Our Partners in Sustainable Education and Health Projects in Guatemala
Miracles In Action is fortunate to work with several fine NGO (non-governmental organization) who share our commitment to making a lasting difference in the lives of those we serve. These established non-profits and other grassroots partners have excellent reputations and help us help others.
ALDEA
Aldea is our construction partner for 20 of our schools, including School of Miracles #1 and most of our water systems projects. They work in partnership with the rural Mayans of Tecpan, Comalapa and Chimaltenango in nutrition, water, and agriculture projects using participatory community development.
AMIGOS DE SANTA CRUZ
Amigos de Santa Cruz has coordinated Miracles in Actions’s largest project, a 4-story vocational center serving 6000 villagers around Lake Atitlan, in addition to building two primary schools. They have been helpful in coordinating Project CAN workshops in Santa Cruz.
CONSTRU CASA
Constru Casa builds schools in all parts of Guatemala, along with over 1,000 houses. This charity partners with villagers and volunteers who work together to build from traditional construction of block, to Eco-bricks made from bottles filled with plastic trash. Construcasa provides follow up visits for 4 years after school construction, and they implement additional projects such as water filters, stoves, roof repairs, and retaining walls.
LET'S BE READY
Let’s Be Ready supports the academic success of at-risk Guatemalan children through establishing preschools that focus on preparing students for 1st grade. Miracles in Action has worked with this NGO to provide Magical Classroom preschools in rural areas of deep poverty.
MAGICAL CLASSROOM
Magical Classroom is an off shoot of Let’s Be Ready in villages so remote that qualified preschool teachers are not available. Classes are conducted by a local “facilitator” who uses a tablet and speaker to play audio stories, songs and lessons, following along to show the children the drawings from the story book and doing arts/craft activities. The students are ages 4, 5 and 6 years old, and many speak only their mother’s indigenous language. Magical Classroom teaches them Spanish and prepares them for 1st grade at age 7.
LISTO
Listo strives to develop, produce, and sell a nutrient-rich, high protein snack food geared towards combating malnutrition in children between the ages of 6 months and 3 years. This healthy snack (food supplement) sells in pharmacies and small village stores where children buy sodas, candy, and chips. Now with Nutri Listo, they have a healthy, tasty option in small packet providing protein and vitamins for better growth and development.
LIMITLESS HORIZONS IXIL
Limitless Horizons Ixil creates opportunities for the indigenous youth, women, and families of Chajul, Guatemala to develop the academic and professional skills needed to effect change in their lives and community. We provide support for their private middle school (school #58) construction of the building, nutrition training and students scholarships.
MAYA HEALTH ALLIANCE
Maya Health Alliance is our partner in nutrition programs under the direction of Anthrologist Anne Kraemer and Dr. Peter Rohloff, MD (Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School) conducting research on nutrition solutions in Guatemala. Miracles in Action's Nutritionist, Andrea Guzman, coordinates Project CAN (Culinary, Agriculture, Nutrition) with non-profit partners like MHA. Together we conduct cooking/nutrition workshops and maintain a website database creating and sharing educational information, videos and recipes. www.ProyectoCAN.org
THE RIPPLE EFFECT
The Ripple Effect works in Quiche area in remote, mountainous, and extremely poor villages of Ixil Maya people. On their training farm in Chel, TRE teaches women how to raise farm animals, grow a family garden and to purify their drinking water. We support them through our pigs and chickens distribution program, vented stoves, water filters, solar lamps, and village water projects. Founder Michael Ewens shares fascinating, adventure stories through videos and photos from remote villages where he is the first white man these people have met.
check out their website The Ripple Efftect Inc
SEMILLA NUEVA
Semilla Nueva (New Seed) helps rural Guatemalan farmers find a path to prosperity, health, and sustainability through agriculture technologies and farmer to farmer education. They have researched and developed a Bio fortified QPM corn seed (Quality Protein Maize) which is a complete protein and high in Zinc. Semilla Nueva promotes QPM as a solution to malnutrition in rural Guatemala where many people consume only corn tortillas as a cheap food for their families.
VILLAGE OF SATAKNA
Village of Satakna and Santa Eulalia is unique in that we work directly with community leaders to provide safe stoves, water filters, and the building of School #33 with 6 retaining walls constructed of old tires filled with dirt. In 2019 we built our first special needs school for 28 children and young adults to learn skills for a better life. Marta Sicajan’s dream was to help mothers, like her, with special needs children. It’s Marta’s way to give back to her homeland in a project where she truly understands the needs of special children and their mothers.