The Quetzaltrekkers’ Scholarship Fund is administered by the Quetzaltrekkers volunteers for the benefit of local youth with the desire and capacity to continue their studies at the tertiary level. Recipients are usually - but not exclusively – selected from EDELAC alumni and have their tuition fees and other legitimate educational expenses paid for out of the fund.

The Chico Mendes Reforestation Project is a locally-run, tree-planting project located in Pachaj, a small town just outside of Quetzaltenango.

Chico Mendes engages in reforestation in many of the areas we pass through on our treks. It has also been engaging in environmental education and environmental advocacy on the municipal level since its inception in 1998.

The project is accompanied by a rural Spanish School with profits being reinvested in the reforestation activities. Here, you can study Spanish, volunteer, or both: www.iximulew.wordpress.com

Primeros Pasos is a non-profit women’s and children’s health clinic in Quetzaltenango. They provide underserved and underprivileged Guatemalans with a doctor’s consultation, diagnostic services and prescription medication – all for the price of about $3.90. In 2010 alone, Primeros Pasos attended to over 7,400 patients.

The organization also runs a number of health education and rural outreach programs and is constantly seeking donations and volunteers: www.primerospasos.org

Asociación Escuela de La Calle (EDELAC) is a Guatemalan-registered, non-profit organization that has been combating the phenomenon of children living and working on the street since its establishment in 1995. EDELAC is run by a Guatemalan staff of teachers, social workers and psychologists who are in turn supported by foreign volunteers.

The centre-piece of EDELAC is its school located in Las Rosas, an impoverished neighborhood on the outskirts of Quetzaltenango where many street children originate. The school provides accessible and comprehensive education to over 190 street children and children-at-risk between the ages of 5 and 15.

The majority of the school’s student body is of indigenous descent and the kids typically come from a background of family disintegration, violence and poverty. The children are taught traditional subjects such as mathematics, reading and writing, but also receive education in indigenous languages, children’s and human rights, democracy, participation and ethics. Through the school, students are provided with free medical and dental care.

The school also actively works to involve parents – many of which are unfamiliar with and resistant to the idea of schooling – in their children’s education. Through workshops, courses and conversations, the school promotes stable, nurturing family environments and broader community-building.

In addition to the school, EDELAC operates Hogar Abierto - a children’s dormitory that acts as a long-term home for 15 adolescents between the ages of 9 and 18. Most of the young residents have a sad story to tell; many were forced to leave their family because of poverty, domestic violence or sexual abuse; others lost their parents in accidents, in the civil war or because of illnesses; others were simply abandoned by their parents.

Hogar Abierto offers these kids a safe, drug and violence-free environment with round-the-clock supervision and support. They are provided with meals, clothing, education, medical care and psychological attention to equip them with what they need to successfully re-integrate as functioning, responsible members of society.

Thanks to the work of Quetzaltrekkers, EDELAC is nearly financially self-sufficient. In 2010, money raised solely through our treks covered 84% of EDELAC’s total operating budget. The rest was made up by the generous donations of individuals, companies and international NGOs. For further information, visit the website: www.escueladelacalle.org