Empower Maya Youth in a Post-Genocide Community

Thanks to your generous support, we witnessed remarkable development in our Youth Development Program in 2014, with more students than ever graduating and more aspiring to higher education. We want to take this opportunity to thank you for your participation and share with you our results:

• 100% of youth in their final year of high school and middle school graduated. This is in a community where only 11.5% of the community’s youth graduate from middle school and a mere 3% from high school.

• We had a significantly higher number of high school graduates than ever before (and more than in all prior years combined) with 19 scholars graduating. Four of our girls graduated from middle school with excellent grades and will continue onto high school in 2015.

• Of our 19 high school graduates, 100% aspire to continue on to university. Three have already been accepted into a university scholarship program, and a number are currently working on grant and college applications with LHI support.

• We enrolled a total of 57 indigenous youth from Chajul in our Youth Development Program in 2014. Of the 57, 56 scholars passed their academic year in 2014. Just one student dropped out for health reasons; the student has since recovered and will be continuing with our program in 2015.

• With the exception of one student, all of our scholars passed their grade. In fact, this year our middle school grade point averages were higher than ever before!

• Aside from our high school graduates, 100% of our youth will move onto their next grade level in 2015 and will continue as LHI scholars.

• We provided 9 workshops to youth and their parents on a wide range of topics including communication, sexism, health, hygiene, decision-making, self-esteem, and leadership.

• Our scholars benefitted from 80 hours of computer classes, 60 hours of tutoring, and 80 hours of intensive Spanish language classes.Participants in our intensive Spanish course took a pre- and post-course exam to measure progress. Students improved their scores by an average of 20.2% after just four weeks!

• Heading into 2015, we have one of our biggest incoming classes yet with 19 bright and ambitious young scholars starting middle school with LHI in the new year.

Our success rates in 2014 are attributed to our holistic approach that has been honed to ensure our scholars have the supports to overcome obstacles to education and develop into independent-minded and ambitious leaders in their community. We thank you for the pivotal role you have played in empowering and educating our scholars. 

After 10 years of progress, our programs are achieving incredible results. In 2015, we look forward to organizational growth and program expansion. We need your help now more than ever as we grow into 2015. Help us reach even more youth in Chajul, Guatemala. Please give this holiday season.

Best wishes and warm thanks  from all of us at Limitless Horizons Ixil.  Happy Holidays! 

Links:

• Limitless Horizons Ixil