Who We Are
We are an organization committed to people and nature in the Guatemalan Highlands. We believe in the power of communities and their knowledge; therefore, we promote community-led action and work to make sustainability a shared reality.
Leadership with vision, roots, and commitment
Meet the people who lead, support, and dream with us of a more just and resilient future.
Claudia Nunfio
President, Board of Directors
Eduardo Secaira
Executive Director
Samuel Secaira
Manager, Resilient Landscapes and Biodiversity Program
Mirella Rosales
Administrative and Finance Director
Bryan Reyna
Manager, Early Childhood Integrated Development Program
Iván Girón
Manager, Territorial Analysis Department
Adolfo Barreno
Head of Procurement
Virginia Ordóñez
Human Resources Director
Our team
More than 80 local and national professionals and collaborators work every day in communities. Our team includes agronomists, educators, nutritionists, community technicians, local leaders, and conservation specialists, united by the mission of improving families’ lives and protecting biodiversity.
We work through participatory approaches that bring together ancestral knowledge and technical expertise, strengthening community self-management.
Our History
Beginnings and Foundation
The first social projects in health and child nutrition are implemented in San Marcos La Laguna, Panajachel, and San José Chacayá. In 1992, the organization is formally registered as a nonprofit civil association.
Socio-productive Development
The social program is strengthened through bilingual intercultural centers and productive projects. The organization expands to additional municipalities around Lake Atitlán.
Environmental Management
The environmental program is formalized, focusing on natural resource conservation, and expands into municipalities in the upper Lake Atitlán watershed.
Risk Management
Following Tropical Storm Stan, the risk management program is established, incorporating natural hazard analysis methodologies. Vivamos Mejor’s Geographic Information System (GIS) is created.
Integrated Micro-watershed Management
Territorial planning becomes a priority, consolidating interventions in the Nahualate River basin and Lake Atitlán watershed, and expanding to Nahualá, Santa Catarina Ixtlahuacán, and the southern coastal region.
Integrated Rural Development and Climate Change Adaptation
Climate change adaptation strategies, applied scientific research, and a territorial approach focused on biocultural corridors (Zunil–Atitlán–Balam Juyú) are strengthened.
Scaling Successful Models
The Resilient Landscapes and Biodiversity Program is consolidated, and coverage expands to additional departments in the Highlands and western volcanic chain.
What We Do and How We Do It
ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAM
Resilient Landscapes and Biodiversity
We promote agroecology, forest, water, and soil conservation, the strengthening of sustainable rural economies, and environmental education.
SOCIAL PROGRAM
Comprehensive Early Childhood Development
We promote comprehensive early childhood development, with a focus on nutrition, bilingual intercultural education, health, and positive parenting.
CEDRACC
Center for Rural Development Education and Climate Change Adaptation
We work through participatory approaches that bring together ancestral knowledge and technical expertise, strengthening community self-management.
DAT
Department of Territorial Spatial Analysis and Monitoring
We strengthen knowledge of geography, ecosystems, and risk in the territories where we work, promoting learning and collaboration among communities and institutions.
Download Our Strategic Plan 2024–2029
Our Partners
We make our work possible thanks to collaboration with organized communities, local governments, national institutions, international organizations, universities, and donors who believe in a sustainable future for Guatemala.
