Headquartered in Tzununá

Wellkind launched its pilot program in the town of Tzununá on July 1, 2019. We commemorated this occasion by planting a native fruit tree to symbolize the seeds of change in the community. Since then, we have worked with over 440 families (2,607 people) in eight Mayan communities on Lake Atitlán, supporting them in their vision of economic and environmental sustainability.

From the beginning, Wellkind Guatemala has been made acutely aware of the community's desire for reforestation and the conservation of natural resources. In the first six months of our organization's existence, the sole focus was connecting with and learning from the communities where we worked.

Our team did interviews to hear what changes local indigenous leaders wanted to see in their communities and listened to their proposed solutions. Common across all towns was a clear desire for programming that empowered local landowners to plant trees, conserve water, and earn more money for their products. This overlapped with our team's experience in agriculture, permaculture, bee keeping, small business development, coffee processing, and tree nursery management. 

We have been involved in a number of pilot projects since then, including projects where we have:

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

  • 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

In 2020, our team helped in the planting of 8k trees as a test pilot. Fast forward to 2024, and Wellkind has successfully completed a 50k tree distribution program, serving 9 communities and directly or indirectly impacting many thousands of people. 

Based on community feedback, we have pivoted and continue to fine-tune our programming to best serve the needs of the communities in which we work. Today we focus on ecological restoration through reforestation, support for local farmers, native species propagation, and training for young environmental leaders.

We believe that our biggest legacy and largest asset is our team of young indigenous Mayan change makers. They lead our programming and are the soul of our organization. All Wellkind programming has been created by our local team as they are all from the neighborhoods we are serving and they understand the complex issues and solutions that their communities are facing.

  • Lake Atitlán is one of the most visited destinations in Guatemala; situated in the Western Highlands, this is one of the most scenic and cultural destinations in the country. There are three main ethnolinguistic groups that call this region home; the Kaqchikel, Quiche, and Tz’utujil Maya have all inhabited the lake for hundreds and in some cases thousands of years. Around the lake there are several different ecosystems that provide habitats for an incredible amount of biodiversity in both the flora and fauna of the region.  Despite the incredible beauty that surrounds this unique, picturesque landscape, there are many underlying socioeconomic problems that affect the indigenous people and environment here. According to the World Food Programme, over 46% of children under 5 in Guatemala are stunted due to acute malnutrition. In many of the villages we work in, this number is even higher. Lack of economic opportunities in the country is also driving many people to migrate to the USA in search of a better and more prosperous life. 

    With fewer jobs available, many local people are forced to exploit the natural resources that surround them, driving them to cut down forests to expand the agricultural frontier and sell the wood from native trees. Loss in forest coverage has led to many freshwater springs drying up and has contributed to the decrease in biodiversity within many of the ecosystems of the region. In 2019 Wellkind Guatemala was founded to try to address these social and environmental issues in some of the most vulnerable communities of Atitlán. 

    In the Lake Atitlán watershed deforestation is becoming a very serious problem as the population continues to grow and put a strain on the natural resources of the area. In 2010, Sololá had 80.6 kha of tree cover, extending over 68% of its land area. “In 2022, it lost 83 ha of tree cover, equivalent to 41.5 kt of CO₂ emissions”(1). The people that live here mostly have wood burning stoves which drives them to cut down trees in their communities. The expansion of the agricultural frontier is making people go into the forests to clear land to plant crops like coffee and avocados. The lack of trees that we are now seeing is causing erosion on the mountain sides putting communities at risk as well as drying up the fresh water springs in the area.

  • Over the course of Wellkind’s work, we have maintained a focus on creating lasting impact through cultivating local ownership of successful programs. This means that from the onset of any program we integrate local leadership development into its structure, and where possible we incubate these programs to the point of independence. 

    For example, in January 2020 Wellkind launched an Artisan Cooperative Program to support indigenous women in their independence, personal growth, and economic opportunities. As of 2024, this program has become entirely independent, run by the very women who participated in its initial training. 

    Another example comes from the savings and micro-lending groups which our team helped start in 2022. This program helps the women in the Artisan Cooperative to save money and also participate in inter-group lending for micro-finance to support each other. This program has been incredibly successful and has allowed the women artisans to take out low interest loans. It is also now entirely community-run.

    Overall, since 2020 we’ve supported: 

    • 17 women to start profitable greenhouses and mushroom growing facilities

    • Over 140 women from 6 communities to organize a cooperative of artisan crafters to make beaded and crochet products, earning fair-trade wages to support their families

    • Over 40 women across 3 villages to start 3 Savings Groups within the artisan cooperative

  • MELCHORA SOSA

    “I am very grateful to have the opportunity to work in Wellkind’s artisan cooperative. With the money that I get from my crochet work, I am able to buy food for my family and school supplies for my daughter. Thanks to the savings group that is affiliated with the cooperative, I am also able to save some money.”

    ANA MENDOZA

    “I have three kids and am very thankful for the help that Wellkind has given me. With the money that I earn from the artisan cooperative, I am able to put my kids through school. In these times it is hard to find work anywhere, and this program really helped me in a time of need. I want to keep working with the cooperative for the foreseeable future.”

    MICAELA CANEL SIPAC 

    “The Artisan Program has helped me support my husband and provide for my family. I have 9 kids and it has been tough to raise them all and send them to school. I am very thankful to have been integrated into the artisan cooperative; two of my daughters also work there with me.”

 
 

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