Santa Catarina Water Sanitation Campaign

A Path of Hope and Rebirth

In the heart of the Guatemalan Highlands, where the cold cuts through the skin and the wind carries ancient memories, there exists a community reborn from pain and loss: Nueva Tzanjuyub, in the municipality of Santa Catarina Ixtahuacán, Sololá. Witness to their struggle. It’s not a simple story, but it is profoundly human. It’s a story woven with love, faith, and the unity that arises when all seems lost.

The families of Tzanjuyub lost everything in a single night. The rain of a storm took over, leaving cracks not only in their homes but also in their hearts. Due to landslides and territorial conflicts that have plagued the region for years, 48 families were forced to leave their homes without looking back. They fled in search of life, refuge, and a new dawn.

Generous hands offered them land to start anew. There, in a place that seemed inhospitable, they built homes of nylon, tin, and dirt floors. There was no potable water, no drainage, and the improvised bathrooms were made of plastic, nylon, and septic pits. Rainwater ran between the homes. Dignity seemed lost... but hope never abandoned them.

In 2023, a voice once again knocked on the door of the Association of Women of the Highlands and Highland Support Project, with whom they had worked in the early 2000s, when they were supported with the installation of improved stoves. That call was a silent cry begging to be heard. We listened.

We began a process of intimate and profound accompaniment. Not just technical or administrative, but spiritual and emotional. Through women’s circles, we healed wounds. We listened to each other. We embraced with our souls. We understood that before talking about development, trust had to be restored: in themselves, among their leaders, and in us.

One of the significant challenges was securing government support for the introduction of a drainage system. The conditions were urgent: women had to go out in the rain or cold at night to relieve themselves. Diseases, especially vaginal infections, began to affect many women’s health, but few dared to speak about them. Even so, their silence screamed at us.

In 2023, once organized with our support, a formal request was submitted to the Association to accompany the entire process: from the topographic study to administrative management with the Ministry of Social Development (MIDES in Spanish). Through the COCODE, the community’s organizational heart, every requirement was met: trips to the capital city, document submissions, signatures, meeting minutes, and community diagnostics. We had days when we traveled before dawn and returned late at night, without eating, navigating traffic, exhaustion, and bureaucracy. Reading and rereading documents, correcting errors, knocking on door after door. It was a full year of continuous effort.

On July 3, 2025, our hearts vibrated: the government approved the project and provided the drainage system's pipes. The agreements were signed, and with them, a new page was written in the history of Nueva Tzanjuyub. We felt our souls beat vigorously, thinking of every sleepless dawn, every woman who trusted, and every leader who didn’t give up.

Although there are still many steps to take—such as funding for the two water treatment plants—this achievement represents the first major step toward dignified and sustainable development.

Thanks to the previous COCODES, the new leaders, every woman who shared her story in the circles, and every family who believed in the process. Today, they have pipes, a voice, direction, and purpose.

The community has learned to organize, speak out, demand, and build. Where there was once uncertainty, there is now organization. Where there was fear, there is now empowerment. The heart of the sky and the heart of the earth have blessed this community.

However, the work is not over. We continue knocking on doors and managing resources to complete the project with the treatment plants that promise that one of the most valuable resources, water, will not be scarce for this community. We believe that real development is not imposed: it is sown, watered with love, and blooms with dignity.

We ask for your support for the resilient families of Nueva Tzanjuyub and open hearts to ensure their access to clean, life-changing water. These families, with strength and faith, teach us today that rebirth is possible.

Civic Engagement: Awakening Community Voices – When the People Speak Up  

AMA drives community development with a comprehensive approach. Today, its priority is strengthening civic engagement as a driver of change.

In the areas where AMA is present, communities have historically been marginalized, rendered invisible, and excluded from decision-making processes. Fear, misinformation, and lack of support have often hindered access to fundamental rights like water, education, and sanitation. It is within this context that the civic engagement component becomes a deeply transformative act.

We work closely and with commitment alongside Community Development Councils (COCODE), supporting their processes in filing requests and proposals before local, municipal, and state authorities. Our role is not to speak for them but to walk alongside them, strengthen their voice, and provide clear guidance on the steps to meet the requirements for submitting an infrastructure or public service project.

This process is much more than technical—it’s human, emotional, and political. We support community leaders, helping them overcome fear, trust their voices, and understand that their voices hold power and that their needs are legitimate and urgent. Community committees have become the living foundation of change: they build alliances, demand dignity, and cultivate true development.

Women Leading, Communities Thriving  

One of the most beautiful outcomes of this process has been progress in gender equity within decision-making spaces. Where once only men held positions and spoke for the community, today, there are women who have become leadership role models—women who participate and make decisions, propose ideas, and mobilize action.

Every time a woman speaks up in a community meeting, every project led by a woman, every step toward equitable representation breaks centuries of silence. It confirms that the future is built with all voices.

Accompany, Guide, Believe  

At AMA, we know that proper development isn’t limited to works or projects—it starts when people recognize themselves as rights-holders capable of transforming their reality. That’s why we say our job is to accompany, guide, and support. We don’t take center stage; we don’t replace; we strengthen processes so that communities themselves can walk toward dignity.

We believe in the power of community organization, the strength of words spoken with clarity and respect, and unity as the foundation of all development. Our goal is clear: for communities to be heard, respected, and considered by local, national, and even international authorities. No development is impossible when people speak their truth, history, and hope.

In this journey, every step forward is a testament to the resilience and strength of communities striving for their dignity. Our role is pivotal yet humble – to be the wind beneath the wings of those who dare to dream of a better future for themselves and their children. However, this journey is not ours alone; it requires the solidarity and support of individuals like you who believe in justice, equality, and human rights.

Stand with us. Support us with your donation and be part of a movement that transforms lives by empowering those at the grassroots level to shape their destinies with dignity and pride. Together, we can make the impossible possible.