There are no female students at the Impacto school. Instead, every morning over 260 "jóvenes pioneras" (young pioneers) stream into the classrooms. That's what the teachers call their students, whom they teach not only math, English, and geography, but also, for example, how to manage money and the basics of a healthy lifestyle. Furthermore, they are prepared to take on responsible roles in their communities and in their professional lives. What the girls have in common is that they belong to the Mayan people and they have big plans – their dreams are as diverse as they are. Ensuring that each of them can realize her dream is the goal of MAIA, an organization of Mayan women. Since 2017, this partner organization of terre des hommes has been running the "Colegio Impacto" in Sololá, in southern Guatemala. It is the first secondary school in Central America run by indigenous women to offer a holistic education. This year, the first graduating class will take their final exams. Among them is Ester. The 19-year-old wants to study political science and use her skills to create a just world.

Being a woman means not being allowed to decide anything

Their world is marked by injustice. Ester and her classmates face triple discrimination: they are poor, they are Maya, and they are women. Indigenous girls in Guatemala attend school for an average of only three and a half years. Only 20 percent of them graduate, and only two percent make it to university. Half of all young Maya women become mothers by the age of 18. Around 80 percent of all Maya women live in poverty. Guatemala is among the countries with the highest rates of fatal violence against women. Machismo and racism are widespread in society. Girls and women have no say, no decision-making power. Initially, there seemed to be no chance of education for Ester either. "After primary school, my parents told me I couldn't continue my education because I was a girl and they didn't have enough money," Ester recounts. But she persevered and became one of MAIA's "jóvenes pioneras" (young pioneers). In 2019, she represented the "Colegio Impacto" at the Zayed Sustainability Award in Abu Dhabi. She was the first in her family to travel abroad – and her parents were proud of her.

Young women for a more just society

A year later, Ester finally applied to the RISE scholarship program. 50,000 young people from 178 countries had applied. Ester was among the 100 winners and developed an online platform that connects young women and gives them the opportunity to share their stories. Many of them, however, first need to learn to have more confidence in themselves. That's why Ester gives workshops for young Mayan women: using poems and stories, she teaches them how to use their voices effectively. These workshops address their rights, self-determination, societal expectations, and ways to change them. With her own story, Ester is helping more and more young Mayan women to raise their voices confidently, thus laying the foundation for a just society.