Project Somos

Qui sommes-nous

Compassion Fruit Society was established in Canada in 2002 and runs Project Somos Learning Village, located in the community of Chivarabal, in the Central Highlands of Guatemala. We support Mayan children to stay in school by providing academic and literacy support. We provide early childhood education to preschoolers so that they can get that head start to succeed in school. We run a girls program and a boys program, uniquely designed to focus on the needs of these children living in these communities. Through our Farm to Table nutritional programming, children eat well while learning about food from the garden, to kitchen, to their bellies. Kids flourish in this safe, nurturing environment at the Project Somos Learning Village.
Guatemala remains one of the most impoverished countries in the Americas and the Indigenous population suffers from the scarcity of opportunities and basic human necessities. The Mayas have been discriminated against for centuries and between 1960-1996, suffered a 36-year genocide of enormous proportions. The discrimination and lack of opportunities still continues today. They have been deprived of opportunities for decent
education, employment, health care and a safe place to live. Guatemala has the lowest literacy rate in all of Latin America. (Source: UNESCO) and Latin America suffered the longest school shutdowns during the pandemic. On average, children received only seven hours of formal education each week during 2022.

What we do
Project Somos Learning Village is an eco-sustainable community aiming to break the cycle of poverty in Guatemala by providing quality education and healthy food to families in need. As an education center, the Village
provides programming to children in the surrounding community who were falling through the cracks of the Guatemalan system. We further support the children’s families by providing vocational training and opportunities to the mothers, as well as parenting classes in topics like nutrition and hygiene. We believe that healthy, educated children can help break the cycle of poverty for future generations in Guatemala.

Our motto is: GROW - LEARN - SUSTAIN
• GROW: Organic Farming, Health & Nutrition. We provide a safe, nurturing environment as part of their schooling which includes two healthy snacks and a nutritional lunch prepared on-site. The children get to participate in growing, harvesting and preparing food as part of their curriculum. This approach allows them to develop their education around healthy-living and a solid nutritional base.
• LEARN: Education & Programming. Pre-School: Our successful preschool program focuses on school-preparedness, teaching Spanish as a second language, pre-literacy, socializing, etc.; Academic Support: We support children to stay in school by focusing on literacy, numeracy and homework. Computer, English and chess classes are also offered; Extracurricular Programming, sports, chess, and special support for children with learning challenges; Farm to Table Education: Gardening classes and cooking classes which engage the children in their well-being and nutritional awareness through hands-on programming; We offer parenting classes for the women whose children are attending Somos; For those seeking employment, we offer opportunities to train and work in the following areas: handicrafts, cooking and hospitality; Our holistic approach focuses on physical health and well-being, intellectual education, spiritual healing and happiness. We do everything we can for the children to maintain their own culture, traditions, clothing and language.
• SUSTAIN: Funding, Environment, Employment and Culture. Handcrafted products are made and sold by Project Somos women; Voluntourism provides opportunities for cultural and learning exchanges, as well as donations of time, labour and funding; The Village is built to be eco-sustainable, with solar energy, rainwater capture, grey water recycling, earthbag construction and interior walls based on eco-bricks; Language preservation in the Kaqchikel language at our on-site preschool.

Sarah de Lemus is the Country Director at Project Somos.

For other net participants we can offer an expert guidance through trained staff, give an expert opinion, procure expert information and establish new contacts in the field of our work.