About Us

WellKind Guatemala ONG

WellKind is a grassroots NGO that empowers the indigenous communities around Lake Atitlán, Guatemala through holistic, integrative, community-led solutions. Our team is formed almost exclusively of Kaqchikel youth leaders born in the region we work in who have witnessed their communities grappling with challenges in deforestation, pollution, nutrition, and education. Our programming has been created by conversing with indigenous community leaders and local youth groups to create appropriate solutions to the modern problems that they are facing today. Through these conversations we have created the programs that are now the foundation of our organization and that we feel have the most impact in the communities we work with. We currently have two main focuses: Ecological Restoration and Economic Development. Within the Ecological Restoration program we work on reforestation (over 85,000 trees planted), environmental education, and treatment of gray water using food-forest systems. In the Economic Development program we have the women’s artisan cooperative (140 members), savings groups (over 60 members), and the small business development initiative.

Our Impact

WHAT WE HAVE ACHIEVED SO FAR:

• planted over 80,000 trees with more than 350 local families (over 2,500 people)

• helped build 35 organic home gardens with 35 families (175 people)

• supported 140 women working in the artisan cooperative earning fair trade wages

• organized 60 women artisans into 3 savings groups to help them get the most out of their wages

• provided scholarships and guidance to 87 locals pursuing vocational education and high school degrees

• given 25 environmental education workshops at local schools, reaching 90 kids

• given Nutrition and Infant Nutrition workshops in 3 different communities to over 100 local indigenous women

• created a network of 18 women leaders that are involved in each of our programs.

Our Mission

Our mission as an organization is to improve the lives of the people and natural environment in the communities we work with, by partnering with local leaders to create appropriate solutions.

In the 4 years that WellKind has been operating, we have fine-tuned our programming based on the needs that our local team has helped to identify. We have conducted surveys in all of the towns where we work to gauge community interest in different programs and see what change people are looking to bring to their specific neighborhoods. When we are done implementing a project we then conduct surveys to see how people feel about our work and whether the result is aligned with the communities’ needs. This methodology is there to ensure that we are taking steps toward our mission of creating a more prosperous future for the people and nature of the Lake Atitlán watershed.

WellKind Team

One of our underlying focuses as an organization is to build a team of local young leaders that are committed to helping their communities and passionate about what they do. We consider our biggest asset to be our local team, and WellKind prides itself on investing in this team to create the skills that we need to succeed without having to contract people from outside. Our entire team has been certified in Permaculture design and has received English classes. Individually, we have helped members of our team receive graphic design courses, Adobe Suite lessons, and photography / videography workshops. We consider the professional development of our core local team to be one of WellKind’s greatest impacts and legacies. All our programs are driven by their insatiable need to make a difference in the communities that they call home. In a time when most young talented people are migrating and abandoning their motherland, we are trying to encourage people to stay and make a difference.

I am Isaias Sipac, I am 28 years old and I am from Aldea Tzununá, Santa Cruz La Laguna, Sololá. I am currently the manager of all of WellKind’s accounts and accounting, and have many responsibilities related to this role. I keep track of all of our expenses and file our taxes; I am also the person that pays our employees and makes sure everything is in order. Aside from this I also support many of the other programs that we run, including organizing the reforestation work and the logistics involved in this program. I enjoy working at WellKind because I like to apply my existing knowledge to my work and obtain new knowledge as I go. Within my daily work I enjoy creating a better environment that benefits my community and our natural environment for generations to come. I am particularly interested in our Reforestation program and feel a lot of joy planting trees and spending more time in nature.

My name is Marícela Alvarez Pérez, I am 26 years old and I am from the village of Tzununá, Santa Cruz La Laguna on Lake Atitlán. I am currently the Manager of WellKind’s Education program and I also work as a Nutrition educator. I like the programs that WellKind manages because their focus is based on the different needs of the community such as Education, Nutrition, Ecology, and Economy. Aside from this I am also the graphic designer and I help all of the different programs make designs for the work they are doing. 

I enjoy working at WellKind because I like to help local people with the problems they face, and I also feel like this is a space where I am able to grow on a personal and professional level. We have a very tightly knit team and we all support each other to make sure we are collectively hitting our goals and bringing more impact to the communities we work with.

My name is Antonio Canel Sipac and I am 36 years old; I am originally from the small community of Pajomel, Santa Cruz La Laguna, Sololá, Guatemala. When I was growing up I was one of the first students who managed to graduate in my community, where studying was very difficult because most kids had to work at an early age. I studied business administration and ever since I was a little kid I liked to be independent and do my own thing. For many years now I have had my own honey business called Bee - Happy and I work with several beekeepers to sell honey around Lake Atitlán. I currently work at WellKind as the head of our Ecology programming. One of my main roles is to coordinate the Reforestation program; 2023 has been a crazy year as we planted over 50,000 trees. I am involved in every step of this program: I help us get tree donations, I contact local families, and I help with tree distribution and monitoring once we have planted. I am excited to be working for an organization that is helping the local people and environment. These communities need help, and it brings me great pride and joy to be contributing to their sustainable development.

My name is Cruz Simaj Martin, I am a resident of Tzununá Village in the municipality of Santa Cruz La Laguna. I am 23 years old. I am an expert accountant, currently studying a degree in Business Administration at the Mariano Gálvez University of Guatemala. I have worked at WellKind for over 2 years now; I currently work coordinating the Artisan Cooperative program and the Community Savings program with the women of Tzununá.

 I like working at WellKind, because it is an organization that contributes to the development of my community and seeks the well-being of the people from Tzununá through the different initiatives. The work that WellKind developed in the community is truly impressive, and that motivates me to continue working and being part of the change that is being generated in the Village.

I am Hilario Damian Ujpan Tepaz, I am currently in charge of communications and I am the local videographer for WellKind. A large part of my work is to document the work that each project is doing by taking photos and videos to then share with our network. Aside from creating the content for each program, I am also in charge of our social media accounts and by doing this I help to spread the word about our project. For the Reforestation program I am in charge of the ARCGIS dashboard, which is a software that allows us to track all of the work we are doing with satellite images. I really have enjoyed the 3+ years I have worked here because I have had the opportunity to learn so many new skills that I didn't have before. In my free time I like to walk in the mountains to establish a connection with nature and I also enjoy playing soccer as well as spending time with my family.

My name is Lucrecia Culum, I am a Tz'utujil Mayan, originally from San Pablo La Laguna, Sololá. I currently work at WellKind supporting the artisan crafts project and the nutrition projects. Working at WellKind has been a rewarding experience, I can really tell that the work we are doing is having a big impact and is truly helping the community. For this reason, I am proud and satisfied to be part of such an amazing team of young changemakers. I am grateful for all of the moments I have shared with the women artisans and that I have been given the opportunity to make a difference in their lives. Finally, I want to highlight that since I was a child I have always had the enthusiasm of sharing my knowledge with others, that is why I love community work. I am also passionate about writing poetry, therefore, I read classic literature. I currently publish my writings in a digital magazine; and I am certain that one day, not too far away, I will become a great professional writer.

Shad Qudsi has over 13 years of experience in organic and commercial gardening and farming. He is certified in Permaculture Design and has over 3 years experience in permaculture design consulting. After graduating from Johns Hopkins University with a double major in Applied Math and Psychology, Shad and his wife, Colleen, moved to Central America with only vague goals of farming at some point in the near future. In January of 2010, Shad and his wife bought and moved onto a very small farm located in the traditional Mayan village of Tzununá, which on the north shore of Lake Atitlán, in Guatemala.

I was born and raised on Lake Atitlán to American Canadian parents that moved here in the late 80’s. Having been surrounded by the nature and people of the lake I have a deep love and respect for this part of the world. I have worked in community tourism projects across Central America for over 7 years, collaborating with several large international tourism companies. For several years I also worked for different nonprofits around the lake translating and coordinating their logistics; through this I gained experience in sustainable development. For me working at WellKind is about giving back to the community that raised me and about doing something good for the people and environment of this beautiful lake we live on.