Update 4/17/22

Our campaign is almost complete! If we raise another $37,500 as a team, we can unlock matching funds of $37,500 which would put us over the finish line. This final push will go towards solar panels, school garden, and capacity building for our student/family support team. Help us get over the finish line by donating here today!

My Story

When I met Pedro and Katie, the founders of Limitless Horizons Ixil, in Guatemala in 2008, I saw this: leaders who listen, learn, and dream in lock step with ambitious indigenous girls who try hard, defy expectations, and dream of attending middle school.

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. And what's the point? That's what their parents asked. Their hard-working parents, mostly illiterate farmers with just a few years of primary school under their belt, could not afford to send all their children to school. They chose 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 Sustainable Development Goals, including climate action (ask me for 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 and Pedro were not dropping 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 age when most girls drop out. His friend Katie invited 10 friends to contribute $100 each, and 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 strength and power alongside research, expertise, and funding from external partners.

I asked Katie and Pedro how I could help in 2008. They asked for a website. I built one. Then, we worked together to build an organization around the amazing program they had established. We formed a Board of Directors (on which I have served ever since), raised funds, built infrastructure for sustainability, and soon we could afford to pay our growing local staff team, invest in their training, expand our programs, and better respond to community needs (such as a library).

LHI is a highly effective part of a global movement to educate girls, boost gender equality, and build local capacity. The local, indigenous, and primarily female staff team is trusted, talented, and committed. The community is hungry to learn, to work, and to problem solve. And, the Board is the best team I've ever been on.

LHI has been remarkably successful at getting 226 youth (mostly girls, plus male allies), into and through middle and 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, and 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.

LHI is at a precipice. We hit a cap on the impact LHI could have on the community through school partnerships. LHI's 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, allegations of abuse, low test scores, and poor instructional methods which 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, and workplaces, they will take an axe to the oppressive practices aimed at women and indigenous communities, and which harm all people. The school itself will be a community resource, creating jobs, providing a community learning space, and bringing training opportunities and educational resources to local schools.

LHI has bought land, designed a building with our partners, started construction, hired local teachers, engaged in rigorous capacity building efforts, ran a student preparation program, and, in January 2022, launched the school in a temporary location. 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 finish construction, is our investment! 

I’m all in, and have made a commitment of my time, skills, and philanthropy to help make it happen. My parents and I are each making significant personal gifts to the 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?

(Want more info on this giving opportunity? We've got data, details, and documents—just ask!)

Other ways to give:

If you are considering a larger gift, please feel free to send a personal check or gift from your Donor Advised Fund to the address below. I can still record your gift against my fundraising goal on this page (total raised, but your name won't appear in the donor list here).

Limitless Horizons Ixil / P.O. Box 3120 / Santa Cruz, CA, 95063

LHI is also able to accept gifts of stocks or bonds via electronic transfer from your brokerage or investment account. Please contact heather@limitlesshorizonsixil.org for details.