In Guatemala, Indigenous women represent around 23% of the population, and many of these women face barriers to education, with only about 20% completing secondary school. This disparity is a direct legacy of colonialism, systemic discrimination, racism, and entrenched gender inequality—issues that remain deeply threaded within the fabric of the country. While all Guatemalan women are impacted by gender discrimination, for Indigenous women, these structural challenges are particularly evident when they step into decision-making roles within non-governmental organizations. In such positions, their ability to lead is often undermined by discriminatory ideologies, inadequate resources, and insufficient training. 

This is not news to Asociación Mujeres Liderando Guatemala (AMLG). AMLG was born out of a collaborative pilot initiative, originally known as El Colectivo, co-run by four Guatemalan organizations: MAIA, Wuqu’ Kawoq, WINGS-Guatemala, and Iniciativa de los Derechos de la Mujer (WJI). This project, supported by the Summit Foundation since 2021, aimed to empower women by equipping them with the tools needed to become leaders, not only within their respective organizations but also within their local communities and on the broader national stage. Over the course of its first four years, El Colectivo supported two separate cohorts of 12 and 16 women, respectively, providing them with intensive English language-learning programs, cross-cultural networking training, management skills, leadership workshops, and more. All 26 graduates of the program now hold program coordination and leadership positions within various non-governmental organizations in central-western Guatemala. 

In June 2024, El Colectivo became Asociación Mujeres Liderando Guatemala, acquiring legal status as a non-profit in Guatemala. Drawing on its four years of experience and two empowered cohorts, AMLG is rapidly growing into a formidable force for change. Marta Miza, a participant from the second cohort, now serves as the first Executive Director of AMLG. Reflecting on her journey, Marta, a Kaqchikel Maya woman, states, “I aspire that women can have opportunities for professional growth in decision-making spaces, where we can challenge ourselves to continue opening gaps for and with other women.”  

AMLG has recently selected 19 dynamic women to join its newest cohort of leaders, moving beyond the four co-founders of El Colectivo and now including women from ten different Guatemalan NGOs focused on gender equality, social justice, and strengthening civil society. Beyond individual empowerment, AMLG is building a powerful network of women with honed organizational leadership and managerial skills, preparing them to step into decision-making and power-holding roles across Guatemalan society. 

Julia Morales (2021-2022 Fellow) contextualizes the need for Indigenous women-led and -centered organizations like AMLG in Guatemala:

“Patriarchy is deeply rooted in our culture, and it is complex and interesting for each of us to contribute to working against it. We must empower ourselves and say, ‘my work and my word are worth the same as a man’s’ but it is also a personal process through which we need a lot of support.”

AMLG’s focus on leadership development, language acquisition, and building strong professional networks is empowering a new generation of women to lead, challenge societal norms, and contribute meaningfully to Guatemala’s future.  

Partners:  

Asociación Mujeres Liderando Guatemala

MAIA  

WINGS Guatemala  

Women’s Justice Initiative  

Wuqu’ Kawoq  

In Guatemala, structural barriers such as inequality, misogyny, and racism prevent girls, especially indigenous girls, from accessing education. Additionally, the country has one of the highest rates of femicide worldwide, and gender-based violence has a unique impact on girls and adolescents. To combat these issues, community-based organizations are working to break down educational barriers and reduce violence against girls.

The Advocacy Network for Girls and Adolescents (Red de Incidencia de Niñas y Adolescentes or RINA) is a coalition of girl-focused organizations from across Guatemala that advocates for the rights, protection, and inclusion of adolescent girls. With support from our grantee Girl Rising-Guatemala, RINA connects various types of organizations to amplify their efforts.

In January and February 2023 when annual school registration takes place in Guatemala, RINA launched a campaign in four municipalities with high indigenous populations in Sololá Department. Called “Being a Father is Educating: Join Other Men Supporting the Education of Their Daughters,” the campaign targeted fathers to promote the importance of girls’ education and showcase stories of fathers supporting their daughters, as well as the diverse opportunities that education can offer women. Four local organizations – Amigos de Santa Cruz, Little Giants/Fundación Poulias, MAIA Impact School, and REDMI Aq’ab’al  — collaborated on the campaign design and most importantly implemented it in their municipalities.

Men and boys are important allies for girls’ and women’s rights, and fathers can help change long-held ideas about girls’ and women’s social roles. Fathers can support their daughters’ aspirations, promote their education, affirm their right to marry who they want or not marry at all, and help them confront other gender stereotypes.

Resources:

RINA – Advocacy Network for Girls and Adolescents

Partner Links:

​Girl Rising Guatemala

Amigos de Santa Cruz

Little Giants/Fundación Poulias

MAIA

REDMI Aq’ab’al

In 2017, the Youth Investment, Engagement, and Leadership Development (YIELD) Project began as a learning review to assess the impact of YIELD efforts on Adolescent and Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (AYSRHR) and to inform future action. YIELD’s initial five-year phase was supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and The Summit Foundation.

The YIELD Hub, hosted by Rutgers, a Netherlands-based global organization with a long commitment to AYSRHR, was launched in July 2022 to bring to life the learning from the earlier research and stakeholder engagement phase which showed that youth partnership in AYSRHR has been held back by a lack of opportunity for cross-stakeholder sharing, learning, and coordinated action.

The Hub’s vision is a world in which youth partnership is the norm within the AYSRHR field, and its mission is to improve youth partnership in the AYSRHR space. The Hub uses collective action learning, and a collaborative problem-solving process to generate new and creative solutions for improving youth participation in AYSRHR.

In 2022, the YIELD Hub’s staff launched its first collective action learning group, with three more planned for 2023 covering topics including compensating youth work, capacity development for youth transition, and finding, engaging, and sustaining new generations of youth leaders. In April 2023, the YIELD Hub launched a new Youth Partnership podcast. The first episode focused on amplifying youth partnership to end violence against women and girls.

Resources:

Youth Partnership Podcast – YIELD Hub

YIELD Project Research Report: Young People Advancing Sexual and Reproductive Health: Toward a New Normal

Issue Paper on Gender: When the Gap Is a Chasm: The Gendered Experience of Youth Participation and Leadership in Sexual and Reproductive Health

Partner Link:

Rutgers

In recent years a significant proportion of migrants at the US southern border have come from Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. The large number of migrants from Central America has prompted the US government to seek to better understand and address the root causes of migration from the region, including through its foreign assistance. The Population Institute published a report in 2022 entitled “Invisible Threads: Addressing the Root Causes of Migration from Guatemala by Investing in Women and Girls,” examining the factors that are driving migration from Guatemala, specifically that of women and girls. Many migrants seek greater economic security for themselves and their families, but the burden of economic insecurity is heavily borne by women.

Guatemala has the lowest proportion of women participating in the paid labor market in Latin America. Women in Guatemala, particularly Indigenous and Afro-descendant, also face educational and occupational inequities, creating “glass ceilings” that limit their ability to progress. Climate change also plays a role in people’s decisions to migrate from the region. Crime and violence, demographic pressures and limited investment in sexual and reproductive health are other factors driving migration.

Summit grantees FUNDAECO, WINGS, and Population Council collaborated with Population Institute on the report. It highlights innovative programs across Guatemala that demonstrate how targeted investments can yield benefits that cut across many of the root causes of migration.

Resources:

Invisible Threads: Addressing the Root Causes of Migration from Guatemala by Investing in Women and Girls

Partner Links:

Population Council Guatemala

FUNDAECO

WINGS

According to UNICEF, out of every ten girls in Guatemala, only six complete their primary education, two complete secondary school, and only one attends university. Mayra Pop is the first person from her community to go to college, but the road there was challenging.

Thanks to the scholarship program of FUNDAECO, a local NGO dedicated to environmental conservation, sustainable development, and promoting women’s and girls’ rights, Mayra completed the highest education level available in her village. However, in order to continue high school, she had to travel to another community, which meant additional expenses that her family could not afford.

Mayra seemed destined to follow in the footsteps of generations of girls from her small indigenous community. At 14, Mayra’s father decided she would not finish school and instead would marry a 21-year-old man who she did not know. But Mayra had learned about her rights in FUNDAECO’s program and decided to defy her father’s decision and the community’s customs and take her case to the justice system. In a landmark ruling, the judge declared that Mayra’s rights were being violated and ordered her family to allow her to continue her education. She received scholarships to attend secondary school and is currently completing a university degree in forest engineering.

Mayra’s dream was the same as so many girls in Guatemala who find joy in going to school and who want to keep studying. Still, a combination of economic insecurity and gender norms do not allow them to pursue their dreams. According to Girls Not Brides, in Guatemala, 30% of girls get married or enter an informal union before they turn 18, and the figure is higher for rural, indigenous girls. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the risks of child marriage, but Mayra’s story serves as an inspiration for other girls in her community to defy societal expectations and pursue their dreams. She aims to use her education to help other girls in similar situations, a reminder of the power of education to change lives and communities for the better. FUNDAECO’s Healthy and Empowered Women and Girls Program continues to reach hundreds of girls and young women like Mayra each year with sexual and reproductive health services, scholarships, leadership development, and connections to economic opportunities.

Resources:

Radio Ambulante

Univision

Partner Link:

FUNDAECO