Mission:

Through quality education and comprehensive wellness services, Safe Passage offers a transformative experience for our students within a loving and supportive environment.   Our educational community co-creates learning experiences that support students in developing the character, knowledge, and skills to reach their maximum potential. This cultivates positive and lasting change for themselves, for their families and community, and for Guatemala.

Vision:

Our vision is to catalyze a positive, transformative, and lasting impact by educating and inspiring youth leaders to build an equitable, strong, and just society.

Partner Organizations

We create collaborative connections with NGO’s and governmental organizations throughout Guatemala, the United States, and overseas to broaden our reach, maximize our resources, and foster fresh opportunities for growth. Below is a sampling of some our consistent and ongoing partnerships.

Shared Beat - Our Primary Medical Partner

Founded to provide healthcare services to Safe Passage students, Shared Beat has grown into a vibrant and independent nonprofit organization providing essential health and nutrition services to Guatemalan schools. Over the course of our 15+ year partnership, Safe Passage students have gained access to a variety of Shared Beat’s programs, including health education, annual physicals, and scholarships for those interested in pursuing healthcare careers.  

Our partnership with Shared Beat includes:
  • Clinic staff 
  • Health Coordinator
  • Medications & supplies
  • Emergency Funds
  • Scholarship programs for students pursuing healthcare careers
  • Health prevention & wellness education programs
  • Student physicals
  • Daily vitamins and parasite prevention
  • Hearing aids & prescription glasses
  • Vision, hearing, & dental hygiene exams
  • Bi-annual clinics with in-depth checkups from volunteer licensed medical professionals

Shared Beat holds community wellness events, where they teach people in the Guatemala garbage dump community about nutrition, hygiene, and making healthy life choices.

For more information on Shared Beat programs or to volunteer, contact them at info@sharedbeat.org.

Creamos Social Entrepreneurship

Creamos (1)

Creamos was born in 2008 as a social entrepreneurship program under Safe Passage. It started as an initiative by 20 women living in the community surrounding the Guatemala City garbage dump. These women had historically relied on collecting, recycling, reusing, and reselling items scavenged in the garbage dump, in addition to other forms of risky work, to make a living. Upon attending a training hosted by a local university on how to make jewelry out of recycled paper, these women decided they’d like to pursue this craft and sell their products to generate an income. Shortly after, the group opened Creamos as a small business. In 2012, they incorporated a sewing program, doubling the organization’s enrollment.

For several years, they operated with Safe Passage as a fiscal sponsor, and have been physically located on our Guatemalan campus since its inception. In light of ongoing high interest, enrollment, and community support, Creamos became an independently recognized Guatemalan NGO for their Guatemala-based operations at the end of 2014, and a U.S.-registered 501(c)(3) organization in 2022.

Our partnership with Creamos includes:
  • In 2020, the Safe Passage Adult Education program was officially transitioned to Creamos. Safe Passage mothers, fathers, and grandparents are now learning to read and write through Creamos’ Adult Education. This exciting transition ensures that all of our adult participants will be in one location and within one program.
  • Creamos utilized space at our Centro campnus, directly adjacent to the dump; ensuring that many of our students mothers, aunts and family members are close by, as this facility also houses our Oportunidades Program. 

Other Partner Organizations:

Desarrollo en Movimiento

Desarrollo en Movimiento is a Guatemalan nonprofit organization whose objective it is to distribute food and basic necessities to populations at risk of malnutrition and extreme poverty. We were very happy to begin a partnership with them in 2020, during their Colecta Nacional de Alimentos campaign, which provided around 25,000 plates of food to those in need. 

Guatemalan Ministry
of Education

The Guatemalan Ministry of Education accredited our comprehensive program as an independent primary school in 2012, approved our use of Expeditionary Learning teaching methodology for the first time in Guatemala in 2015, and provides teacher training and learning methodology support for our educators and volunteers.

Rotary International

Rotary International creates positive change through its worldwide network of community leaders. Rotarians from around the world travel to Guatemala to volunteer at our program and make a difference in the lives of our children. Local clubs and districts provide critical support through project collaboration.

Contact Us

We invite you to visit our U.S. office in New Gloucester, Maine and our program site in Guatemala City.

Guatemala

6a. Avenida 11-95 Zona 7
Colonia Landivar, Ciudad de Guatemala

8am - 5pm (GMT)

TEL (502) 2440-4388

infoguate@safepassage.org

USA

49 Farm View Dr
Raymond Hall, Suite 302
New Gloucester, ME 04260

9am - 5pm (EST)

TEL (207) 846-1188
FAX (207) 926-8244

info@safepassage.org