Empowering families as the foundation of lasting change

Lasting social change is built through strong partnerships. With this initiative in Guatemala, Wibu-Systems is supporting a family empowerment project led by nph, contributing to programs that strengthen families, protect children, and create long-term opportunities for self-reliance.

Living conditions in Guatemala are extremely challenging for many people, especially in rural areas. Poverty, limited access to education, and inadequate healthcare are widespread.

Children are particularly at risk, as many are forced to drop out of school or are unable to attend at all because they must contribute to their family’s survival. Girls and women, as well as indigenous communities, are especially affected. At the same time, youth violence, drug-related crime, and gang activity are prevalent, further reinforcing cycles of poverty and lack of opportunity.

The Family Center supports families in need through education and healthcare programs, providing social services, tutoring, therapy for children with disabilities up to the age of 12, including speech therapy, physiotherapy, and special education services as well as vocational development programs for women.

Operating for over two years, the center is highly valued by the local community, authorities, community leaders, and schools. Each year, around 250 people benefit from its services, more than half of them children and young people, with a strong focus on strengthening individual abilities and helping families achieve the highest possible level of independence.

Many people and especially women face significant challenges in achieving professional and financial independence and standing on their own feet. The goal of the empowerment program is to promote the social, emotional, and economic development of adolescents and adults in Chimaltenango.

The sub-programs “Chicas Poderosas” and “Hombres de Valor” work with children and adolescents at the Santa Teresita School. Their aim is to strengthen confidence in personal abilities and actions, and to motivate participants to take on a positive role within their families and the wider community. The program includes workshops, team-building activities, and leisure activities with active participation by the children and young people. A major success has been the expansion of activities offered by the Chicas Poderosas and Hombres de Valor groups, which since 2024 have also taken place outside the Family Center.

The objective is to build practical skills and technical abilities that enable women to become financially independent, thereby supporting their families’ livelihoods and participation in society. Workshops are offered in areas such as tailoring, baking, cooking, and Guatemalan handicrafts. In 2024, the initiative of participants in the women’s empowerment programs led to the creation of additional workshops at the Family Center, in which women passed on their newly acquired skills to other members of the community.

To reinforce family structures, parent education programs address topics such as self-esteem, love, respect, identity, nutrition, and health. Participants include mothers and fathers responsible for the upbringing and care of children and adolescents. This approach strengthens the family environment for children and raises parental awareness of how to support their development. Through participation in networks with other organizations working to support the rights of children, adolescents, with and without disabilities, and women, new alliances have been formed to further develop the parent education programs and workshops and to expand the overall network.

At Wibu-Systems, we believe that empowering families is one of the most effective ways to create lasting social change. By supporting this initiative, we invest in environments where children can grow safely, parents can act with confidence, and families can build resilient futures together, grounded in dignity, opportunity, and shared responsibility.