About the Together Women Rise Grants Program
The Together Women Rise Grants Program has two key components that support our overall mission to achieve global gender equality. Featured Grants are largely focused on delivering direct services by funding grassroots organizations that empower and support women and girls in low-income and marginalized communities in the Global South. Our Transformation Partnerships are designed to invest in areas where we can make the biggest impact on achieving global gender equality by addressing the root causes of gender inequality.
Through our Featured Grants Program, we highlight a different organization/project each month, providing a variety of learning materials on the issue and how the grant will be used. Through the Featured Grants program, we support capacity building, new programs, or expansion of existing programs. The following is information on the grant we are featuring for August 2025.
The Global Issue
The Challenge of Keeping At-Risk, Indigenous Girls in School
Education is so much more than an opportunity to attend classes. It is an opportunity for girls to determine the outcome of their future, to establish a voice within and outside of their community, and to dream beyond the limits of their circumstances. But around the world, too many girls – are still not getting the quality education they deserve. Indigenous girls face some of the most difficult hurdles to accessing education.
Worldwide, Indigenous girls often lack access to materials in their language, educators may not respect or understand their culture and practices, and when Indigenous girls do see themselves in school materials, the information may be inaccurate. According to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, “Indigenous children are more likely to arrive at school hungry, ill and tired; they are often bullied, and the use of corporal punishment is still widespread. Ethnic and cultural discrimination at schools are major obstacles to equal access to education, causing poor performance and higher dropout rates. Indigenous girls, in particular, experience difficult problems related to unfriendly school environments, gender discrimination, school-based violence and sometimes sexual abuse, all of which contribute to high dropout rates.”
While some strides have been made in primary school completion rates, the story is quite different at the secondary school level. In countries such as Bolivia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, and Panama, Indigenous girls have the lowest levels of secondary education completion. In several of these countries, the ethnic dimension is crucial. Non-Indigenous students (regardless of gender) show higher levels of secondary school completion. And within Indigenous communities, women lag behind their male peers.
When families feel welcomed and engaged, they are more likely to support their children’s school attendance and participation. This highlights the need for inclusive environments and outreach efforts that involve Indigenous families and communities both in and beyond the school. The use of elders in schools, as teachers, guides and mentors for students and teachers, is another way to respect Indigenous peoples and their cultures, as well as strengthen connections between schools, the community, and their students. When elders in Indigenous communities contribute to a school curriculum, they share knowledge, history, stories, and skills, and provide a unique perspective that is respected by students.
| In the United States, according to reporting by the Associated Press, absentee rates among Native American and Alaska Native students is significantly higher than average, and the gap has widened since the COVID-19 pandemic, but some schools have improved those numbers through cultural inclusion, home visits, and other efforts to support and engage families. |
About Our Grantee
Together Women Rise is funding a $50,000 Featured Grant to MAIA, an organization we previously supported with a Featured Grant in 2012 and a Sustained Grant in 2016-2018. This latest grant will support the Socioemotional Mentorship and Family Engagement program, which empowers a generation of girl leaders in Guatemala.
MAIA
MAIA is designed and run by Indigenous women to empower Indigenous girls with the skills and knowledge to lead transformational change and break cycles of generational poverty.
MAIA, previously known as Starfish One by One, is a proven grantee for Together Women Rise and has been the recipient of over $100,000 in grants since 2012. You can see how MAIA has utilized these grants here. The organization’s name comes from Maia, one of the brightest stars in the sky, a symbol of knowledge and wisdom. It holds meaning in all three languages in which the organization works (Kaqchikel, Spanish, and English).
Founded in 2008, MAIA was designed and led by Indigenous women from the same communities to unlock and maximize the potential of girls to lead transformational change. MAIA’s pillars of academics, socioemotional health, community, and culture work together to create a support system for young women and their families to ensure they can break the cycles of exclusion and poverty that have gripped them for generations. The MAIA Impact School was launched in 2017, and it is Central America’s first school designed specifically to connect the talents of girls born into situations of quadruple discrimination (female, Indigenous Maya, economically poor, and from rural communities) with the opportunities of the 21st century. Students are called Girl Pioneers because many are the first in their families to continue their education and begin to break cycles of generational poverty.
What makes MAIA unique is that their programming goes beyond teaching the students: the families are involved in every aspect of schooling. Students are committed to the program for six years, and parents also commit to supporting their child throughout the program and attending regular meetings throughout the process. This is significant because it allows parents to learn alongside their daughters and, more importantly, understand how best to support their children through schooling.
MAIA currently serves nearly 300 Girl Pioneers and their families, approximately 2,000 people, representing over 40 rural highland villages in Guatemala. MAIA’s holistic approach to education includes more than just academics. The organization takes a vocal empowerment approach, fighting against discrimination issues in Guatemala, and empowering girls to speak up, become comfortable using their voices, and learn to stand up for themselves. Leadership, economic independence, and work skills are also part of the curriculum, focusing on empowering girls to make positive changes in their lives and communities.
For MAIA, women’s rights are human rights. When women and girls are empowered and provided education and opportunity, the world is healthier, safer, more peaceful, inclusive, and economically just for everyone.
In additional to the MAIA Impact School, other programs include:
Project Impulso: Before joining the MAIA Impact School, Girl Pioneers participate in a yearlong academic leveling program designed to strengthen essential areas including English, technology, math, reading, and vocal empowerment.
Launch Program: The Launch Program offers graduates from the MAIA Impact School vocational orientation, university preparation, workplace readiness training, and internship experiences in the formal economy.
Life Challenges of the Women & Girls Served
Life in Guatemala is not easy. Nearly half the population in Guatemala is Indigenous. And while Guatemala has one of Central America’s biggest economies, women do not share in its fortunes. Indigenous women and girls lack access to education and economic opportunities, and they experience subjugation and discrimination. Guatemala has the worst gender equity gap in the hemisphere. Representing roughly 25% of the population, Indigenous Maya women experience levels of exclusion that make them among the most overlooked and underestimated on earth. In Guatemala, fewer than 20% of Maya women complete high school, and 57% are married or have become mothers by age 20. The poverty rate among Indigenous women in Guatemala stands at 66% – less than 1% continue their education at a post-secondary institution.
Guatemalan society has a patriarchal or “machista” structure, with deep-seated cultural norms and stereotypes that shape gender roles and expectations. As a result, women face systemic discrimination and marginalization in nearly all spheres of life, including education, marriage and childbearing, gender-based violence, economic empowerment, and political representation. Women and girls ages 15 and older spend more than 20% of their time on unpaid care and domestic work, compared to 2% spent by men. Only 10% of Maya women are active in the formal economy. The UN’s Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean found that for every dollar invested in non-Indigenous populations, only 45 cents are invested in Indigenous Maya populations.
LEARN MORE ABOUT GUATEMALA.
How the Grant Will be Used
Together Women Rise will fund MAIA’s Socioemotional Mentorship and Family Engagement: Empowering a Generation of Girl Leaders program, which provides Indigenous girls who are the first in their families to attend secondary school with social and emotional education, family engagement, leadership development, vocal empowerment training, reproductive health education, on-site medical evaluation and consultation, and daily nutritious meals to ensure her education is a family commitment and she remains in school.
The program adds a new component to MAIA’s holistic model that empowers nearly 300 Girl Pioneers and their families to motivate them to stay in school by providing peer and family support, technical and socioemotional skills, and, above all else, the self-confidence and knowledge that she can reach her full potential.
A team of 14 program mentors and one nurse provide all program activities at the MAIA Impact School and Girl Pioneer homes. The overarching goal and objective of this program is to increase retention rates of Indigenous girls in secondary school while reducing underage pregnancies.
The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are still felt in rural Guatemala. Since the onset of the pandemic, three Girl Pioneers have paused their studies due to pregnancy – the most in the organization’s history. Likewise, over 40% of Girl Pioneer families fell from poverty to extreme poverty, leading MAIA to shift focus and ensure additional resources for Girl Pioneers were available for greater access to health and nutrition services and education.
Funds from Together Women Rise will support the implementation of this new component of programming while supporting the local team providing key services, including:
- Weekly individual and group mentorship sessions: Program mentors provide Girl Pioneers weekly social and emotional education on topics of identity, mental health, positive self-image, goal setting, and more, utilizing a contextualized curriculum.
- Weekly leadership and vocal empowerment training: The program’s Health and Leadership Coordinator provides key education in vocal empowerment, gender equity, communication, protection policies, and more, utilizing a contextualized curriculum.
- Monthly family engagement sessions: Program mentors conduct monthly visits with Girl Pioneer families at their homes to review topics related to gender equity, leadership, communication, and more.
- Comprehensive health services, health education, and nutrition: A program nurse provides daily medical consultation and weekly sessions on health, nutrition, and reproductive health. Girl Pioneers also receive two nutritious meals daily.
IMPACT – Direct: 300 women and girls; Indirect: 1,660 women, girls, and other family members
Budget
Why We Love This Project/Organization
We love the holistic approach of this project that focuses on Indigenous girls. Importantly, girls remain in their families and barriers to their health and education are addressed. The long-term goals include family and community engagement, which will have ripple effects beyond those directly impacted by this project. MAIA has a strong record of accomplishment and effective use of previous grants from Together Women Rise.
Impact Story
Meet Amelia
Amelia, a Maya Kaqchikel woman from a rural community in Sololá, graduated from MAIA in 2024. Like many girls in her community, she considered discontinuing her education due to societal pressures and limited opportunities.
“I knew many girls did not continue their studies because they were women,” Amelia said.
Initially shy and reserved, Amelia became the first daughter in her family to complete high school, breaking the cycle that holds many Indigenous girls back. Her transformation was fueled by the tools and confidence gained through MAIA’s Socioemotional Mentorship and Family Engagement Program. Led by a team of mentors, this program provides nearly 1,000 hours of social and emotional education annually, covering goal setting, emotional well-being, sexual and reproductive health, vocal empowerment, nutrition, and leadership skills. Through this support, Amelia learned to use her voice, think critically, and make decisions that shaped her future.
Now studying architecture at San Carlos University, Amelia has a clear vision for her future:
| “My dreams haven’t changed, but they have evolved and grown as I’ve become more confident. In five years, I see myself as a woman with more knowledge and professional skills, working toward my degree. I want to contribute to my community through social projects as an architect. Seeing more young women studying at MAIA motivates me – I see myself reflected in them. I want to inspire others to recognize the power of their words and voices and to become what they dream and decide.”
– Amelia |
Amelia’s journey is a testament to the power of education and social and emotional growth. When a girl is empowered, she changes her trajectory and becomes a catalyst for progress in her family and community.
Meet Ana Miriam
Ana Miriam, a Maya Kaqchikel woman from Sololá, recently graduated from the MAIA Impact School. Raised in a family of five sisters, she learned to be strong and self-confident early on.
“My family’s role in my journey toward education and empowerment has been fundamental. They have encouraged me to fight for my dreams and have been my greatest motivation,” she said.
Ana Miriam has overcome countless challenges with resilience. In 2023, she earned a full scholarship through an exchange program and completed her senior year of high school in Ontario, Canada – an opportunity she had dreamed of since childhood.
| Adjusting to life in Canada was difficult due to language barriers, but Ana Miriam persevered, drawing strength from the confidence and tools she had gained through MAIA’s Socioemotional Mentorship and Family Engagement Program. Now, back in Guatemala, Ana Miriam is formally employed in Quetzaltenango. “I have a deep desire to care for others and create a more transparent world. I want to inspire new generations to become agents of change in their communities and country.”
– Ana Miriam |
Learn More
Source Materials
Glossary
The Global South: The Global South includes the countries that experience higher levels of poverty, income inequality, lower life expectancy, and harsh living conditions compared to the wealthier nations in the “Global North” – located mostly in North America and Europe. The Global South primarily includes many of the countries in Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific, and the Middle East.
