Institute for Overcoming Urban Poverty (ISMU)

ISMU Programs

ISMU provides scholarships to students whose families cannot afford to let their child go to school because their children must work in order to survive.

ISMU funds income-generating projects and training in financial management, organizational development, and leadership skills.

ISMU also works to coordinate advocacy campaigns, improve housing and infrastructure, and create schools and childcare centers.

In addition, ISMU has a strong disaster response and prevention program, developed from the experience of Hurricane Mitch in 1998 and Hurricane Stan in 2005.

Why the need?

Over 500,000 people live in the urban shantytowns of Guatemala City. These settlements, usually perched on steep hillsides, often lack basic services such as schools, roads, running water, and sewage systems.

The education system in Guatemala is poor. The average schooling of the adult population in Guatemala is 5.4 years and just 1.4 years for indigenous people. Usually, government spending in Guatemala on education has been very low. Providing educational opportunities in Guatemala is critical in that it provides a way for children and youth living in marginalized communities to improve their livelihoods.

How Team's Efforts Translate to Impact

All funds raised will provide ongoing support to teachers and students through access to school supplies, furniture and equipment, scholarships, and cleaning supplies to maximize students’ capacity to learn.  

How ISMU Create Sustainable Global Change

ISMU not only provides scholarships for education so children can receive the education they need to break the cycle of poverty, but they also work to make policy changes in the government to stop the root causes of poverty in Guatemala.

 *Photos courtesy of IDEX