To bring education equality to Tzu'tujil Mayans

In the elementary school of Chukmuk, students are learning more than just math and reading: they are discovering the art of dressmaking.

 Aldea Maya has donated 4 sewing machines, 2 sergers, one cutting board for fabric, an iron, scissors, fabric and others. Thanks to the good will of a couple of teachers, primary school children of the Public Elementary School of Chukmuk are exploring their creative skills as they learn to sew and make their own clothes. With colorful fabrics, needles in hand, and a lot of imagination, each class becomes an experience full of excitement and practical learning. This workshop not only strengthens fine motor skills and creativity, but also lays the foundation for useful and valuable knowledge for their future lives. Some students already dream of becoming designers, dressmakers, or entrepreneurs in their community.

Guatemala’s Independence Day is celebrated on September 15th every year, and one of their projects was to make 21 flags that were used in the Independence Day parade.
This project represents a commitment to comprehensive education, combining traditional knowledge with new opportunities, and demonstrates that in Chukmuk, big ideas are also born in small hearts!

Aldea Maya started the middle school in Chuk Muk in 2012 and for the last 14 years we have offered school supplies to any student who is not sponsored. We also pay for 40% of their school fees. This project has enabled hundreds of students to continue to study past elementary school. From this group of students Aldea Maya is able to pick our next fully sponsored students. We, of course, would love to sponsor every student in the school however finances do not make that possible. Therefore we do the next best thing and partially sponsor every student.

This year we had 32 students who required their supplies. We offered each of the families 4 months of nutrition classes to enable us to get to know them better. We find that student sponsorship really works if the family is involved. These classes illustrated family involvement and had the added benefit of teaching families nutrition and cooking knowlege. Each participant received a nutrition completion diploma. The moms, and a few grandmas and a dad, were really proud of their acheivement.

We were able to fully sponsor 5 more new students.