History
Though not officially founded until 2015, Fundación Educa Pueblo Viejo began over three decades ago with the hope of seeing the community of Pueblo Viejo, Tecpán progress and succeed.
It all started when the founders bought farmland in Tecpán. As they began to spend more time on the farm, interacting with members of the community, they realized that there was a lack of educational infrastructure and employment opportunities available in the area.
As they were now part of the community, they wished to play an active role in helping Pueblo Viejo reach its potential and therefore grow. Convinced that education lies at the core of development and self-improvement, they decided to make their first contribution in the form of a school.
Soon after the school was finished and the Ministry of Education began to implement the curricular program in the school, the founders turned their focus towards generating employment opportunities. Here’s where the farm, El Carmen, comes in: the farm’s operations provide employment to Tecpán’s community in the areas of vegetable farming, forest management, meat processing, and meat product elaboration.
About twenty years after the farm began its operations, a cold meat processing plant was established in Antigua Guatemala. The plant operated alongside the farm’s production and it produced small amounts of cold meat products that were sold to restaurants and hotels. This gave birth to Epicure.
There was a rapid increase in demand and there was a need to move to a bigger location in order to keep the business growing. Today, Epicure plays a vital role in the organization’s work: it provides employment to 48 members of Pueblo Viejo’s community and also provides it with a constant source of funds to be able to continue with its projects.
Throughout the years, Fundación Educa Pueblo Viejo has carried out several projects and initiatives to keep its goal alive and within reach. We’ve aided in the building three school buildings, three schools, we’ve provided employment to over 100 individuals and families and instituted the first fully equipped low-cost health clinic in the area.
Our Mission
The mission of Fundación Educa Pueblo Viejo is to drive community development through social entrepreneurship by building on education, health, and the generation of jobs through the creation of businesses.
Our Vision
Be the creators of opportunities so that the families within these communities have access to living their lives with dignity, immediate actions that lead to generating job growth and the well-being of their loved ones. We would like to have a global impact with a blueprint that can be replicated in any part of the world so local members of the community don’t feel the need to leave their families and homes behind in search of employment, medical assistance or an education.
We are aware of the greater good that can be achieved when nations join together to obtain a sustainable global economy. We are committed to following the 10 guiding principles of the United Nations Global Compact:
Human Rights
- Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights.
- Make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses.
Labor
- Businesses should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining.
- The elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labor.
- The effective abolition of child labor.
- The elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.
Environment
- Businesses should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges.
- Undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility.
- Encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies.
Anti-Corruption
- Businesses should work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery.
What We Do
- We work and provide help to the community in three areas; education, health, and employment.
- We are proud to announce that up to this date, the organization’s work has benefited over 60,000 individuals, either directly or indirectly.