KEEP GUATEMALAN GIRLS IN SCHOOL

PROGRAM WINS NATIONAL RECOGNITION

Guatemalan Ministry of Education Makes It Official   

ADIMTU, Women Work Together’s sister organization in San Pedro Sacatepéquez, has been awarded national accreditation from the Guatemalan Ministry of Education for the comprehensive Leadership Institute. They are one of only twelve organizations certified to deliver educational programming in the schools during the school day.  This followed a year-long program review that included field visits, written applications and in-depth workshops.

The program’s certification carries significant weight and prestige and will be an important asset in our efforts to attract more sustainable and in-country funding. It also places ADIMTU staff in the company of other similarly innovative organizations, to learn from them, build local capacity and bring more direct benefit to all parties.

Collaborations Count

Girls' premature romances and ensuing pregnancies are frequently cited as a reason why girls leave school. Fathers in particular have been very forthright in asking for ADIMTU's help in addressing this problem. While eager to respond, the staff is not trained in this very specialized field. Through the Education Ministry's accreditation process, ADIMTU connected with the Fundación Juan Bautista Guitiérrez, a long-established and highly-regarded Guatemalan foundation dedicated to improving the lives of vulnerable communities, including programs for teens on reproductive health.  FJBG agreed to partner with ADIMTU and spent most of November working with students in 10 of ADIMTU's middle school sites during the school vacation.

Girls Leadership Institute Reorganizes to Maximize Impact

All of our programs for girls and their mothers, fathers, teachers, and community leaders are now under the umbrella of a newly configured Leadership Institute. This brings together our girl-centered, 10-month in-school programs with the workshops, community conversations and trainings for adults. ADIMTU will work in each rural community more frequently, carrying the message that Educated Girls Can Change the Future. Look for an expanded description of the Leadership Institute on our updated website, www.womenworktogether.org. 

Will You Stick With Us?

We believe we're establishing a sufficient track record to qualify for larger scale grants. During 2014 and 2015 we will be working to secure more sustainable funding for ADIMTU, perhaps as a demonstration site for other Guatemalan communities and schools. 

However, this will take time, during which we will still need to raise $120,000 annually to support the ongoing work which will impact over 800+ girls and their families in San Pedro. 

This breaks down to just $150 per-girl-per-year, and barely $75 per person once you factor in affected mothers, fathers, teachers, and community leaders.  

And so we ask you to please stick with us and continue or even increase your support so we and all these wonderful girls don't lose all our hard-won gains.

Your investments so far have already paid off. These young teen girls have a greater sense of themselves than ever before. They love to read. They look you in the eye. They express their own ideas with confidence. And they speak up in public as never before. The girls are seeing themselves as important people...contributors to their families, active members of their communities, and valued participants in society.