History:

1994 marked the beginning of AMA’s work to help transform the most underprivileged communities of the Guatemalan Highlands, including La Antigua Xeabaj, Chiquisis, Xolja, Tzanjuyub and others in the municipality of Santa Catarina Ixtahuacán the department of Sololá. These efforts were led by Guadalupe and Benjamin Blevins, who worked hard to gain access to these isolated villages. Their sole motivation was to help create opportunities for development. The Blevin’s circle of influence would later include the village of Espumpujá, in San Juan Ostuncalco, Quetzaltenango, as well as the region of Palajunoj, at the foot of the volcano of Santa María.
The Blevins persuaded retired soldiers of Guatemala’s 30-year internal conflict, which ended in 1996, to join their mission. Together they formed an association with official representation in Xela. Four years later, the former combatants decided to resign, leaving the Blevins on their own. Fuelled by an unwavering social conscience and desire to help, they began to work even more closely with the communities, and, in particular, with indigenous women. The next four years were punctuated by experiences on social, economic and community-based levels, experiences that AMA uses today to improve upon current projects and undertakings.
In the 1970’s and 80’s, when Guatemala’s internal conflict was at its most devastating, Guadalupe was a child growing up in the village of Tejutla, in the department of San Marcos. Her family was poor and there were few opportunities for a better life. One day, a group of Belgian missionaries arrived in Tejutla and set out to position the community on the road to independence. With the help of the missionaries, the community of Tejutla built a hospital, a savings and loan cooperative and an elementary school, all of which are still in use. Thanks to these efforts, Guadalupe and her family had the opportunity to work and get an education. Their success is a testament to how change is possible with strong leadership and resources.
This history has had a strong influence on the vision and values that make A.M.A. what it is: an organization devoted to improving lives and creating opportunities for a more dignified and hopeful existence. Today, AMA is made up of a full-time staff that shares the same ideology of its founders, over a decade ago. Benjamin and Guadalupe are a source of inspiration for the rest of the AMA team. Their time and energy is invested in the process of transforming lives, a process in which results are tangible only after many years of hard work and dedication, has already begun to pay off.