MayaWorks Literacy Program in Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala

MayaWorks funded a Women's Leadership Conference in 2006 for its artisans, providing them with instructions about self-esteem, how to be a better business women, and their rights as women, and pride in their Mayan heritage. The women were motivated by the conference and asked to be tutored in Spanish. To answer their request, MayaWorks and CONALFA, a government literacy project, began collaborating and started offering Spanish literacy courses for artisans in Santiago Atitlan. The women now work with a tutor on a regular basis and are given teaching materials.

The Spanish literacy program enables women to work more independently, especially as artisans. Reading and writing Spanish allows them to communicate in the marketplace. Leaning Spanish opens up their world and allows them to be better business women, bringing their artisan goods to a larger audience with a better income.

In 2008, there are a total of 20 women in the Santiago Atitlan Literacy group. The women are split into two groups, the first group contains women who have literacy capabilities with reading and writing in Spanish up to the 4th, 5th and sixth grade. In this group, there are 9 women. This group has graduated up to the 2nd level.

In the second group, or the 1st level, there are 11 women who have capabilities in the 1st grades.