Document Type
Brief
Publication Date
2025
Abstract
Building on the success of the Abriendo Oportunidades® (AO®) program in Guatemala, in 2014 Population Council Guatemala (PC-Guatemala) and Toledo Mayan Women’s Council established the Toledo Adolescent Girls program (TAG), a safe space initiative that equipped young Indigenous girls and female mentors with life skills. The project demonstrated that neighboring countries are interested in expanding the AO model, and that the Council can successfully support programmatic adaptation to meet the needs of other Indigenous communities in Mesoamerica. This was achieved by introducing age-segmented groups, prioritizing transportation funding for mentors and supervisors, and continuing to tailor to local context. This brief is part of the Abriendo Oportunidades® Legacy Series, celebrating and highlighting 20 years of impactful program implementation.
Recommended Citation
Population Council. 2025. "Growing the Abriendo Oportunidades® Ecosystem: Equipping young mentors with skills and resources to expand girl-centered programming in Belize," Abriendo Oportunidades® Legacy Series, Brief no. 5. Guatemala City: Population Council.
Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
DOI
10.31899/sbsr2025.1019
Language
English
Project
Abriendo Oportunidades (“Opening Opportunities”); GIRL Center