Centro Maya Project is a humanitarian and social justice outreach centered in San Juan La Laguna, Sololá, Guatemala. The project makes a difference in the lives of rural indigenous Mayan people living in Guatemala’s western highlands by supporting education and the dignity of work, offering food assistance, and connecting people to life-saving and life-changing medical care with a special emphasis on helping deaf and hearing impaired persons get tested and fitted for hearing aids and devices.

Guatemala is a country with immense cultural richness and ethnic diversity, primarily of Mayan descent. It is largely rural, with high rates of poverty reaching 57%, and 21.5% living in extreme poverty. Access to food, health care, and education is precarious and unequal.

These realities led to the creation of Centro Maya Project, which provides basic but nutritious food to families in rural areas of San Juan and San Pablo La Laguna, and helping children, adolescents, and young people continue attending school. The program also helps lighten the burden of serious health conditions such as diabetes, cancer, kidney failure, and other illnesses through modest financial assistance for medications, check-ups, tests, surgeries, and transportation to hospitals.

Our volunteer Field Operation Staff in San Juan La Laguna - Benedicto Mardoqueo Ixtamer Perez and his wife Maria Cholotio Hernandez - generously give time and energy to facilitate all aspects of the project.