Center for Maya Ixil Education and Child Development (CEFIMI)

Voices and images: Mayan Ixil women of Chajul

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter Four: Association of Maya Ixil Women (ADMI) – New Dawn

2. Center for Maya Ixil Education and Child Development (CEFIMI)

The children are interested in learning how to read and write. They like to participate and share their experiences. Why is it that the children like the educational experiences at CEFIMI? Because the boys and girls are learning to read and to write in Ixil and in Spanish. The children themselves choose the subjects that they want to learn about. The educator is there to facilitate and accompany their learning process. We use the whole language method for teaching and have a philosophy of education designed for children with no formal education.

The boys and girls are given a snack in the Center as a way to supplement their nutrition, because there is a lot of malnutrition among them. This snack is very important because it contributes to the children’s positive attitude towards learning: in terms of their lessons, the educational games they play, their motivation, and happiness.

In former times, Indian boys and girls didn’t attend the town school because they were very frightened by the teachers, since the teachers were ladinos and the children were Ixiles. When the teachers spoke to them, the children couldn’t understand and the teachers would get quite angry with the children and punish them. They would be forced to kneel down on corn kernels. And when they didn’t want to go to the chalkboard they were made to hold up a piece of wood with their hand oustretched. The children were very afraid and say that they used to hide themselves so they wouldn’t have to go to school. But now there have been some changes because children too have their rights. Despite this, many children still don’t get to attend school because they have neither school supplies nor the necessary financial support.