MAIA
Improving Economic Opportunities for Mayan Girls Through Education and Mentoring Support
Fast Facts
Guatemala
Rusty Gaillard and Elisabeth Loeb Jacobson
2025
Job Training
How MAIA Is Making a Difference
MAIA is an organization led by indigenous Guatemalan women working to create transformative opportunities for local Mayan girls.
MAIA’s mission is to empower these young women, all living in rural areas and below the poverty line, to become economically independent, improve their living standards and those of their families, and take leadership roles in their communities. Its core programs include a 7-year secondary education program and a post-secondary program to encourage university education and help graduates secure formal employment.
The Work of MAIA
- Operates the MAIA Impact school to educate Mayan girls and prepare them for a better future.
- Provides scholarships to students, called ‘Pioneer Girls’, to attend the MAIA Impact school.
- Offers a Post-secondary Success Program designed to extend the education and employment opportunities of girls in the Impact program.
- Monitors the results of the program to validate the success of the Post-secondary Success Program in the number of attendees who continue their education and/or take a job.
Initiatives Supported by Project Redwood
2025: $30,000 to support the second year of the Post Secondary Success Program to serve more students with additional training and mentoring as they transition into the work world. The grant money will also help fund the development of a peer-led alumnae support network that will build an essential community of collaboration.