THIRD YEAR RENEWAL FUNDING from the Martín-Baró Fund: A project renewed after being first funded by the Martín-Baró Fund and prior to its association with Grassroots International

The Center for Maya Ixil Education and Development (ACEFOMI, its acronym in Spanish), was founded in 2003 in Chajul, Guatemala, and works with Maya women and their families who have been affected by the armed conflict. ACEFOMI is in its third year of funding and over the past two years ACEFOMI was able to engage 50 participants in its Mental Health and Human Rights program in 2019 and maintained 40 participants in the program despite the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. 

ACEFOMI will continue developing their mental health program through creating a series of workshops to more actively combat the sexism and gender-based violence that many women in Guatemala face. Topics will include self-esteem, women’s rights, gender-based violence, human rights, processes for filing complaints, and prevention of violence against women. The programming continues to promote ACEFOMI’s mission of caring for the psychosocial wellbeing of women, empowering women and promoting human rights.