Photo by Lindsey Michelle Williams
Words by photographer and PWB School participant, Lindsey Michelle Williams
Nestled in the mountains of the Quiché region of Guatemala, it’s easy to visit the Indigenous Mayan community of Chajul, and forget that you are standing on what has been rebuilt after years of war and genocide. The Ixil community of Chajul was one of many Indigenous groups that were heavily targeted and massacred by government forces during the 36-year-long civil war in Guatemala. Although the war ended in 1996, the struggle to rebuild the region continues due to the inaccessibility of outside resources, as well as a lack of quality education and limited professional development opportunities.
The cost of middle school in Chajul is 50 quetzales per month, or the equivalent of around $6.50 USD per month.
Photo by Lindsey Michelle Williams
The Guatemalan NGO, Limitless Horizons Ixil (LHI), was formed to confront these types of challenges. LHI’s Youth Development Program provides educational support in the form of tutors, school supplies, and stipends to help with the cost of school (free public education is only provided up through elementary school). In addition, LHI provides a variety of intensive Spanish language learning programs that help to decrease the linguistic isolation caused by the fact that Ixil, the native Mayan language spoken in Chajul, is only understood within about a 45-minute radius of the city.
In Guatemala, only 33 percent of children graduate from middle school. In Chajul, that number drops down even lower, to around 11 percent. However, for youth enrolled in Limitless Horizons’ Youth Development Program, the middle school graduation rate is over 80 percent.
Photos by Lindsey Michelle Williams
One alumni of the Youth Development Program, Antonio Laynez, says that LHI has helped him to “develop into a professional that is able to think with a more open mind to learn from the world outside.” The ability to speak Spanish, he says “opens doors and opportunities to work in other places that would be inaccessible otherwise.”
With the continued support of LHI, Antonio is also learning English and frequently acts as a translator between visitors who cannot speak Ixil or Spanish. He is seen as a mentor and someone that is looked up to by many of the current LHI youth scholars. In Antonio’s words, “Es un orgullo para mí formar parte de los becarios de HLI porque me formé como una persona muy responsable y una persona en ayudar a las perso-nas.” (“It’s a source of pride for me to be part of the LHI fellows because I have become a very responsible person, a person that can help others.”)
Photo by Lindsey Michelle Williams
LHI’s programs help to support not only the young people of Chajul, but also their families and the broader community. Maria, a mother of eight, has had two children supported by the Youth Development Program and also takes part in LHI’s Artisan Program. Over a lunch of buxbol and a never-ending stack of hand-flattened tortillas, Maria explains that the program provides her with the opportunity to sell handmade, woven items to visitors as a way to make extra income. The money she makes has helped to pay for her children's schooling and allows her to give them some money for things like snacks and school supplies. LHI has found that women participating in the artisan program have been able to supplement their income through the sale of one-of-a-kind goods. Maria’s two oldest children, Magdalena and Angelica, are studying social work and business administration at Guatemalan universities; something that may not have been possible without the support of the organization.
Today, less than 6 percent of families in Chajul have someone earning a salary in the formal economy; the majority of families make a living through farming; and 93 percent of the city lives in poverty, defined as making less than $2 per day.
Photos by Lindsey Michelle Williams
At its core, LHI works to promote the well-being of its community by providing support for local programs, lead by local people. The organization stresses the importance of communities maintaining power over decisions that will impact them directly and uses research-based strategies for educational development and poverty alleviation which they adapt to the specific needs of Chajul. “I know there are many things to improve [in Chajul], but I still love it here,” said Olga, a librarian at the library built by LHI, “I will work to make it better.”
Acknowledgments: This article was written based on resources provided by Limitless Horizons Ixil and the author’s interviews with local residents of Chajul. In particular, the author would like to thank Antonio Laynez for his continuous assistance with translating between Ixil, Spanish, and English; providing insight into the private and public educational systems and language learning programs; and continuing to be a point of connection between Lindsey and the Ixil community. She would also like to thank the family of Maria, and especially Baltazar and Magdelana, that opened their home and hearts to her.
PWB is proud to partner with Limitless Horizons Ixil as part of our PWB School workshop program. In her images from Chajul, photographer and PWB School participant, Lindsey Michelle Williams, aims to give strength to the voices of those in her portraits and amplify a narrative of everyday joy, success, and the perseverance of a city that is consistently finding new ways to build itself stronger than it was the day before.
This article was first published in PWB Magazine #13, on sale now.
