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Ak’ Tenamit’s History
1992: Ak’ Tenamit was founded by Steve Dudenhoefer (American), John Carr, and Steve Morgan (both from the UK) working with leaders from nearby villages. Q’eqchi volunteer brigades expanded a local school and built the project clinic.
1993: International medical volunteers and a small Guatemalan staff launched the project’s health program. The Guatemalan Tomorrow Fund was created to raise funds for the project.
1994: A program to improve education at 30 village schools was started together with a program encouraging girls to stay in school called “We Must Educate the Girls.”
1997: In response to demand from students completing elementary school in the villages, Ak’ Tenamit opened a secondary school with 17 students, all boys.
1999: The first six girls enrolled in the secondary school, a sign that “We Must Educate the Girls” was working.
2000: The project’s secondary school had more than 100 boarding students. Ak’ Tenamit’s original site was overcrowded, so funds were raised to purchase a second, 124-acre site nearby where students, parents, and volunteers began building a secondary school.
2001: The Fr. Tom Moran Educational Center opened with 134 boarding students, including 34 girls. The project introduced a new SAT educational system, which develops problem-solving skills, and is complemented with practical training in sustainable agriculture, tourism, and small business development.
2002: A gift shop and restaurant were added to the Tatín site. The income-generation program expanded to help more village cooperatives form and train people in producing more handicrafts.
2003: A second restaurant, operated by students, was opened in the town of Livingston.
2004: The first 14 students graduated from the Moran Center with specializations in Rural Wellbeing, or Sustainable Tourism.
2006: Under an agreement with the Guatemalan government, Ak’ Tenamit expanded it’s health program from 40 villages to 124 villages to serve more than 25,000 people.
2007: The Moran Center had 350 students and a graduating class of 25, half of them girls.
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