Empowering Guatemalan Women with Professional Jobs

Antonia, Viviana, Isabel, and Ana started their internships in January of 2023.  They join the six young women continuing from 2022.  There will be a total of ten interns this year.  The young women had there first meeting in Solola in January.  It was a time for them to enjoy each others company,  learn about the program for the year ahead, and welcome the new participants.

Isabel’s certificationis in Science and Letters with Orientation in Medicine.  Her placement is in the departmental headquarters of health. She writes, “What I want, the desire I have with this internship time is to soak up the subject, gain experience and above all make known what I am capable of.”

“I suffer from a back injury that sometimes prevents me from giving one hundred percent  Unfortunately, I suffered this injury because I was helping my parents in the field.  I  hope that it does not affect me much in the course of my internship because I want to prove to myself and others what I can do.”

Viviana is a  Bilingual Secretary.  She will be working at an NGO, Asociación Renacimiento, in her home town of San Juan Comalapa.  Her goal is to learn a lot and to achieve and earn a place in the institution or get another job with the experience obtained in her internship.  She says, “I will be consistent and persevering in all my work and I will do all my work with great enthusiasm in this year 2023.”

 Ana works in COINDI, a non-governmental organization. They work in the communities focused on women's groups and orient young people against violence in different towns of Sololá.  Ana will work in the office.

Ana writes to her sponsor, “I am very happy with my work. The time I have been working with them, has made me recognize that my co-workers are very good people, starting from the director to the receptionist..”

Antonia  is a Bilingual Intercultural Primary Education Teacher .  She will be teaching children in an elementary school through an organization called One, Two, Tree. 

Antonia wrote her sponsor about her reason for seeking an internship.  She said, “This opportunity to do my internship is in order to acquire knowledge and experience.  In addition, I am able to cooperate with the educational development of the country, through the classes that I will be providing to the children of my community. I also have the goal of being able to enjoy an economic income to be able to pay for my current university expenses and provide financial support to my parents. “

Carmela, the Intern Program Coordinator, reports that the young women are all off to a good start.  We will keep you up to date on their progress.

For the first quarter of 2023, they  will learn how to produce videos with their cell phones.  Their first assignment is to make a short video that introduces themselves.  Board member Anne Dejarnatt and Kay Sweeney will meet with the young women when they are in Guatemala the end of March and will have a chance to see what they have produced.  We will be sharing their videos on our website as soon as Board member Melissa Vlach has a chance to add the English subtitles.  This fulfills the Kateri goal of building a relationship between the Kateri program participants and their North American friends.

Everything is possible with a little help from a FRIEND!