Our Story & Milestones (30 Years of Impact)
The Founding Vision (1990–1993)
The Origin: In 1990, Steve Dudenhoefer visited Guatemala and was moved by the extreme poverty and lack of opportunity among the Mayan workers who sent their earnings home. This led him to sell his business and return in 1992 to start Asociación Ak’ Tenamit (New Village) with local leaders, respecting Q’eqchi’ Mayan traditions and language.
1992: Association Formed Asociación Ak’ Tenamit founded with a Mayan Board of Directors. The first health clinic is built, and the local school is expanded with village labor.
1993: GTF Established The Guatemalan Tomorrow Fund (GTF), a US 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is founded to manage fundraising. Handicraft co-ops are formed, engaging over 300 women in income generation.
Building the Foundation: 1994 – 2003
1994 & 1996: The “We Must Educate the Girls” program is launched to combat cultural pressure against female education. By 1996, the campaign spreads to 70 village schools using culturally relevant materials.
1997: The first boarding middle school, Básicos, is built for 17 Mayan boys, an essential step past 6th grade education. Students donate 2 hours daily for chores.
2001: Ak’ Tenamit buys land to build the Fr. Tom Moran Vocational High School in response to growing demand. It opens with 134 students (grades 7-9).
2002: 10th Year Anniversary. AAT is selected by the World Bank and the George Soros Foundation as one of the 10 best NGOs in Guatemala. The first student-run restaurant, Buga Mama, opens for job training.
2003: Ak’ Tenamit transfers management of the primary school to Barra Lámpara residents, fulfilling the goal of local residents managing their own school.
Resilience and Replication: 2004 – 2011
2004: The first 12th-grade class (3 girls, 11 boys) graduates. A combined academic and Sustainable Tourism curriculum is introduced, featuring a mandatory one-week internship for every two weeks of class.
2008: The Health program expands to 125 villages, serving 26,500 villagers. The main clinic treats 6,500 patients and runs 170 ambulance trips.
2010: Students now run four restaurants and three handicraft shops. By graduation, they amass 3,000 hours of job experience.
2011: A new Board of Directors is established, composed of 100% indigenous members (50% women, 50% men), with an average age of 23, directly representing the communities served.
Modernizing and Future Focus: 2014 – Present
2014: Ak’ Tenamit partners with Rios Guatemala to start a secondary school in Seacacar, replicating the successful educational model. A 5-year program begins with Rotary and Engineers without Borders to replace pit latrines with modern sanitation and solar-powered clean water systems.
2021/2022: 30th Anniversary. Ak’ Tenamit starts the year with over 600 boarding students and 160 graduating seniors who have 9 months of on-the-job training.
Ak’ Tenamit is recognized as a national and global model for its highly effective grassroots approach to vocational education, income generation, and health care.
