winner in the nomination
«Education Community Leader»
Ingrid Villaseñor
Popularizer of holistic education for children and their families

Guatemala, Panajachel
Our community is an interdisciplinary team of teachers, psychologists, social workers, as well as children and their parents. We are committed to helping low-income, vulnerable and isolated families who find it difficult to cope with educating their children on their own.

In Guatemala, there is a deplorable situation in the educational sphere: schools are often built of sticks and dirt, without libraries and even without desks. The children take turns sitting at the table, and the rest of the time they have to stand. I have seen uneducated and unmotivated teachers. So I decided to devote my life to creating a new educational system in my country.

We currently have twelve children from different socio-economic backgrounds, but all of them have shown leadership potential in their schools. They come to a house in the center of Panajachel, which we have equipped for educational purposes. There they will find classes — both educational and educational — as well as delicious food.

My dream is to create a successful program in Panajachel, and then extend this model to other rural communities so that it can be implemented throughout Guatemala.