Maya helping Maya, one family at a time.
Fundamaya keeps children in school, feeds elders, and helps families through hard times in the Maya communities around Lake Atitlán. Our team is from these communities. Many of us were sponsored students ourselves.
Four ways to stand with a Maya family
Give today
One gift or monthly. Food, clean water, school and medical care where they are needed most.
Donate →Sponsor a child or elder
From $40 a month. Get to know one person through letters, photos and updates from our team.
Meet someone waiting →Visit & volunteer
Come to Panajachel as a family, church, school or university group. We plan the visit with you.
Plan a visit →Leave a legacy
Gifts from your will, IRA, donor-advised fund, stock or real estate keep the work going for years.
Planned giving →Every number is a person we know by name.
From the first day of preschool to a dignified old age
School sponsorship
School is “free,” but uniforms, shoes and supplies are not. Sponsors keep children and young people learning, from preschool to university.
From $40/month
Preschool Nutrition Centers
Three centers give 69 little ones a daily meal and a bilingual start in Panajachel, San Jorge La Laguna and San Antonio Palopó.
$150 brings lunch and a cake
Elderly Care Program
Guatemala has no safety net for the old. At our senior center, elders share a hot meal five days a week, and good company.
$50/month sponsors an elder
Sewing classes & artisans
Women learn a trade, graduate with their own sewing machine, and sell beadwork and weaving at a fair price.
$240 trains one woman
Food, water, health & homes
Food baskets, water filters, clean stoves, beds and medical care for families facing a crisis. 47 medical cases completed in 2025.
$167 gives a family clean water
One Team, One Mission
Volunteer firefighters are also the region's paramedics. We support 14 stations with training, equipment and donated fire trucks.
Donate equipment or funds
Run by the communities we serve
Fundamaya began as a dream shared by Guatemalan, Australian and American friends. It has always been, at heart, a Guatemalan organization. Our program directors are Kaqchikel-speaking Maya from these towns.
Sandra, our Education Program Director, was one of the first children sponsored, at age five. Today she holds two master's degrees. That is what one sponsorship can grow into.
What sponsors and volunteers say
Read reviews on GreatNonprofits →“The community they serve is represented on their board and their staff, which makes them uniquely aware of the needs of the community.”
“They give regular updates on individuals and facilitate communication between donors and sponsors. I have always gotten prompt answers.”
“Our students learned about the many facets of healthcare while providing service to the community in Panajachel.”
Open books. A volunteer board. Your privacy protected.
We publish our IRS Form 990, follow written conflict-of-interest, whistleblower and document-retention policies, and never sell or share donor information.
See how we're governed →News from Panajachel, once a month
Stories, photos and the occasional urgent need. We never share your email.