Adopt-a-Village in Guatemala

AAV students help single mothers prepare their gardens

Adopt-a-Village in Guatemala’s programs support our mission of partnering with the Mayan people of northwest Guatemala to improve education, health and economic conditions in the region. While our central focus is education, a high-priority program is the Adopt-a-Village sustainable organic family gardens–a self-help program that allows families to grow their own food at low cost.  Following is a brief description of our programs. Click on the program name for more details or click here to learn how you can contribute.

Child Sponsorship: Our child sponsors build a one-on-one relationship with a child through letters, cards and photos. Funds provided by child sponsors support health and education projects in the children’s villages.

Mayan Center: This residential high school serves youth from  surrounding villages. Students live in dormitories and study academic and vocational subjects.

Widows and Orphans: This program provides extra support for the poorest families in AAV’s service area, typically families missing one or both parents. Contributors to this program help to fund food, clothing, and educational supplies for the families.

Medical Emergency Fund: Most of the villages have limited, if any, access to medical services. This fund helps pay for transportation and medical care in the event of emergencies such as complications during childbirth or life-threatening injuries.

Sustainable Organic Family Gardens: Adopt-a-Village has launched an ambitious regional project to help families and schools plant nutritional food to lessen the high rate of chronic child malnutrition in the area.  Using green composting, companion planting, and deeply-dug gardens beds, families are able to harvest up to four times more vegetables than in a regular-style garden. (NOTE: THIS PAGE IS UNDER REVISION AND SHOULD BE AVAILABLE BY APRIL 7, 2012)