In Guatemala, Indigenous girls, including the Maya, Xinka, and Garifuna, comprise approximately 23% of the population, and face deeply entrenched and intersecting forms of social exclusion. Life in rural Indigenous communities is shaped by enduring systemic barriers—legacies of colonialism and civil war— including linguistic marginalization, discrimination against Indigenous worldviews, limited opportunities for civic participation, and governmental neglect.   

Beginning in the early 2000s, the Population Council documented a situation of quadruple disadvantage for Indigenous girls—age, gender, ethnicity, and geography—leading to scant opportunities as they enter adolescence, a critical period too often marked by school dropout, early pregnancy, and child marriage.  

In response to these stark realities, the Council launched Abriendo Oportunidades (Opening Opportunities, or “AO”) in 2004, an innovative educational and empowerment program designed for rural Indigenous Mayan girls. AO is a gender-transformative social initiative that engages young Indigenous women, known as mentors, to lead community-based girls’ clubs: safe spaces where girls learn practical life skills, build confidence, and take on leadership roles to improve their social, educational, and sexual health outcomes.  

In 2011, a household-level evaluation conducted in 36 AO communities documented that 100% of AO girl leaders had completed sixth grade; 97% of girl leaders remained unmarried during the program cycle; 94% of girl leaders wished to delay childbearing until after age 20; and 88% of girl leaders reported having a bank account. In 2017, among the key findings from a cluster randomized control trial were that girls participating in AO had significantly lower chances of experiencing physical violence in their homes and were less likely to be married.    

The program’s success in Guatemala has spurred adaptation and replication across the region, including in Mexico (Abriendo Futuros) and Belize (Toledo Adolescent Girls Program). AO has also informed the design of mentor-based, gender-transformative initiatives for youth in Honduras and the Dominican Republic. What began as a small research project in a handful of rural Guatemalan communities has, over the past two decades, expanded to reach more than 25,000 girls and 500 mentors in dozens of communities across Guatemala.  

Mentorship has always been central to AO’s success. Leaders like Elizabeth Vasquez, an Indigenous woman from Totonicapán, exemplify the transformative power of the program. After serving as an AO mentor, Elizabeth became a Field Coordinator with the Population Council. In 2012, she co-founded Red de Mujeres Indígenas (REDMI Aq’ab’al), a network of Indigenous women dedicated to replicating AO programming and educating girls about their rights. Reflecting on her journey, Elizabeth shares:  

“Through Abriendo Oportunidades, I learned to be autonomous, to be free, to make my own decisions. I had the opportunity to participate, and later, to lead. Before the program, I had no clear future, no life plan—I didn’t even know my rights. I saw violence as something normal. AO totally changed my life. I came to understand that the different forms of violence that girls and adolescent girls experience are not normal—they are not natural.”  

Following in Elizabeth’s footsteps, former AO mentors in Chisec established Na’leb’ak in 2017. This Maya-Q’eqchi’-led Indigenous organization empowers girls and adolescents by preventing early pregnancy, child marriage, and violence through AO-inspired mentorship and methodologies.  

As the role of AO mentors has evolved, so has the program. Guided by Indigenous communities, AO has become a trusted learning partner to key government institutions in Guatemala. In collaboration with the Defensoría de la Mujer Indígena (Office for the Defense of Indigenous Women, DEMI), AO piloted an internship program that contributed to strengthening Guatemala’s 1529 emergency hotline for survivors of domestic violence. They also developed strategic partnerships with the Ministry of Education, particularly through its unit for alternative secondary education (Dirección General de Educación Extraescolar, DIGEEX). These initiatives inspired a collaboration with the Office of the Vice President in 2021 to create Escuela de Oportunidades (EO), an affirmative action internship initiative to build a pathway to more linguistically and ethnically inclusive public service that opens spaces for Indigenous women professionals.  

In close collaboration with AO mentors and Indigenous communities, the Population Council’s Abriendo Oportunidades continues to champion the expansion and institutionalization of mentorship programs, advocate for paid roles for mentors and tutors, and promote community-based development models that honor Indigenous knowledge systems and strengthen intergenerational bonds among Indigenous women.  

Resources: 

The Population Council – Equipping Mayan girls to improve their lives 

SSRN – Abriendo Oportunidades – Community-based Group Mentoring to Promote Indigenous Adolescent Girls’ Well-being: Impact Findings from a Cluster-RCT in Guatemala 

The Population Council – Elizabeth Vasquez 

Defensoría de la Mujer Indígena (Office for the Defense of Indigenous Women, DEMI) 

Unit for alternative secondary education (Dirección General de Educación Extraescolar, DIGEEX) 

The Population Council – Growing the Abriendo Oportunidades Ecosystem: Spotlight on Escuela de Oportunidades 

Partners: 

The Population Council  – Abriendo Oportunidades (Opening Opportunities, or “AO”) 

Red de Mujeres Indígenas (REDMI Aq’ab’al) 

Na’leb’ak 

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  

The Youth Investment, Engagement, and Leadership Development (YIELD) Project began in 2017 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.

Building on this research, the YIELD Hub was launched in 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 change how youth-adult partnerships are built, sustained, and resourced, putting young people at the center of decisions and programs that shape their lives. The Hub uses collective action learning, and a collaborative problem-solving processes to support practitioners, funders and youth leaders in generating new approaches to shared challenges and strengthening youth participation in decision-making.

Since its launch, the YIELD Hub has convened multiple collective action learning groups focused on topics including compensating youth work, capacity development for youth transition, and finding, engaging, and sustaining new generations of youth leaders. The Hub has also produced a growing body of learning resources and knowledge products to inform practice across the AYSRHR field, including a youth partnership podcast, research reports, and issue papers. Through these efforts, the YIELD Hub contributes to a more coordinated, accountable, and youth-centered AYSRHR ecosystem. 

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

Best Practices for Fair Compensation in Youth Work – YIELD Hub 

Youth Transition Toolkit – YIELD Hub 

Compensating Youth Work Toolkit – YIELD Hub 

Sustainable Financing Framework for Youth-Led Organisations 

Partner Link:

YIELD Hub

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 Healthy and Empowered Women and Girls 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 completed her degree in forest engineering with an emphasis on sustainable development of tropical forests in 2025.

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 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.

In 2025, Mayra won the Luis von Ahn Visionary Award, which honors extraordinary individuals who are building a more just, free, and inclusive Guatemala. Mayra was recognized as ayoung leader fostering change and opportunity in her community through environmental education and her advocacy for the rights of women and girls.

Resources:

Radio Ambulante

Univision

Luis von Ahn Foundation

Partner Link:

FUNDAECO