo Oportunidades graduates have been invited to apply to different positions to work as community outreach facilitators. Feedback from these organizations has been very positive regarding graduates' skills such as leading learning sessions, capacity to engage community leaders, and ability to plan and strategize community outreach activities. We are very happy to know that young women who benefitted from the program are now finding interesting and meaningful work in rural Guatemala.
Grassroots organizations from different parts of Guatemala have reached out to us to request that we open girl clubs in new communities. We hope that fundraising can help us expand to new areas where our program is already seen as a positive investment in girls' empowerment and education.
We are grateful for all donations received through GlobalGiving. They are allowing us to improve the quality of training camps and also cover the cost of some girl leaders' participation and materials.