Guate Conecta
Fostering sustainable development by co-investing in community leaders of Guatemala, while recognizing the important role of indigenous people.
Guate Connect
Overview
Guate Conecta is a social impact organization that values culture, knowledge, identity, perspectives, and the visions of communities. By mobilizing resources and co-investing directly in the aspirations of local communities, we activate the power and potential of local leaders to lead positive change.
Guate Conecta centers and supports locally-led initiatives, affirming the rights of people, particularly indigenous peoples, to advance development and equality.
By The Numbers
We work with our community partners to track 400+ indicators across our 1,800+ investments using a custom built database.
By The Numbers
We work with our community partners to track 400+ indicators across our 1,800+ investments using a custom built database.
Guate Conecta Advisory Board
The Guate Conecta Advisory Board is a group of highly committed and credible people working in the social sector who have contributed substantially to a more just society in Guatemala. Most of them have grown up, lived life experiences, and have overcome challenges that are similar to the people that we work and partner with. The Advisory Board plays a critical role in the grant making process.
With over a decade of experience in financial management within non‑profit and social impact sectors, José Amaya leads WINGS Guatemala's financial strategy and operations. His key contributions include financial leadership, budget oversight, forecasting, and financial reporting, ensuring transparency, and compliance with both national regulations and international funding standards.
As the Country Representative for the Population Council in Guatemala, scholar Angel del Valle focuses on the social and environmental factors driving migration. His work emphasizes the interconnectedness of land issues, climate change, and political/economic inequalities, which often lead to displacement and migration, especially among Indigenous women and girls. Angel also explores how social norms and agency relate to adolescent sexual and reproductive health practices. His research, which includes analyzing qualitative and participatory methods in social research, has a significant social impact in highlighting the root causes of migration and informing strategies for addressing them.
A public policy and politics specialist, Mina Gonzalez is the former Vice‑Minister of Social Security and Employment in Guatemala's Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare and Private Secretary for the Presidency of Guatemala. She has taken part in high‑level dialogues – for example, participating alongside other ministers and representatives of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to discuss refugee assistance and labor-related social protection.
Mina also volunteers with the Trabajando Unidos and the Observatory of Reproductive Health to defend LGBTQI+ rights. She is candid about the barriers faced by LGBTQI+ individuals in Guatemala, noting that many remain closeted due to economic and social pressures.
Appointed in 2024, Mara Miza is the Executive Director of the Asociación Mujeres Liderando Guatemala (AMLG), which empowers underrepresented Guatemalan and Indigenous women with management training, English and intercultural skills, and professional networks. So far, 26 Mayan women from AMLG's two cohorts have secured leadership positions in NGOs. Marta continues to champion women’s inclusion in decision‑making roles across society.
As the Legal Director of Women's Justice Initiative, Viviana Patal is responsible for designing and implementing the organization's legal services program. She leads a team of lawyers and paralegals to provide comprehensive legal support on a wide range of civil and criminal issues, including gender-based violence, family law, inheritance, and property rights.
A native speaker of Kaqchikel Maya, Vivian is also an Indigenous rights advocate, ensuring culturally and linguistically accessible legal representation for Maya women navigating Guatemala's legal system.
Reyna Pretzantzin is a Mayan Indigenous leader and product development specialist with extensive experience in fair-trade and social enterprise. Since 2013, she has co-led the formation of the Maya Women's Rug Hooking Cooperative alongside the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market initiative.
Reyna's leadership helped evolve that cooperative into Multicolores, a sustainable artisans' cooperative for which she is currently the Executive Director.
Evelyn Roquel serves as Program Manager at the Luis von Ahn Foundation, a Guatemalan philanthropic organization established in 2021 that focuses on advancing women and girls' equality, environmental conservation, democracy, civic participation, and education across Guatemala.
Her dual role in philanthropic leadership and grassroots advocacy positions Evelyn as a driving force in Guatemala's social sector—strengthening Indigenous autonomy, health, and education, while reshaping how aid and funding are delivered to historically underserved communities.
As the Deputy Director of the Rigoberta Menchú Tum Foundation, Saqchahim Saquil frequently travels alongside the Nobel Laureate to foster collaboration with international partners to support the Foundation's core initiatives: education, women's empowerment, community development, human rights, and civic participation. Saqchahim also represents the organization in workshops and forums.