The Asociación Médicos Descalzos has worked to strengthened traditional health therapies since 1993 in twelve municipalities in the Guatemalan department of Quiché, including in the area of primary care, maternal and infant health, and mental health. With the grant from the Fund, the Asociación will strengthen the traditional practices of the Ajq’ijab’, or the Mayan therapists, who continue to serve as the most culturally and economically accessible resource for the local indigenous population. Such practices include individual and psychosocial attention, family and community counseling, and conflict resolution.

The Asociación de Médicos Descalzos will engage in pedagogic and graphic-conceptual intervention regarding the six cultural psychopathologies that demand the most attention among the indigenous population in three concrete ways. Firstly, they will hold six intensive training seminars for twenty-four Ajq’ijab’ to return to the twelve districts and train their colleagues in their respective districts. Subsequently, they will hold twelve workshops with the twenty-for Ajq’ijab’ to assess the new training seminars, ideally reaching a total of 180 Ajq’ijab’ and assuring that the replication of the original training will continue uninterrupted. Finally, the Asociación will hold six reunions of the Departmental Board of Ajq’ijab’ to allow them to exchange ideas.