Safe Passage is a majority Guatemalan-led, US-registered 501 (c)(3) organization that provides quality, full-day education to youth primarily in Zone 7 and Zone 3 of Guatemala City, the area that borders the largest primary landfill in Central America. Adopting an international model for transformational education of the whole child, we focus on wellness, lifelong learning, vocational skills, and community leadership to help break the cycle of poverty, achieving a better future for our students, their families, and Guatemala.
Operating a full-day, holistic school serving about 550 students per year, Safe Passage provides one of the highest quality educations available in Guatemala. Utilizing the Expeditionary Learning (EL) approach developed by the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Outward Bound, our model was designed for marginalized communities, ensuring that students learn in ways that are meaningful, engaging, and relevant to their lives. Over the last 10 years, Safe Passage has been adapting and deepening the model around the specific context in which we work.
As part of the program, students receive 4 healthy meals and snacks daily, access to preventative and acute healthcare services, social workers and psychologists in every building, mindfulness and meditation daily, English and Kaqchikel (Mayan) language classes, technology and STEAM curricula, and sexual and reproductive health education.
For more information on our specific programs, please see the Our School and Our Programs pages.
“We are people of change.”
Safe Passage continues to grow alongside our students and families, nurturing resilience and hope for a strong future in Guatemala.
Through quality education and comprehensive wellness services, Safe Passage offers a transformative experience for our students within a loving and supportive environment. Our educational community co-creates learning experiences that support students in developing the character, knowledge, and skills to reach their maximum potential. This cultivates positive and lasting change for themselves, for their families and community, and for Guatemala.
Our vision is to catalyze a positive, transformative, and lasting impact by educating and inspiring youth leaders to build an equitable, strong, and just society.
