The Q’eqchi’ Association Xch’ool Ixim (Heart of Corn) founded Instituto Maya Comunitario K’amolb’e,” (IMaCK) in 2010. It remains the only school that serves 7th – 12th grade youth in the region of Nimlajacoc. With your generous support of our digital literacy programs our students and alumni are realizing their educational goals.
ANNOUNCING OUR FIRST CHALLENGE GRANT!
- The Cushing Foundation has generously donated $5,000 and in addition, as a challenge they will match dollar for dollar, whatever you can give up to $5,000.
- Your support strengthens our efforts to provide educational opportunities and cultural empowerment to Q’eqchi’ Maya youth.
- For the Cushing Foundation to grant us the second contribution match of $5,000, we must raise $5,000. Help us to achieve our goal.
Give now to double your impact!
The biggest shift in our approach to increasing digital literacy occurred when we received 31 refurbished computers as a Chaptops donation in November 2024. This gift guaranteed that each student in a computer class would be able to have their own computer.
OTHER BIG NEWS!
This year, in March 2025, we received a Capital Project Grant from The Ward Foundation to strengthen infrastructure and educational access at IMaCK. This funding allowed us to install satellite internet and a solar system. Now, all computers have internet access and a power source.
- Students are able to conduct academic research and obtain online access to educational platforms.
Overall impact for our 2025 classes:
• Every student has their own work station in the class.
• Every teacher now has their own laptop and they can use it at school and at home.
• All students in grades 7 -12 are learning to use online tools to improve their digital literacy.
• All teachers have received online training from the Xch’ool Ixim pedagogical team.
IMACK ALUMNI SUCESS STORIES
On November 26, 2024, fourteen students graduated: four middle school students and ten high school students. The high school graduates are now qualified to be bilingual teachers in a region where many children start school as monolingual Q’eqchi’ speakers with little or no knowledge of Spanish.
We are also very proud to announce that six out of ten of our IMaCK 2024 graduates are either at university or have found employment.
- Three of the six 12th grade graduates received a 50% scholarship to attend Universidad Mesoamericana. One is pursuing a degree in Business Administration, and the other two are getting an Associate Degree in Bilingual and Intercultural Primary Education. With this degree, they can teach at a primary level school at the Ministry of Education, or any private school.
- Two of the six graduates have found employment in the labor market.
- One of the six graduates comes from a very remote rural village. When his community learned that he had graduated from high school, they tracked him down and they asked him to become a teacher in their village.
MORE BREAKING NEWS: IMACK ALUMNI ARE GRADUATING FROM UNIVERSITY!
On June 5, 2025, IMaCK alumna, Faviana, featured with her proud parents, graduated from the Universidad Rafael Landivar, after completing a three-year program. While her parents never completed primary school, Faviana, is the first in her family to graduate University and is now qualified to teach at the secondary level.
IMaCK alumnus, Armando, featured with his parents, also graduated from the Universidad Rafael Landivar. He too, will be the first in his family to graduate from a university. His story is unique because he has gone from student to mentor to teacher at IMaCK, where he now continues his commitment to the education of others in his community.
Recently, the Guatemalan government announced 2,000 scholarships. We have shared this information with our 12th grade students and alumni through our Vocational Guidance Program. Out of five who applied for these scholarships, three have been pre-selected to receive university scholarships.
- Glenda is studying in her last year of high school at IMaCK and was pre-selected by the General Secretariat of Planning – Segeplan – to study Agricultural Production Systems Engineering at the Regional University of Guatemala for the year 2026.
- María Elena is also studying in her final year of high school at IMaCK and was pre-selected by Segeplan to study Secondary Education Teaching with a specialty in English at Rafael Landívar University in Guatemala for the year 2026.
- Berta graduated from IMACK in 2014 with a high school degree in Bilingual Intercultural Primary Education. Due to a lack of financial resources, she could not apply for a university education. Today, she has an opportunity to enroll because she has been pre-selected by Segeplan with a scholarship to study for the Degree in Bilingual Intercultural Education at Rafael Landívar University for the year 2026.
These scholarship opportunities are allowing our 12th graders and alumni to prepare for their futures so that they will have access to economic freedom.
EDUCATE AND EMPOWER MAYA YOUTH CHALLENGE GRANT!
You can help our cause and make a BIG difference by sharing this Newsletter with your friends, family, colleagues, and spiritual communities through emails, or posting our Donate link on your social media platforms. Every gift, no matter the size, is valuable to us!
Every dollar will be doubled up to $5,000!
Thank you for believing in our mission to increase access to education and for helping Maya youth achieve transformational goals.
Ava Berinstein, PhD
Director of Development
Q’eqchi’ Association Xch’ool Ixim