GUATEMALA MISSION

guatemala mission

One year of tuition for one student costs only $50 USD.



One sewing machine, which can generate income for generations, costs only $240 USD.

When you give online via Aldersgate, be sure to select "Guatemala Mission" in the drop-down menu.

If giving via cash or check, please include a note indicating the gift should be directed to the

Guatemala Sewing Schools or Guatemala Mission.

The Guatemala Sewing Schools have empowered Mam Maya women with sewing education since 1987.

In 1987, a mission team from Church of Reconciliation in Chapel Hill, NC traveled to the Western Highlands of Guatemala. The team asked the Indigenous women: “If you could have anything, what would it be?” The women responded in unison, “a sewing machine!” So the group borrowed a Jeep, traveled down a dusty road into town, and purchased the community’s very first foot-pedal Singer sewing machine. 


Upon returning to North Carolina, they began raising money and dreaming of establishing a formal schooling program. A few more machines were purchased and informal classes began. In 2000, the first official Sewing School was established. 


Anne Finch, who has been traveling to Guatemala to serve the Mam Maya since 1972, was on that inspirational trip in 1987. When Anne joined Aldersgate United Methodist Church in 1991, a decades-long partnership with the Schools began. In 2021, Aldersgate marked 30 years of supporting the Guatemala Sewing Schools.

The Mam Maya have lived in western Guatemala for more than 2,500 years. Since the Spanish Conquest, they have endured a great number of political, social and economic pressures. Today, more than 600,000 Mam people continue to live in Guatemala in Indigenous communities, wearing traditional dress and speaking their own Mam language in addition to Spanish.


Mam cultural identity is strong, but literacy rates are low and poverty rates are high. 46% of children in Guatemala suffer from malnutrition due to poverty. Many of the Sewing Schools' students are mothers, and the Schools provide income-generating skills and resources to fight that statistic.

The four sewing schools are located in the Guatemalan highlands among Mam Maya communities. Students typically attend classes for two years to learn sewing and embroidery. They focus on producing marketable goods like aprons, tablecloths, and traditional Mam clothing. This photo shows a class of graduates celebrating with their diplomas.


Since the school’s formal opening in the year 2000, more than 1,000 women have graduated from the Sewing Schools. 


Frequently Asked Questions

  • Where exactly are the four schools located?

    The four schools are located in Guatemala's western highlands in San Juan Ostuncalco, Las Barrancas, Aqua Blanco and La Cruz. Two of these schools are in very remote locations, offering a very unique opportunity for the local women.

  • Why sewing?

    Many of the Mam people produce most of their food and clothing by hand within their own homes and communities. Sewing machines provide improved ways to produce not only students' own clothing but also clothing for their families, friends and neighbors. Not only clothing but also infant slings, blankets and other necessary household goods can be produced quickly when a community has access to sewing machines.

  • Does Aldersgate UMC operate the schools?

    Aldersgate is a "partner church." We have supported the schools through prayer, financial gifts and mission trips for more than 30 years, but we do not operate the schools. They operate as a program of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit New Castle Presbytery Guatemala Partnership. You can visit their website at https://ncpguatemala.com/.

  • How can I help?

    The simplest way to help the Guatemala Sewing Schools is through prayers and financial gifts. The Sewing Schools rely entirely on donors, and fundraising assistance is always appreciated. If you would like to organize a fundraiser for the Sewing Schools, please reach out to info@aldersgate.org to initiate a conversation! 

Share by: