Since 1973, Progresa has supported generations of Guatemalan students, many of whom have become leaders and agents of change in their communities. Through education, the program continues to bring opportunities to some of the most vulnerable regions of the country.
Our greatest impact is on our students. They develop a major increase on their self-confidence and awareness of their own agency in interacting with the world around them. They also greatly increase their opportunity to get better jobs and often become the major supporters of their family. Discover their stories and the impact they are creating in their communities and the country.
Although many of our students do not graduate until a few years after leaving the program, they always send us photos of their graduation. Here are some images of them.
Our Students
Since 1973, Progresa has helped nearly 2,000 Guatemalans continue their education, both in college and to complete high school. We do not have exact figures because complete records from the program’s first 20 years are no longer available. At that time, the old method of recording student data on small paper cards was used, and many of these cards were destroyed or lost before they could be entered into a computer. It wasn’t until 1996–1997 that data began to be recorded on a computer. Over the past 20 years, Progresa has supported an average of 90 students per year in various fields of study. The fields of study with the highest number of recipients in recent years have been nursing, education, social work, psychology, medicine, and agronomy.
Through 2013, the majority of supported students were men. In 2014, the trend began to shift, in that year 41 women (51%) and 39 men (49%) received support. Since then, the gap has widened. In 2026, we have 91 (79%) women and 24 (21%) men. This data is important because educating women has a significant impact on family development, as women tend to provide more support to other family members than men do, and as mothers, they motivate their children to study much more than men do. We focus on educating rural Mayan students, although we do accept non-rural and non-Mayan students if they meet the criteria of ability and financial need. In 2026 we have 93 (81%) Mayan students and 22 (19%) non-Mayan students.
Over the past 10 years, approximately 80% of our students have completed their coursework. Progresa strives to help students get as close as possible to graduation, but not all of them manage to graduate. Both universities and the general educational system often impose complicated requirements and bureaucratic procedures that make it difficult to graduate. However, we have observed that even if students do not graduate or pursue the profession they studied they acquire skills and new ways of thinking that provide them with greater opportunities for growth compared to those who never attended college.
Discover the inspiring stories of some of our current students, their challenges, dreams, and successes.
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Our Graduates
As we mentioned earlier, Progresa has helped nearly 2,000 people continue their education. During its first 25 years, the organization supported almost an equal number of students in high school and college, because at that time, “high school majors” offered many job opportunities, especially in technical fields. In the years that followed, Progresa began to focus its support on college students. Many of our graduates were the first teachers, doctors, nurses, lawyers, agronomists, etc., in their communities. Some went on to expand existing professional services, thereby contributing to the development of their communities. Many of our graduates have become community leaders who have spearheaded development projects, and some have even been elected as majors or other important government positions.
Here are some stories of our graduates.
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