Guatemala
Recently the West Palm Beach Rotary Club traveled to the Ak’Tenamit school in Guatemala, in addition to providing financial support. While there, we assisted in water & sanitation construction projects, taught CPR to the students and got to know the students and fellow Rotarians.
Ak’Tenamit is internationally recognized for its innovative and highly effective education programs. Its demand-driven work-based learning approach helps at-risk indigenous youth gain an education and secure good jobs in Guatemala. This allows them to avoid risky forced migration to the United States in search of work, leaving their culture and a broken family behind. Instead of girls marrying as young as fourteen, they are able to graduate from high school, get good jobs, and reach their goals. Ak’Tenamit graduates tend to continue their education at a tertiary level, are leaders in their communities, maintain a strong sense of cultural identity, develop pride in their Mayan language and culture, and are committed to lifting their families and communities out of poverty as well.
