Santiago Atitlán

Our program in this poverty stricken Tzutuhil village began in 1997 with grants from Soros, Agostino and Reuters Foundations to support our Under the Shadows project, a six year program that worked with children to examine the effects of the war years on them in rural communities around the country.

Some of the students who took part in the original program now work for the Commission on Human Rights and study journalism and law in university. Others, who received training in photography, digital story development and graphic design, went on to work for the organization’s design studio, Jakaramba!

This program has continued and additional Tzutuhil Fotokids graduates serve as teachers in Santiago Atitlán, training young students from primary school onwards in the basics of photography, Photoshop and graphic design and critical thinking. The students are part of the Fotokids scholarship program.

A Fotokids graduate from Santiago Atitlán works as a social worker visiting student’s families and their schools every month to help resolve problems.