Empower Maya Youth in a Post-Genocide Community

We’re excited to share some updates about how we wrapped up the year in Chajul! And wanted to share some big organizational news too—we were honored to recently be awarded the 2021 UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Literacy Prize. 

Hybrid learning

For the final months of the 2021 school year which ended in November, most of our scholars were at home in Chajul, with just two students  in another city in Guatemala where their school is located and the internet is stronger. Schooling was in a hybrid model with mostly virtual classes and a few in-person classes a week. Our scholars have shown so much resilience through this extremely challenging time. The situation for children and youth in Guatemala continues to be concerning with many youth attempting to make the journey to the US to escape poverty, limited work and study opportunities, high numbers of school dropouts, and the effects of climate change. We are so proud of our scholars, their dedication to their education, and their perseverance. 

Academic & food support 

Our scholars participated in nearly 100 hours of math, language, and communications virtual classes throughout 2021, with Limitless Horizons Ixil teachers Berenice and Juan Enrique. We also continued to provide internet data plans so that scholars could log on for their online classes. As the effects of pandemic plus last fall’s hurricanes continued to impact families’ crop yield and food security, we’ve been distributing healthy food and hygiene baskets to our families. 

Workshops & psychologist support

Youth recently participated in a couple of workshops with our new psychologist Karen. One was about managing stress and stressful situations, and another about resilience. Karen is also from Chajul, and she and our team know well that in the face of life’s adversities, young people who develop resilience are better able to do well in school and achieve their goals. We are grateful to be able to provide our students with important workshops like these and to offer Karen’s support through individual therapy sessions if needed. In addition, the youth participated in a workshop about family planning and menstruation with our partner WINGS Guatemala. The session helped girls make informed decisions about their own bodies and boys understand more about their female peers and family members.

High school graduation & job interview support

In December, we celebrated the high school graduation of nine of our scholars! They met for a socially distanced meal and received certificates, gifts, and many congratulations from our team. We are so proud of all the scholars have accomplished, especially as their last two years were successfully completed during the pandemic and succeeding in online classes was extra tough. These graduates also participated in a workshop with the Managing Director Verónica and Assistant Director Zuliana about preparing for job interviews. We can’t wait to see what these inspiring young leaders do next and how they continue to strengthen their community. 

Looking forward to 2022 

The Guatemalan government has shared that the 2022 school year will start in a hybrid mode and may change to full in-person mode depending on the vaccination rates. We are currently making plans to adjust and adapt to all scenarios. While the pandemic continues to affect the community of Chajul, Limitless Horizons Ixil closely follows local health protocols to ensure the safety of our youth and families. 

Links:

• 2021 UNESCO Prize