The COVID-19 pandemic created a global education crisis.  In 2021, the World Bank projected that Guatemala’s already-low figure for average years of schooling would drop from 6.3 to only 4.8 years. Even before the pandemic, most girls entering 7th grade at MAIA’s Impact School were reading at a 2nd-grade level due to the substandard education system in Guatemala. This disparity in education only widened in the last few years.

ODW partnered with MAIA – a nonprofit led by and for indigenous women – to prepare Guatemalan girls to enter secondary school. MAIA’s Proyecto Impulso (Momentum Project)  increased retention rates and equipped a new generation of “Girl Pioneers” for success in secondary school and beyond. Through our partnership, 87 Girl Pioneers received a full year of intensive academic instruction in math, reading, technology, and English. The students and their 707 family members also participated in individual, group, and family socio-emotional wellbeing programs.  As a result, 100% of Girl Prioneers had improved Lexile (reading comprehension) and MAP (math proficiency) scores!