Colegio Impacto de MAIA

Colegio Impacto de MAIA, a community-driven secondary school in Sololá, Guatemala, is breaking down deeply entrenched paradigms by providing a high-quality, holistic education to girls who face discrimination for being Indigenous Maya who come from economically poor and rural communities. In Guatemala, fewer than 20% of Maya girls complete high school, 57% are mothers or married by age 18, only 7% of high school graduates are proficient in maths, and only 13% meet literacy standards.

Colegio Impacto de MAIA is the first in Central America to be led by Indigenous women and specifically designed to connect the talents of Indigenous girls with the opportunities of the 21st century. With a 94% retention rate and an education model with an equal focus on academics, culture and identity, socioemotional and physical wellness, and personal development, the school is creating a generation of empowered female leaders in Guatemala.

The school integrates a preexisting mentorship programme designed to support adolescent girls in rural Guatemala to be the first in their families to complete high school, and provides them with a rigorous and intentional secondary school environment, equipping them with the skills and tools needed to overcome their significant challenges. In collaboration with local partners, girls also receive hundreds of hours of workplace training and university access coaching to secure university acceptance and formal employment. One graduate is Central America’s first RISE Global Scholar, and another is a SHE CAN scholarship recipient who will continue her studies at a US university.

In addition to its academic empowerment, MAIA provides girls and their families with socioemotional education and family engagement to develop their empowered voice, leadership skills, and knowledge of reproductive health and gender equity so they can lead choice-filled lives and ensure her education is a family commitment.

Colegio Impacto de MAIA is an innovation platform that attunes global best practices to a rural context. Viewing development through an abundance mindset centered on collaboration, Colegio Impacto de MAIA has proactively shared innovation, training, and girl-centered methodology with 60+ schools and organisations and is an active member of several local and global networks.

If the Colegio Impacto de MAIA wins the World's Best School Prize for Overcoming Adversity, the school intends to continue to provide girls with a high-quality, holistic education and evidence the power of Indigenous girls to transform their family, community, and country.