Since December 2025, ASEDG has been supporting the Kulanel Qanima initiative in the Totonicapán region of Guatemala. This pilot project aims to support the structuring of a Mayan community organisation in developing educational programmes adapted to its cultural and linguistic realities.
Totonicapán is a territory with a strong Mayan identity, recognised for its traditions of community governance and its vibrant associative life. It is in this context that Kulanel Qanima — whose name means "learning together" in K'iche' — develops citizenship and democratic-participation education initiatives rooted in local knowledge.
A co-construction approach respectful of local cultures
True to its approach, ASEDG acts as a partner rather than a prescriber. The project is built on ongoing dialogue between Swiss pedagogical expertise and the knowledge of local actors, with careful respect for Mayan traditions, languages and community values.
The first workshops, held in the first quarter of 2026, brought together teachers, young leaders and members of community councils. They helped identify priority needs in civic education and define the broad direction of the educational programme.
Next steps
The design phase for participatory educational tools will begin in the second quarter of 2026. These resources, co-built with local actors, will then be shared on the edhub4democracy.org platform, to benefit other communities engaged in similar efforts.
To learn more about this partnership, visit the Actions page of our website.
