MIL MILAGROS INC

Mil Milgros' goal is to discover and develop the leadership potential of Indigenous Maya mothers, teachers, and children so that they can become the driving force in reducing malnutrition, implementing healthy hygiene habits, and improving educational outcomes in their communities.

We provide opportunities for local leaders to create change through our four high-impact programs. We strive for leaders to have a sense of ownership of these programs so that they are motivated to ensure that the changes they make are sustainable.

Mil Milagros forms partnerships with public schools and local leaders in rural communities in Guatemala. Our staff organize boards of mother and grandmother leaders in each partner community, and we train them in topics such as nutrition, hygiene, presentation-making, and public speaking. We hire exceptional mother leaders as Community Coordinators, who help implement and monitor the success of the following four programs:

Early Childhood Development: Our Community Coordinators teach pregnant and parenting women to improve child development and prevent chronic malnutrition through participation in bi-weekly workshops. Mothers learn about nutrition, health/hygiene, child development, and parenting, and receive nutritional supplements, food staples, and hygiene supplies.

Nutrition: Our Community Coordinators train mothers in nutrition, hygiene, leadership, and teamwork. These mothers are organized into Boards of Directors at each partner school, and train other mothers to work with them to provide healthy snacks each school day. Mil Milagros purchases food from local vendors, and the children bring their own dishes.

Health/Hygiene: Mil Milagros staff train mothers and student council members to promote healthy hygiene practices in their homes and schools. Student council members practice their leadership skills by running three public health campaigns at their school every year. Mil Milagros furnishes essential supplies, such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, toilet paper, anti-parasitic medication, lice shampoo, and water filters.

Education: Mil Milagros provides teachers with literacy training and teaching materials, including school supplies and culturally-appropriate storybooks. Our Education Coordinators develop student council leaders and work with them to conduct annual literacy campaigns at each partner school.

One of Mil Milagros' biggest strengths is that our staff are members of the communities that they serve. Eighty percent of MM’s 22-member staff team are Indigenous Maya and bilingual in Spanish and K’iche (the maternal language spoken in our communities). 10 of our staff members are Community Coordinators who were program participants before being hired by Mil Milagros for their exceptional leadership. Our staff have a deep understanding of the challenges that our partner communities face, and community members trust us to have their best interests at heart.

Mil Milagros also benefits from the leadership of a committed and multi-talented volunteer Board of Directors, long-term funding partners, and strategic alliances with universities and other non-profit organizations to achieve its goals.

Mil Milagros has achieved remarkable outcomes. Since 2010, an average of 97% of the sixth graders in Mil Milagros' partner schools have graduated. In 2019, we reduced severe chronic malnutrition by 31% for babies and toddlers in our partner communities, and mothers reported a 26% reduction in sickness in their young children. And since its founding, Mil Milagros has trained more than 4,500 community leaders in nutrition, hygiene, and early childhood development.

We were unable to continue our in-person programming in 2020 due to COVID-19, but that did not prevent us from doing what we could to support the families in our partner communities. Tightening restrictions as a result of the virus left many without work. To help those struggling to feed their families, Mil Milagros distributed 16,000 baskets with food and hygiene supplies to the 1,605 children in our programs. Our Community Coordinators and Education Coordinators also did their best to carry out our programs virtually by producing educational videos about nutrition, hygiene, literacy, and early childhood development. These videos have been broadcasted weekly over the local cable station to over 30,000 community members.

Mil Milagros' impact has led to a growing demand for our services and support. We currently partner with 11 communities in Sololá, Guatemala and there are currently an additional 50 schools in the region representing more than 10,000 children on Mil Milagros' waiting list. With the help of our supporters, we hope to expand our reach to some of these communities in the near future.