Letter from Founder/N. McGirr Autumn 2025

The last two months have been declared the wettest rainy season in 30 years. Torrents of water saturated the soil, mudslides made highways impassable, and hurricanes threatened. On Monday, we were anxiously awaiting the annual visit of our Fotokids Board to begin a packed agenda in Santiago Atitlán the following weekend. Planning had gone on for months, so when we received news that Santiago, in a protest against mayoral corruption, was planning a huge demonstration on Wednesday—where they promised
to close off all access to the pueblo and seal the town off completely—we were worried. How long the town would be inaccessible was anyone’s guess. It’s serious business when they decide no one gets in or out. In the past, the town has kicked out the army during the war, burned down the municipal building, lynched corrupt policemen… so they are a population not to be taken lightly.

As townspeople mobilized, the Solola County judiciary announced they were sending in
riot police to accompany the mayor to open up the chain-locked municipality. On Wednesday morning, six thousand townspeople got up at 6 a.m. to face off with 600 riot police, who were ready for action and stationed in a nearby town. It appeared on social media as if the entire town’s population had shown up for a peaceful protest with Bibles, rosaries, and flowers.

Fortunately, the feared confrontation didn’t occur. The Tzutuhil ancestral representatives met with the county judiciary (the mayor never showed up) and the
Presidential Human Rights Commission (PDH). Who was one of two representatives from the PDH who helped broker the peaceful resolution? None other than our own Fotokids graduate—and last election’s first indigenous woman mayoral candidate—Berta Garcia!

Santiago Atitlán was open! Berta was one of the scheduled speakers at the Board meeting, where she spoke of Fotokids and how it had shaped her sense of justice, and how, living in poverty with her blind father, she would have never had the chance to obtain a law degree!

Berta Garcia and David Ixbalán speak to Fotokids Board members ©N.McGirr2025
1st Year students in Santiago Atitlán with Austin our VP ©N.McGirr2025

David Ixbalan had a similar story to tell. His father rented land up on the
mountainside to grow corn, walking two hours there and two hours back each
day. His mother sold tomatoes at the market to buy necessities like cooking
oil and shampoo. Even at nine years old, David loved art and drawing. He
said he had no idea anyone could make a living that way (well, let’s face it,
not many people can actually), but David was talented in both photography and his passion for illustration and graphic design. However, it was the additional skill he learned in Fotokids—video editing—that landed him the job as a sports editor for Fox News and a Mexican consortium, which has provided him with income to help his family and to allow his father purchase his own cropland.

The Fotokids Board’s visit to our schools in Santiago Atitlán and Guatemala City was exciting as we listened to staff present their annual achievement reports. I always enjoy these trips, but this time I think it was truly exceptional. I was impressed by how the teachers are always seeking creative lesson plans that involve the students. The teachers have taken the kids to local galleries and professional studios, and they have involved Guatemalan professional photographers to share their knowledge. This is great, because the kids then see people from Guatemala who have made their passion a success.

Graphic Design Program— I know we’ve all recognized the sophisticated level of photography from kids as young as 11, as well as from the 18-year- old advanced students. What struck me is how remiss I’ve been in not highlighting the graphic design program and how integral a part it has played in Fotokids. Overlooking this on my part is strange when you consider how many of our graduates have secured excellent jobs in design studios, while others have used it in their workplaces or as freelancers working with clients.

Below Level 6 Santiago Atitlán -working on public service posters, Eat Healthy,
Live Healthy©Claudia Amelia/Fotokids2025, Stand up to
Bullying,©David/Fotokids2025, Learn to Read, Read to Grow
©Fernanda/Fotokids2025

Speaking to the Board members in the city, graduates Abdias Perez—now the Chief Presidential Photographer (with seven photographers under him)— and investigative reporter German Gomez shared quotes like: “Fotokids… it’s like a door to a new dimension opened… It was a miracle… Many of us never imagined we would be here.”

Although it’s easy to point to the employment success of Fotokids graduates,
it’s the staff that are most remarkable. All of them have received job offers
with higher salaries, but what matters most to them is giving back—providing
other children living in difficult circumstances the opportunity to break out of
the barrio and realize there are many ways to live a fulfilling life. The teachers inspire the kids with their passion as they continue to take advantage of continuing education, exploring new methodology, management, design, outside workshops and they embrace it all with enthusiasm. Then they pass their excitement for learning on to the students!

Jakaramba, Fotokids design and media business, Jakaramba, works with paying clients and serves as an incubator for the older students to learn the ropes. This month they have secured work with the Guatemalan President’s Casa de Cultura in the Palacio, one in exhibition printing and another, a commission that includes printing, matting and framing and mounting of the exhibition. Additionally two staff members will be shooting photographs for a book publication.

Executive Director Evelyn and the staff all contributed to make this a interactive meeting with the kids a lot of fun as well as a learning experience for them. In Santiago the 1st year students learned story telling. They were given a legend of Santiago Atitlan that they had to illustrate in 4 photos using the Board member as models.

In the City we were used as models by beginning students to imitate the paintings of famous artists The students were given use of the professional studio by Picasa the photography store that has given the staff free workshops.

The eleven and twelve year old’s painted the backgrounds and brought in props. Daniel was Magritte’s The Son of Man, Anne was Vermeer’s Girl with the Pearl Earring, Matt was Van Gogh’s self-portrait, I was was Vermeer’s, Girl in the Red Hat, and Pat appeared in a portrait by Leonardo DaVinci. The kids moved the lights into position and set up the camera before taking the photo, their first time in a professional studio.

The older students in the third and sixth year groups will participate in an advanced workshop led by a crew of professional photographers who have come down to work with them next month. The international photographers teach their own skills; advanced Light Room, storytelling and studio lighting, partially within the context of photo illustration. We hope create a book of both photos and text of the work the children did reflecting on effects Guatemala’s 36 year war in order to commemorate the anniversary of the Peace Accords signed in 1996. We have so much written material to include from our 6 year project (1997-2003) Under the Shadows, gleaned from students and their reactions to interviews they conducted with victims of the war. This book will be part of our look back, as 2026, is also Fotokids’ 35th anniversary! Stay tuned for more 35th Anniversary events

The Anniversary Party was, as always, in August, this year our 34th. For me, what was most striking were the Fotokids graduates who came back to celebrate with us. It’s so heartening to see how these former students took the opportunity and ran with it. We had university graduates; Gaby working in design, Jessie who earned her degree in education but now works in design, Ana who graduating next year with a degree in architecture, Erica who was a Creative Director in a CLIO award winning design studio, but has gone on to form her own company with her brother, and Valeria, our artist who has had exhibits of her paintings in Europe and has her own illustration company that designs juvenile books in Mayan languages and distributes them to schools. Oliver, who is now a bank manager working in the Zona Viva showed up and so did 4 boys who had sprouted up so tall that for me, they were unrecognizable!

Rocio, herself a university grad in communications and film, took each one individually upstairs to a studio she had set up. Placing a treasure chest in their hands with photos taken of them during their time in Fotokids, she got them to talk about what it was like being in the program. If you didn’t have a chance to open Septembers Monthly Update that details the anniversary with great pictures, the link is here

Speaking of opportunities! Giving Tuesday is coming up on December 2nd and it is fast approaching! Can you help? Let’s keepthis ball rolling! There are a lot of positive activities happening that you can contribute to, and have the satisfaction that it’s something that actually works. We begin our year-end tally this month in October, (as I know I lot of you like to get your support in early).

DONATE EARLY HERE

HOW YOU CAN HELP
We have something special for NEW DONORS or lapsed donors who opt for recurring donations of $50 a month, a 100% match for the first year!. So, pass this around to friends who are making their annual end of the year donations and get them to put us on their list.

I’m going to quote Matt, our Board Treasurer who was here last week , “Through all the risk, hunger, and violence that is part of life in Guatemala, the team is one of the tightest, happiest, and playful families I’ve seen. And I’m lucky to serve alongside such a passionate, diverse team of leaders who make this possible.” I share this sentiment and as supporters you can too, because it takes a village-You are our village and our family.

Just a few things while I’m at it about the education system, last year the Guatemalan high school attendance rate nationwide dropped 3.52%. But our kids are staying in school. We monitor attendance, grades, and offer tutoring and mentoring. We have meetings with the mothers to help them stay on top of their children’s education. It works, because we work with the families for the 8 years their kids are in the program. We know when families are in crisis, have medical issues, have lost jobs, or been threatened by gangs. Knowing that, we can offer support with food baskets, helping with student’s medical bills, and counselling.

We continue to provide more meals for the current 116 kids, as malnutrition still looms here in Guatemala especially in the areas where we work. Kids don’t get a chance to eat meat, often it’s just beans and tortillas, so our lunches include meat, carbs and a green vegetable. We are of course worried about inflation and tariffs in today’s world. If you want to help out, anything you can give, would be great!

Our corporate chicken donor has gone to El Salvador.
We need money for chicken! $2,700 a year
Also Christmas Eve Dinner Chickens for 70 Families! (this is a big hit-grads all mentioned how they waited for this each year) and we can tag your name on a chicken! Non-vegetarians only