My Original Story: Pedro & Katie, the founders of Limitless Horizons Ixil, are leaders who listen, learn, & dream in lock step with ambitious indigenous girls who try hard, defy expectations, & dream of attending middle school.

Who dreams of going to middle school? Girls in rural Guatemala who are told they can't go. They can't go because they need to work at home. They can't go because they need to cook and care for the younger kids. They can't go because it isn't safe. They can't go to school because… they are girls. Their hard-working parents, mostly illiterate farmers with just a few years of elementary school under their belt, cannot afford to send all their kids to school, so they choose the ones who could return the highest investment—boys.

However, from a philanthropic perspective, investing in girls’ education is a no-brainer. Educated girls are healthier citizens who strengthen communities and economies for generations to come and raise healthier families. In fact, girls' education can drive almost all of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, including climate action (ask if you want to see the research!). However, poor and vulnerable families can’t or don’t always make this investment. In Chajul, Guatemala less than 5% of youth graduate from high school. 

Katie & Pedro didn’t drop into Chajul with a quick fix. Pedro is from Chajul, and saw his talented sisters left behind while he got to become the first person from Chajul to secure a college degree. He thought the best way to help his community long-term was to send girls to middle school, at the transition when most girls drop out. His friend Katie invited 10 friends to contribute $100 each, and Limitless Horizons Ixil (LHI) was born with a $1,000 budget in 2004. This is effective international development. An opportunity for people to create their futures, lead their own communities, build local capacity, advocate for themselves, and solve challenges in context, using their strengths and power alongside research, expertise, & funding from external partners.

I, like many of you who are reading this, was incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to attend excellent public schools from K-12, and then I had the privilege of getting a degree at an elite college, thanks to the good fortune of being born into the life circumstances that I was. I am very lucky, but I am not any more deserving than any other girl. Spending a year working in Chajul, Guatemala, with Limitless Horizons Ixil made that so incredibly clear to me. Here in the US, we are far from gender equality and even farther from equal access to education, but at least girls get to go to school. 

I learned about LHI in a course on nonprofits in spring 2009 through a grad student in the class who helped Katie create the board of directors and turn the organization into a real 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization just the year before. She shared a job posting, and by September, I was riding a “chicken bus” to Chajul, about to start my first real job, not yet realizing that I was joining a team and a community that I’d be forever connected to.

LHI is a highly effective part of a global movement to educate girls, boost gender equality, & build local capacity. The local, indigenous, & predominantly female staff team is trusted, talented, & committed. The community is hungry to learn, to work, & to problem solve. And, the Board of Directors is the most inspiring, rewarding team I’ve been on.

LHI has been remarkably successful at getting 226 youth (mostly girls, plus male allies), into and through middle & high school—youth who wouldn’t otherwise have attended school at all. Alumni are earning real wages, going to university, supporting siblings to go to school, delaying marriage and childbirth, & increasing the town's graduation rates. The library attracts over 500 members each year, inspiring many young children to attend school and chase their love of reading. You can see the impact in people's lives and in the data. I’ve been so inspired to see what so many of the youth I worked with in 2009-10 are up to now—many working on or already done college degrees, starting businesses, & working at nonprofits in Chajul (including 4 on our team as lead mentor, head librarian, social studies & English teacher, & operations & community outreach manager)!

LHI is at a precipice. We've hit a cap on the impact LHI could have on the community through school partnerships. The local team reports that the greatest community need and biggest challenge facing children today is lack of quality schools. Chajul's schools are plagued with overcrowded classrooms, abuse, low test scores, & poor instructional methods that don’t prepare problem solvers. We have been compensating for these inadequacies.

After much research and due diligence, LHI decided to tackle this challenge by creating a new middle and high school for 120 youth and bringing the infrastructure for high-quality and culturally responsive education to Chajul. We expect graduates to be able to access jobs in Chajul and across Guatemala which are currently inaccessible to them, and also to create jobs and take on leadership roles where they can influence the future of their community. With stable wages they can break the cycle of poverty and create economic opportunity for others. As parents, they will invest in the health and education of their children. As leaders in their homes, communities, & workplaces, they will dismantle the oppressive practices aimed at women and indigenous communities, which harm everyone. The school itself will be a community resource, creating jobs, providing a community learning space, & bringing training opportunities and educational resources to other schools.

LHI has bought land, designed a building with our partners, started construction, hired local teachers, & engaged in rigorous capacity-building efforts. Our team has done the hard work of planning a game-changing opportunity for their community, but they can't do it alone. All they need to make this dream a reality, and to open our school buildings' doors in July 2022, is our investment! 

I’m all in, and have made a major commitment of my time, skills, & philanthropy to help make it happen. My parents, Jeff, & I have each made significant personal gifts to the school capital campaign because we know what an impact those dollars can have in Chajul. We know that this is an extraordinary opportunity to invest in a better future, be a part of a global movement to empower girls and women, and build essential, catalytic infrastructure in the developing world. 

Will you join us?

Other ways to give:
- If you are considering a larger gift, please feel free to send a check or gift from a donor advised fund to the address below. We can still record your gift against my fundraising goal!
Limitless Horizons Ixil, P.O. Box 3120, Santa Cruz, CA, 95063

- LHI can also accept gifts of assets/stocks/bonds via electronic transfer from an investment account—I can share details or contact info@limitlesshorizonsixil.org!

(Want to know more? We've got data, details, & docs—just let me know!)