By Martha Givaudan | Director
In rural Mexico, brilliant potential too often meets immovable barriers. Girls face early school dropout, deeply rooted gender expectations, long and unsafe commutes, and an education system that rarely prepares them for the real-life decisions they will face. Without targeted support, dreams are sidelined before they have a chance to take root.
For over 35 years, “Yo quiero, yo puedo” has stood at the intersection of education and empowerment. Our core belief is simple yet transformative: “academic knowledge alone is not enough” What changes trajectories is life skills. Across decades of fieldwork in Mexico’s most marginalized communities, we have designed, tested, and scaled an evidence-based life skills methodology that equips girls with the socioemotional, cognitive, and practical tools they need to navigate adolescence with agency, resilience, and purpose.
Our life skills curriculum is not an add-on; it is the foundation. Through interactive, age-appropriate modules, girls develop critical thinking, self-esteem, communication, conflict resolution, financial literacy, bodily autonomy, and future planning. We train teachers to embed these competencies into daily classroom practice and engage parents and community leaders in behaviors that shift harmful norms. This holistic approach has consistently proven its impact: participants show higher school retention, delayed early pregnancy, improved decision-making, and stronger educational and career aspirations. Most importantly, they their voices and community advocates, multiplying the impact across generations.
This project will bring our proven life skills program “ Yo quiero Yo puedo “to 500 adolescent girls in high-marginality rural communities over the next 12 months.
Your donation will directly fund:
- Facilitation of interactive life skills workshops in high marginalized local schools
- Training and coaching for teachers and parents in rural communities
Life skills are the missing link between enrollment and empowerment. In regions where traditional schooling cannot alone break cycles of poverty and gender inequality, our approach fills the gap with practical, lasting tools. Every girl who completes the program leaves with a personalized life plan, a support network, and the quiet certainty that her choices matter.
Education without empowerment is incomplete. With your support, “Yo quiero, yo puedo” will turn “ I want” into “I can” for hundreds of girls who deserve the chance to design their own futures.
By Martha Givaudan | Director
By Martha Givaudan | Director
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