Tejiendo Futuros

A message from Ingrid Villaseñor, Founder

“I am Ingrid Villaseñor, I am 45 years old, I am the mother of three wonderful children, and I live in the Guatemalan highlands of Panajachel, Solola.

My mother is from the highlands town of Santiago Atitlan, a beautiful town on the shore of lake Atitlan. It was there where I learned the traditions, livelihoods, and beliefs which run deep in my family’s Mayan heritage. But despite all its cultural richness and natural wealth, it is mirrored by poverty, inequality, and exclusion.

I grew up during the time of armed conflict in my country; a time full of the unknown, of uneasiness, and a time of terror and horror. My father was kidnapped when I was only 10 years old. Because I was so young, I didn’t understand what had happened to him. My mother never talked about him for fear that we would be kidnapped as well. I am the fruit of a valiant woman who was a fighter and a man who was a leader. My father gave up his life for his ideals and his country. Seeing the hunger and misery in many people teaches you to overcome all obstacles that may arise. It makes you want to live and fight for a better world.”

About

In Panajachel, Guatemala the education system is extremely poor. Schools are often made from tin or sticks, without libraries, and some without desks. Children take turns sitting at a table while the others stand. Ingrid saw how unmotivated and sometimes uneducated the teachers were. Ingrid decided to dedicate her life to creating a new model for education. Tejiendo Futuros allows space for each child to discover their passions and gifts while encouraging them to express their thoughts and emotions, to become leaders in their communities.

The program currently serves twelve children, who come from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, but have all shown potential for leadership in their schools. They come to the center, which is a beautiful home in the center of Panajachel, and receive lunch, an afternoon snack, tutoring, and a holistic understanding of themselves and their community. Ingrid is truly creating a future generation of activists.

Ingrid’s dream is to create a successful program in Panajachel, and then to spread this model to other rural communities. She hopes to train people to teach them the program, so they could successfully incorporate it in communities all over Guatemala.

3-Year Goals

Ingrid has a big dream. Her years of experience working with the UN, her background in education and her deep passion for rebuilding communities that have been devastated by decades of civil war have led her to this moment. Now, she is ready to take Tejiendo Futuros to the next level. Her dream is to integrate an eco-tourism project that will draw income, investment and volunteers to the school and farm.

EL ÁRBOL DE LA NIÑEZ HOLISTIC EDUCATION PROGRAM

Our program is based in the integral development of the human being where the educational process is based on values; an education that points towards the development of gifts and abilities, that values creativity, cooperation, and collaboration; an education that values the creation of healthy connections, teamwork, and, of course, the acquisition of knowledge through experience.

Our impact is to empower through a holistic education an educated community, conscious of their identity, rights, and obligations, in order to be agents of development for the general good.

El Árbol de la Niñez is an educative community, resilient and peaceful, conscious of a holistic education with a humanistic/spiritual focus, that attempts to develop the potential in each person, conscious of themselves and their environment, and of living in harmony with all other living beings. Mothers, fathers, and caregivers actively participate. They are involved in the education of their children and are conscious of what a holistic education entails. Our model school strives to empower boys and girls to have integral mental and physical health – “healthy mind, healthy body.”

KAULEW “SUSTAINABLE LIFE” AGROECOLOGICAL PROGRAM

Our impact is to develop a resilient community, exercising their rights to basic services and a healthy nutrition, acting with environmental responsibility through agroecological alternatives.

Kaulew is a community implementing agroecological techniques for an integral development. It is a community actively influencing nutritional and environmental topics, improving their nutrition and taking advantage of natural resources for a good life. Kaulew is a productive community that prioritizes local economy.

We consider that the development of an agroecological system is directly affected by indicators such as development of an environmental consciousness, raising the sense of belonging, reduction in the costs of basic needs, fomentation of the development of micro-businesses, fomentation of healthy nutrition and daily habits, improvement of the quality of green areas, and increasing local identity.

FAMILIAS FORTALECIDAS PSYCHOSOCIAL STRENGTHENING PROGRAM

Our impact is to develop a united and solidary community that coexists respecting and valuing children and their identity, including through a lens of gender, thus influencing and improving the quality of life in Panajachel.

Mothers and fathers exercise their rights and obligations with responsible parenthood. They are co-creators in action, making decisions and influencing their families and their surroundings with a perspective on gender and cultural identity. They are a community giving warmth.