ADUS
(Asociación Dejando una Sonrisa

The Memory of Jocotenango

Before delving deeper into the story of ADUS, it is essential to understand its ethnohistorical context. Jocotenango dates back to pre-Hispanic and colonial times as one of Sacatepéquez's key settlements, known as a “Pueblo de indios” (Indian town) that provided essential services to Santiago de Guatemala¹. These included masonry work and the production of lard and its byproducts (Castro, E. 1996). Its importance dates back to Pedro de Alvarado in 1528, as it was one of the settlements under his jurisdiction.

Today, although there are no formal divisions between Indigenous and Ladino neighborhoods, economic and spatial segregation continues to shape the reality of Indigenous populations. These groups often reside in areas lacking schools, basic services, and healthcare, while urbanized and central sectors concentrate investment, commerce, and public services.

The town of Jocotenango, with roots in the Panchoy Valley, was predominantly Maya Kaqchikel and Maya Quiché. In fact, it was one of the few towns in the city of Santiago (now Sacatepéquez) that had an Indigenous governor. However, after the relocation of the city due to the Santa Marta earthquakes, Jocotenango resisted the move, and many Indigenous people dispersed and settled in other areas during the colonial period (Castro, E. 1996, p.1). After being decimated by disease and the earthquakes that struck Sacatepéquez—also prompting internal migration—the new town of Jocotenango was no longer exclusively Indigenous. According to data from 1806, slightly more than half of the population at that time was Ladino.

While some people migrated to other departments, others had to move to the city. However, during this transition, the people of Jocotenango realized the city was not for them and decided to return to rural life. Jocotenango is now a predominantly Ladino area, but Indigenous populations remain in its communities and neighboring municipalities. Today, only 7% of the total population is Indigenous, and among them, 44% are Maya Kaqchikel and 41% are Maya Quiché. This demographic shift reflects displacement during the colonial period and ongoing urbanization.

According to Figure 2, in the municipality of Pastores, the contrast is more pronounced. The Maya Kaqchikel population is proportionally larger compared to the 7% Indigenous population in Jocotenango.

Educational Work

Although it may seem that everything around Antigua is urbanized and offers a dignified quality of life, there are social issues rooted in structural problems that take form through material violence, often manifested in criminal acts involving vulnerable youth as instruments.

ADUS seeks to promote healthy and violence-free spaces for at-risk youth as an alternative. Its commitment goes beyond creating educational spaces—it also provides tools to ensure students can continue their education, such as scholarships and school supplies, which are distributed by the association.

Their work doesn’t begin in a traditional classroom, but rather on the football fields of the municipality of Pastores. These spaces, where young people often gathered to escape reality through harmful habits such as substance use, were reimagined. Despite the context in which these children and adolescents live, ADUS aims to strengthen their skills and mindsets so they can envision a positive future—not only by establishing development spaces for them but also by fostering support from their families and communities.

Figure 3 highlights the complex reality of structural violence in Jocotenango and Antigua, where extortion dominates the criminal landscape and disproportionately targets youth sectors.

Youth and Knowledge

Due to the shortage of secondary and high schools where children can continue their education, organizations that provide education outside of the state system have become essential in reducing the educational gap in Sacatepéquez.

Beyond knowledge transmission, educational volunteerism redefines community spaces, builds emotional bonds, and creates positive role models in contexts often marked by exclusion and a lack of opportunity. By involving both youth and adults in acts of solidarity, these models benefit not only those who receive support but also those who provide it—fostering empathy, commitment, and participation in social life. All of this reflects the mission of ADUS as an organization. Although all current members are volunteers, the goal is for this work to eventually become their primary source of income, as most currently hold two or three other jobs to sustain themselves economically.

Although they started with scarce resources, after becoming a legally recognized organization, they were able to find people who believed in and invested in their mission. One especially important person is Peter Wochinger who played a crucial role—without him, the project could not have been established.

Founded in 2009 and officially registered in 2014, ADUS acquired a physical space to teach and support youth. Jocotenango was chosen as the headquarters, as it serves as a bridge between different municipalities—youth from Pastores and Antigua also attend. From this location, the organization has extended its impact to other regions.

ADUS does exceptional work in sparking students’ interest in education and encouraging them to complete their studies in a context where promotion rates are low and school dropout rates are high, as shown in Figure 4.

This work has been so impactful that former participants have become volunteers themselves. Adolescents usually work and study during the week, so their classes are held on Saturdays. The growth of ADUS in Pastores and Antigua is currently being led by youth, who have attracted more students. The leaders recall how they introduced vocational workshops (aromatic candles, wallets, gift boxes, piñatas) to generate income and teach practical skills, which maintained students’ attention through hands-on activities.

For these adolescents, the organization became a refuge where studying was no longer seen as a burden. ADUS implemented alternative methods to support children struggling with literacy and numeracy. The organization keeps its doors open at all times, so students feel welcome—whether they attend class or not. Being in a space intentionally designed to support and uplift them helps children and youth feel that ADUS is a family or home they don’t want to leave.

Learning with Childhood

Initially, ADUS did not open a space for children until 2018, when many mothers began asking whether the organization would also work with younger children. The truth is that from the beginning, the focus had been on youth, who were considered the most vulnerable. However, once the organization began to explore the realities of younger children, it discovered that many of those on the streets of Antigua Guatemala were victims of rampant internal migration, primarily from the departments of Quiché and Huehuetenango. In some cases, they were also victims of domestic violence or had been forced to work by people who had promised to help them continue their education. As shown in Figure 5, the country has experienced waves of internal migration due to environmental issues or internal conflicts.

The first barrier ADUS encountered was linguistic: 85% of the population they were working with at the time—including the mothers who first approached the organization—spoke only Mam or Kaqchikel. This made it difficult to explain the importance of continuing education, especially since many believed the ideal was for children to complete sixth grade and then start working. This belief was even more deeply held in the case of girls, who were taught that their role was to stay at home caring for siblings, without being given the tools needed to access a dignified education.

In 2018, ADUS began by helping children with their homework and hiring teachers to provide academic reinforcement in the afternoons. However, due to poor nutrition, many children struggled to pay attention. This led to the creation of a nutrition program that provided small meals to help ensure children were in optimal condition to benefit from the tutoring sessions. These sessions were led by Ana and Raul, who had already been volunteering with the organization for some time.

Empowering Generations: Daughters and Mothers

Girls are the most vulnerable population, as many are forced by the system to take on domestic tasks and never even make it to school to learn to read and write. At ADUS, the inclusion of vulnerable groups like girls contributes to their empowerment and enables them to have a meaningful impact on their surroundings.

This was the case of Ángela, a little girl who dreamed of a better future and a professional career. However, as ADUS’s director recalls, systemic inequality became real in Angela’s life:

Thanks to the education program, girls have reclaimed the spaces that belong to them. Now, not only can they read and write, but they have also learned to express their desires to their parents and affirm their right to study.

With their own agency, many girls have even encouraged their mothers to learn, taking the initiative to teach them. In doing so, they are helping to create community leaders who strive to open educational and gender-equality spaces in their communities and reduce the disparities that persist in Guatemala.

The Pandemic Didn’t Stop Their Work

The COVID-19 pandemic, which reached Guatemala in March 2020, marked a turning point for ADUS, forcing the organization to adapt its operations and strengthen its support for families in Jocotenango, Antigua, and Pastores. Before the pandemic, ADUS worked with children and youth through workshops, homework help, and recreational activities, providing simple snacks such as cookies and juice. However, with school closures and the loss of daily income for many families, more urgent needs became apparent.

During the pandemic, ADUS focused heavily on educational reinforcement, helping children catch up to their grade level with the support of volunteer tutors. These efforts led to remarkable progress: public school teachers began to notice that ADUS students were ahead of their classmates, especially in reading and writing. The crisis also revealed widespread food insecurity, particularly in households that relied on daily earnings. In response, ADUS began distributing monthly food baskets and improved its snack offerings, shifting from cookies to more nutritious meals prepared in the community kitchen by mothers in rotating shifts—encouraging their active participation.

The crisis also exposed deeper social issues such as alcoholism and family breakdown, common among ADUS’s target population—85% Indigenous and largely composed of single mothers. ADUS implemented a “Parents' School” (focused primarily on mothers), where women learned about their rights and responsibilities. This empowered some to prioritize the protection of their children, even in the face of abusive fathers. However, the pandemic made it harder to retain program participants, as some families returned to their places of origin or resisted meeting ADUS’s requirement that children stay in school.

Despite these challenges, the pandemic solidified ADUS as a pillar of comprehensive support, combining education, nutrition, psychological assistance, and community empowerment in the face of adversity. While psychological support had previously been a taboo topic, the pandemic highlighted the urgent need for mental health care. As a result, ADUS now hosts family group therapy sessions on Saturdays to strengthen family dynamics.

A Community Commitment

Their 16 years of volunteer work have not gone unnoticed. In 2024, ADUS received an award from ASINDES, a network of organizations working for children's rights in Guatemala. The recognition celebrated ADUS’s contributions in education, socioemotional support, and community development, particularly with vulnerable children and adolescents in Jocotenango, Antigua, and areas such as Sololá.

At ADUS, knowledge is not transmitted vertically—it is collectively built through ongoing dialogue with the reality the organization seeks to transform. While most volunteers continue to work outside the institution, their involvement is grounded in genuine commitment to the community, free from profit motives. This model serves as a kind of rite of passage, transforming initial volunteerism into institutional belonging while preserving the ethics of service and collaborative knowledge-building that define ADUS.

Seeking Alliances

ADUS has proactively sought to form alliances with the COCODES (Community Development Councils) of Sacatepéquez, but since its founding, it has been a major challenge to align with the priorities of local municipalities. Therefore, the organization has pursued other partnerships within Jocotenango, Antigua, and Pastores, and it continues to seek new coordination efforts to create safe spaces for children and youth.

Notes

General Notes

This product was designed, conceptualized, and written by the team at Population Council Guatemala, with collaboration and feedback from the ADUS team, for the project Recovering Education in Central America: Activating Networks and Associated Groups (RECARGA).

The images presented were taken from ADUS’s social media, shared by their team, or photographed by the Population Council Guatemala team. In the case of external sources, credit has been indicated.

Specific Notes

1. “Indigenous people were not allowed to settle in Spanish cities, but only in separate Indigenous neighborhoods that Spaniards could not occupy; not even encomenderos were permitted to reside within the Indigenous jurisdiction of the encomienda. Despite this marginalization, the Indigenous group had to remain available to meet the needs of the Spaniards, and thus their settlements could not be located far from the Spanish cities.”
(Konetzke, 1981, p.195).

References

Martínez, A. (2022) Despalazamiento Interno a lo largo de los años.

Taracena, J. (s.f). Historia de Jocotenango en la Nueva Guatemala de la Asunción.

Castro Castillo, S. (1986). Nuestra Señora de la Asunción Jocotenango. 1776 – 1950.

Vignoli, R. (2008). Migración interna de la población joven: El caso de América Latina.

Pladeic. (2025). Tipo de hecho delictivo por año.

Instituto Nacional de Estadística -INE-. (2018). Censo Nacional.