The Rios Fund, Guatemala
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Vision 2027: Lake Izabal Girl's School
Serving indigenous adolescent girls in the Sauce River watershed and El Estor
Project founder Paul Heesaker has purchased the land and will donate it to the women's association that Herlinda Xo Caal (director) has formed with Q'eqchi villages in the area.
We envision a two level / two classroom structure with views overlooking Lake Izabal and El Estor.
The site sits at the foot of the Santa Cruz Mountains and also has land for permaculture gardens, fruit trees and other food security initiatives.
Project Director Herlinda Xo Caal with Dr. Jennifer Hooke, founder of Guatemalan Village Health, a key alliance and supporter. Their mission is to improve individual and village health in rural Guatemala through education, empowerment of local leaders,
and development of local health providers.
Herlinda is a sustainable tourism graduate of Ak' Tenamit and has established a women's association in the Sauce River watershed. Her vision is to empower women and a new generation of girls with economic self determination. She also envisions women local, regional and national leaders and environmental stewards.
Project founder: Paul Heesaker first explored Guatemala as owner of Area Verde Expeditions from late 1993 through 1998. Following a career in public education as a teacher and principal, Paul returned to Guatemala in October 2011 to work on a film that highlighted Guatemala's endangered wild rivers. "Rios Guatemala, The Preservation of Wild Rivers," was a selection of the Colorado Environmental Film Festival and the Breckenridge Festival of Film. Paul also produced "A Trail to Seacacar," a selection of the Colorado Environmental film festival and the People's Choice Award winner in the Compassion Film Festival. Paul and his wife Catherine, a school psychologist, are full time residents of Silverthorne, Colorado.
Students gain skills for employment and become leaders in their communities.
Our work in Seacacar and the Sauce River watershed resulted in a ten fold increase in the number of high school graduates in the area. The support of Steve Dudenhoefer (photo below), founder of the Guatemala Tomorrow Fund and the vocational boarding school at Ak' Tenamit, has been critically important to our progress. The GTF acts as an umbrella US based non profit organization. All donations are sent to the GTF.
CHANGE BEGINS WITH HOPE
Adolescent Q'eqchi Mayan girls face systemic challenges rooted in entrenched gender inequality, rural poverty and cultural marginalization that severely limits their access to education. High rates of early pregnancy and marriage, compounded by structural barriers and limited Spanish proficiency, often trap them in extreme poverty.
Furthermore, food insecurity in rural Guatemala threatens not just their well-being, but that of their entire culture.
Curriculum for change: Academic instruction (math, language, business, computer literacy) paired with permaculture, soil restoration, native seed saving, organic farming, and hospitality vocational training.
Family Contribution: Families cover daily scholar needs through modest cash contributions or in-kind donations of corn and beans to foster local ownership.
12 to 16 student cohort is strictly an initial baseline starting point. We will add one grade level per year, culminating in a career path high school.
Clear potential for physical expansion on the primary hillside site (additional classroom pavilions, expanded cohorts, boarding facilites, community workshops) as funding become available.
The bottom line: Help these girls and their families leave extreme poverty behind, have families when they're ready and not because there's no other choice, and see them become leaders in their communities, region and country