PROJECT-SUPPORT GUATEMALA

Country / Place

Guatemala, Jocotenango / Suchitepéquez

Guatemala is located in the south of the Yucatán Peninsula and is the most populous country in Central America. The country borders Honduras to the south-east, El Salvador to the south, Mexico to the north, and Belize to the east. It also borders two oceans: the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the south-west. Guatemala City is the capital of the Central American state.

The town of Jocotenango is located in the Panchen Valley at an altitude of around 1’525 metres above sea level and has a population of around 23’000. Guatemala City is about 45 kilometres away to the east.

Suchitepéquez is a department of Guatemala and is located in the south-west of the country. It covers over 2’500 square kilometres and has just under 580’000 inhabitants.

General

The Association ‘The M Story’ is committed to women's empowerment as well as basic care and educational opportunities for children in Guatemala. With projects such as the Maison Michelle daycare centre and the Guardian Angel sponsorship programme, they provide care and education for over 100 children. They also support families in remote villages with work integration programmes and medical care.

Beneficiaries

Daycare centre ‘El Jardín de Michelle’
The daycare centre in Jocotenango has been in operation for a year and makes an important contribution to greater inclusivity and justice. It gives single mothers the opportunity to return to work while their children are cared for in a safe and nurturing environment. The day centre is a place of play, learning and development for over 20 children. The volunteers from the organisation spend a lot of time with the children, encouraging their creativity through crafts, painting and games, as well as offering extra tuition and English lessons.

Education
Education is the key to escaping poverty and building a better future. The M Story wants to give children the opportunity to broaden their perspectives and later have a greater choice of professions with good living conditions. In 2024, ten new children from Suchitepéquez were accepted into the school programme. Almost 90 pupils now have access to education.

Guardian Angel programme
The Guardian Angel programme enables children to start school. In 2024, ten new Guardian Angels were recruited, which means that a total of 28 children can now attend school thanks to this programme. A contribution of just CHF 200 covers not only school materials, but also the children's basic needs for an entire year. This programme offers the children not only education but also wings for a promising future.

Women's Empowerment Programme
A special milestone is the collaboration with the seamstresses Sandra and Olga as part of the Women's Empowerment Programme. They were given the task of training women and young people in Suchitepéquez in handicraft skills. This project emphasises the long-term commitment to empowering women by opening up ways for them to achieve economic self-sufficiency and self-determination.

Project-support

Project: Self-sufficiency

In many regions, families lack the knowledge and resources to ensure their food security in the long term. A lack of knowledge about efficient cultivation methods, economic insecurity and limited resources lead to hunger and malnutrition. This is precisely where the project comes in.

The aim is to support 35 families in creating their own gardens and managing them sustainably through targeted training and practical instructions. They learn which plants thrive best under the local climatic conditions and how they can market their yields efficiently. The partner organisation ‘Seeds for a Future’ is implementing the project. It has more than 20 years of experience in sustainable agriculture and has extensive knowledge of the region's climatic challenges.  

Special attention is paid to the involvement of women in order to promote their economic independence. New families are continuously included in the programme in order to achieve a sustainable impact.