My Nonprofit Reviews

I served on a Mission Team for Mission Guatemala in 2011 and again last week (2017).

Mission Guatemala is exemplary in the way it serves the needs of the Mayan people in the Western Highlands of Guatemala. It is extremely obvious that MIssion Guatemala works hand in hand with the people it serves in order to connect with the true needs of the people on a grassroots level. In other words, in everything they do, Mission Guatemala reaches out to the various communities to seek out their needs, and then find ways to address those needs in ways that are sustainable, financially responsible, efficient and effective.

I'm impressed with Mission Guatemala in so many ways, not the least of which is that they take great care as they expand their outreach in any way, so that it's sustainable both for Mission Guatemala and the affected community. For example, as Mission Guatemala expands its daily nutritional feeding programs for children, leaders from the individual Mayan community take over responsibility for most of the logistics of the program, while Mission Guatemala provides the financial resources. This allows Mission Guatemala to continue to expand it outreach.

Likewise, Mission Guatemala employs people from the Mayan community in all types of roles including worksite engineers/guides, cooks, medical center doctor, etc etc.

Lastly and importantly, it is obvious time and again how responsible, thoughtful, strategic, and frugal Mission Guatemala is with the donations it receives. We can rest assured that Mission Guatemala is indeed 100% "on a mission" to faithfully serve the Mayan people living in Guatemala's western highlands - people who typically earn $2/day, live in very humble home structures, are very family-oriented and extremely hardworking, reside in a country with meager infrastructure, survived a 30+ year civil war (genocide) in which 200,000+ Mayan people were killed, and who continue to be discriminated against as they seek employment. Mission Guatemala provides educational opportunities and some basic needs (e.g. nutritious food for children) which are readily evident on their website.

Bottom line: This is an extremely well-run, financially responsible, heart-in-the-right-place organization. I feel so blessed to be a part of this as a week-long volunteer and ongoing financial donor.