Tejiendo Futuros

A child cannot have a quality education living in extreme poverty when their home situation is domestic violence, unsanitary and unhealthy living and parents working informal employment reliant on a system that doesn't treat them in a just manner or offer them basic human rights. 

A program that works in cooperation with a school, offering holistic education and integral health assistance, to not just the child but also their families. Building a demonstration resiliency center where the families will learn to produce their own healthy food, appropriate technology to create a healthy home, and offer employment through skills training and ecotourism.

The mothers are receiving group therapy and have begun to build confidence and connect with one another. This is the first step in creating social entrepreneurs and community.

This unique model respects and connects one with their own cultural identity, rather than imposing, and can provide real community-led change.

Extreme poverty affects 15.5% of the population in the community of Panajachel. While there are many organizations here focusing on other communities in need, there are none here in that focus on this population that has been displaced and only has the opportunity for informal employment at most, which majority is mining sand in the rivers for less than $8 a day. They also tend to live in informal housing situations, unreliable rent or tin shacks with no/little access to basic services.

Public and private services offer workshops and donations as handouts that aren't sustainable for the families involved. They teach techniques without basic financial management skills or assistance. As well as public services are unreliable. For those that can receive municipal water, it comes incredibly dirty, won't distribute for weeks at a time, and in June 2019 a study showed that 87% is contaminated with E.Coli.

The traditional education in Guatemala is based on rote memorization and from other cultures that don't have anything to do with this country and its rich history. This breeds teachers that don't have the capacity to teach the life skills needed especially to survive in a developing country.

Our organization is an integrated program focusing on a better lifestyle for not only the child, but their parents as well. A school where they learn critical thinking and life skills, how to handle their emotional beings, connect with nature and their identity, and receive healthy meals. There are currently 60 children and 40 families involved, along with 15 staff members of Tejiendo Futuros.

The most important process we are working on is group therapy and sharing circles. The staff is receiving these therapies as well to help them interact more consciously with children and their families as well as relearn how to teach with love. The mothers are participating in their own circles in order to build confidence and participate in the process of developing the program they wish to see. As we build confidence together, they are more open and honest and most importantly capable of identifying and making their own decisions about their lives and needs. In this way they can define what it is they need, build consciousness, chose and participate in the solution that works for them.

The Demonstration Center will be supporting various appropriate technologies and food production systems that promote a healthy lifestyle and are accessible to the local community with local resources. The techniques are simple enough to teach to people with little to no formal education, economically accessible, and harmonious with nature. The focus population are the families and staff within the school, but will also be open to others within the community of Panajachel and surrounding areas.

With families living in these conditions, it is important not to rush to the implementation phase, as most NGOs do. The families must first understand why, see that it works and how, and then be able to chose for themselves what is right for them and their family. This is way our process for implementing these eco-technologies is the following: 1. Demonstration - be able to show these techniques are possible 2. Creating consciousness - educate on the importance 3. Empowerment - ensure they have the confidence and will to accept new ideas 4. Taking ownership of these techniques - learning how they function and accepting them 5. Community - creating community between the families and staff so they have a support system 6. Implementing in their own homes - along with organizational support, the families can then construct the technologies that are appropriate for their home. 7. Influence - be examples within their larger community to implement technologies in other homes (potential employment) or politically.

The main technologies we will be promoting are dry composting toilet, rainwater harvesting systems, small animal livestock production, organic gardens, compost, and domestic grey water management. 

Dry composting toilet is to separate urine and feces, and recirculation of grey water into the gardens for nutrients.

Rainwater harvesting is with PVC pipe gutters, a simple debris filter and capture tank. Along with different artisan water pumps, such as "bicibomba" from a bicycle, pulley system or solar energy.

Small animal livestock is focused on creating conditions for the animals to have the protein, minerals and vitamins they need in their own space from nature rather than relying on concentrate - mainly chickens and goats.

Organic gardening is demonstrating a variety of techniques so that chemicals are not necessary and one can be more self-reliant on what they grow. The main techniques will involve compost systems and Effective Microorganisms.

The appropriate technologies that we will be using are not necessarily new approaches to these solutions. However, the innovation in which we run the program is unique in the sense that it is integrated and performs various functions in which to complete human rights and be complete humans with healthy mind, body and spirit. 

Having a holistic approach to the education of the child and strengthening their family and home-life, is key in families that are suffering extreme poverty. Many organizations just focus on one part - for example education, but find it difficult when the children are not able to accept and learn because of situations they are suffering at home such as malnutrition, violence, constantly being sick, psychological issues and/or parents that aren't able to support them - this doesn't actually assist the child can rather create a more harmful situation for the child and family.

The same with the women, many programs focus on teaching women skills, businesses and microloans. However without proper focus on making sure the women are ready to take on such a challenge, if it is right for them, or letting them decide what they would like for themselves, also with very little follow through. What happens when she takes a microloan with no support and can put her further in debt? Ensuring that the woman is confident and conscious in her decisions and in a proper environment to be successful with her venture is crucial to her own innovation.

A program that began the end of last school year working with the mothers of the students at the school in a sharing circle. At the beginning hardly any of the mothers new each other and were extremely shy, an effect of the culture they live in as well. After three months of performing these sharing circles, the women have begun to participate, share their feelings at increasingly more depth than the first few sessions. They have shared about their problems at home, with their spouses and children and social lives. When asked one session by the director "what do you see as the most important part about you?", they all mentioned being there for their children and husbands, not one of them mentioned themselves. Now in the sessions, they have begun to open up about situations they go through personally, and we also facilitate various activities in which they are able to express different skills they have and enjoy themselves. One mother said "I appreciate these sessions and activities because it is the only space that I have to have fun and time for myself". We currently have 10 mothers out of the 25 families that are committed to this process and it is a huge indicator the fact that they are sharing their personal stories are opening up to see that our theory and process of change will work if we work it together.

We consider our population that will benefit from our solution to be the students at the school, their families (with focus on the mothers), and the staff and volunteers that support the organization. As staff, it is important that the teachers and team are present with the students and their families, for that it is crucial to receive psychological access in the same therapies and trainings that the families receive. In addition, we all must be the example and create a community together. These families live in poverty and extreme poverty in the communities around Panajachel and the parents must agree to the responsibility to participate in our programs in the manner they decide.

In 2020, we currently have 60 children participating in the educational programs, many are siblings, which makes up 25 families in total. There are 15 full and part time staff in the school and "strengthening families" program.

In one year, 2021 we will grow a grade at the school and receive more children and families. We project to have 75 children, 30 mothers, 20 fathers, and 17 staff participating in our programs.

In five years, we will have a larger range within the community, growing 5 more grades at the school and participating with other schools and youth in order to extend the consciousness. Our public will be 150 children at the school, 70 mothers, 45 fathers, 25 staff and 60 students from other local schools that will participate in local workshops and trainings.

This year we will be formalizing our organizational model, the curriculum and building the demonstration center. Focusing on the staff in a process of un-learning and re-learning traditional methods and beliefs in order to become the examples and strengthen abilities to confront the obstacles that the children and their families face. This year is also focused on proving that the curriculum written is working for these children and systematizing it to then be improved and/or eventually replicated. The third goal is to have the 10 mothers that have proven committed to the program, have personal growth and to identify talents and abilities that they possess. These mothers will be examples and voices for more mothers and fathers to join in the coming years. Lastly to build the demonstration center with resilient technologies and gardens and have 3 pilot programs. These 3 pilot programs will be gardens involving 5 mothers in an urban garden, rural garden and community garden. This year establishing these pilot gardens will be examples for more families to see the variety of techniques and then these pilot families will be those that implement and motivate the implementation in other homes.

Within this year, and the next few years, is to strengthen the base of the several families that have already committed in order for them to be the future influencers with the other families at the school and their community. In five years we aim to have 60% of our families (mother and/or father) participating responsibly.

Our largest barrier is financial as NGO schools generally have problems sustaining themselves. School meals and salaries and are the largest expenses and most difficult to fundraise for and it is important that have beneficial teachers and facilitators, and create local employment opportunities. As we are a startup NGO, the next five years will be spent building the bases and a need for more funds as we develop plans to sustain the organization.

Another barrier is Monitoring & Evaluation to be find the correct practices and tools and to do so in a manner that is not intrusive to the families.

Our financial barriers over the next few years will be completed through fundraising, grants, and adaptation. By 2024 we will be developing a larger demonstration center that will produce a large portion of the food for school meals and will also be a tourist destination with natural built buildings for local and external tourists can come to learn about a resilient and sustainable living while supporting the NGO and have spectacular views of Lake Atitlan. This center plans to assist in the financial burden of running the school, and also a space to provide employment to the parents and children that will be graduating from the school. 

The monitoring and evaluation plan will be developed over the next couple years throughout each of our programs in a learn-by-doing approach. We will also enlist technical trainings when necessary from local professionals or students doing their practicum.

All of the activities in the organization are focused in the community directly of Panajachel, Guatemala on the edge of Lake Atitlan. 

There is the school which provides preschool, primary and afterschool education. Then there is the development of a demonstration center in the same community. 

There are 7 full time staff, 8 part-time staff whom are teachers and administrators and 3 contracted facilitators of the programs and therapies with the staff and mothers.

The director, Ingrid Villaseñor, has the drive and passion and all her heart in this organization that she has created. After her father was "disappeared" in the civil war for fighting for the rights of the people and his ideals, this fortified her to overcome obstacles and become a leader continuing the fight. She developed the skills and experience through a variety of jobs learning advantages and disadvantages of working with rural communities in Guatemala. She worked with the UN on a program for women entrepreneurs in rural communities and in an NGO in rural Quiche to construct schools, implement libraries, and helped develop an adult education program for the parents in each community. 

We have also built a team of people that have technical experience in their fields as administrators, agriculture and sustainable systems, therapeutic facilitators, as well as educators. Our teachers may be young with little experience in the traditional field, but with sufficient passion and belief in this new alternative education. This is better for us so that they are capable of un-learning the conventional way, and re-learning a new perspective and growing along with the students and organization.

Mama Hope and Glorious are 2 organizations that we have partnered with and offer support in technical trainings and tools, as well as financial sponsors from the US. 

Other organizations are Pedagogia 3000 and ASIRI, which are alternative educational philosophies that we have adapted in writing our own curriculum. 

We also work with local partners, such as "Red Musovi" that assists women in domestic violence situations, which we have enlisted their assistance with several of the mothers.

Our model consists of four main strategies - Active Citizen Participation, Social Entrepreneurship, Sustainable Living, Resilient Community. Our key actors are the staff members, the children and their families that are living in poverty. 

We provide alternative education, consultations, psychological support, physical health services, trainings in a resilient life - economically, socially and environmentally - able to grow and raise your own food, small business trainings and development. 

We are building a community that is able to understand and overcome obstacles in economic, social and environmental spheres and be able to influence and become change agents in their larger community.

Through the school programs the children are developing the abilities and emotions to be able to handle difficult social and psychological situations. Their mothers and fathers receive assistance to become entrepreneurs or create impact within their families and communities. They also will take on projects to grow their own food, improve their living conditions to a healthier alternative, and be more conscious of their decisions and surroundings.

Our plan is to diversify the financial support in which we receive and help to make it more sustainable and resistant. 

In the short term we rely on foundations, grants, fundraising events (local and foreign countries), in-kind donations. Shortly we will be adding a volunteer program that will assist with certain expenses and efforts. 

We plan to sustain ourselves in the long term through the sustainable production farm, selling agriculture products and byproducts, as well as tourism activities. Also in the long term, the families will improve their financial situations to assist paying for certain services such as a portion of the educational costs, medical services or food services we currently provide for very little tuition from them. These sustainable activities will be coupled with the continuation of grants and foundation donations.

Our largest barrier is financial and it would help us greatly the funding and prize money in order to finish the demonstration center so we can have a base in which to teach our community techniques to improve their living situations.

However the main reason we are applying is to be able to partner and create a support network for us as an organization to grow and assist the families in our community when they are ready to embark on their entrepreneurial enterprises.

We don't have any names in mind, however here are some ideas of partners that would be beneficial. Organizations that can assist in gathering funds for an organization such as ours. To be able to assist in trainings for our staff in the capacity of social business development. Also trainings on monitoring and evaluation and systematization. How to develop an effective sustainable funding solution for the organization, not just the families, to develop a social business.