Help Fund Education for Indigenous Guatemalan Children

The Guatemala Solidarity Project is a volunteer-run collaboration of activists, organizers and leaders from around the world, mostly the United States and Guatemala. The organization began primarily as an effort between School of the Americas Watch activists and peasant leaders associated with the Committee of Peasant Unity.

In February 2018, the Guatemala Solidarity Project (GSP) helped create two elementary schools in the Mayan communities, Sibja and Xepal Monte Blanco. These indigenous communities have faced poverty, hunger, and repression as they also struggle against the legacy of Guatemala's violent past. The government has denied these communities educational support, leading the GSP to step in. Since then, Guatemala Solidarity Project and the New Pavayne Community Development Foundation have worked to fund and maintain these schools.

Despite local efforts to construct schoolhouses, these communities cannot afford teachers’ salaries without external support. GSP volunteers have also brought music and percussion workshops to the children, enriching their educational experience. However funds are dwindling and the schools risk closing, leaving the children without education. GSP needs your support to guarantee these children at least have the minimum access to notebooks, writing utensils and shared books needed to learn.

GSP’s support is not without challenges—as these communities face exploitation from industries targeting their land and resources, it becomes increasingly difficult to provide the help they need. Private corporations, often without consulting the communities, drain these water sources, leaving the daily needs of indigenous communities unmet while exporting their profits internationally.

GSP advocates for educational access and protection of these communities' rights, calling for donations to keep schools open until the government takes action and lends support. Every dollar raised goes directly to the communities, helping GSP fight against exploitation and support indigenous rights in Guatemala.