Welcome, Bienvenido, K'ulbilex Chi Cha'ab'il

Dear Friends,

A few years ago while still in university, I took a course in Belize for two weeks. The trip was beautiful, enlightening, and introduced me to new schools of thought and people. But upon my return to the States, two particular hours out of the entire two weeks kept me up at night. At the time I didn’t know it, but it was our brief stop in Guatemala that would alter the next chapter of my life.
A small, non-governmental organization, Ak’Tenamit is a social development project tucked away in the Guatemalan jungle. The organization seeks to provide a pertinent education to Mayan youth; one that teaches about indigenous heroes like Tecum Uman – who was a principal in the resistance to colonialism – as opposed to the standard praise of Christopher Columbus; an education that vocationally prepares them in fields that can help to build up their communities; a place that offers opportunities to study for young women and men alike.
Steve Dudenhoefer and several other international volunteers founded the organization eighteen years ago in collaboration with local community leaders. Ak’Tenamit’s school started in a single classroom with six students. But Steve and his team understood that for an organization to have success, the local community had to be the final authority, and so today the Board of Directors is 100% indigenous, made up of half men and half women. So what started as a school with six students in a tiny, makeshift classroom has grown into a boarding school that houses over 500.
I returned to Ak’Tenamit after graduating college to do a year of volunteer work, but as my year drew to a close, I searched for a way to let the experience continue. When the Board of Directors made me aware of plans to start a new branch of the school in Cancuén, one of the poorest regions of Guatemala, and offered me the role as the chief adviser to the project, I accepted immediately.
This blog will follow the journey of me and my partner, Felipe, as Ak'Tenamit works to build up education in an area where it is currently lacking. Following this blog, you will read both my and Felipe's impressions and experiences. The entries will be posted in English, some in Spanish, and even in Q'eqchi.
Thank you for being a part of this voyage. Feel free to comment away.