Project goal

The aim of the IJÁ program is to enable people to become sustainable agents of their own development through qualified training, to strengthen their self-confidence and to overcome poverty through improved income opportunities. In the form of training courses adapted to the realities of the participants’ lives, they learn to value and use their own abilities.

The IJÀ program

With mobile training units (CEDE), FUNDAP offers six-month basic courses in cutting and tailoring, hairdressing, etc. in remote rural communities. In training centers (Centro Técnico), 12- to 24-month inclusive basic and specialized courses are offered in the same areas and electricity and motor mechanics. The IJÁ program is completed with the “Seguir para Emprender” component and leasing program for IJÁ graduates who start a small business.

Inclusive offer for people with disabilities

By adapting the program to people with disabilities (Down’s Syndrome, deaf people) IJÁ is the first and so far the only vocational training program of its kind in southwestern Guatemala, pioneering inclusion in the region.

Our local partner

FUNDAP has been working in western Guatemala since 1981 with the goal of fighting poverty in the country. Through its programs in education, FUNDAP reaches approximately 50,000 people each year, giving them the chance to discover a profession and find a job or start a small business.