Martha Lidia served as Co-Executive Director of the MAIA Impact School, an organisation providing comprehensive, rounded education to Indigenous girls.
Led by Indigenous women, the school has made significant gains in facilitating access to educational opportunities for vulnerable, underprivileged Indigenous communities in Guatemala. Through support from AstraZeneca’s Young Health Programme, MAIA has integrated mental health and wellbeing education into its curriculum and activities, supporting its students beyond the narrower limits of traditional academic success.
MAIA has established a clinic at its school, with a nurse actively providing healthcare assistance during school hours. The school also has a team of social workers who act as mentors for individuals, groups, and families within the MAIA ecosystem. These social workers speak about mental health, and actively include family members to help break down mental health taboos in Indigenous communities in Guatemala. This community connection allows MAIA to build trusting and empathetic relationships, while its emphasis on socio-emotional learning teaches students to express themselves in a healthy manner conducive to long-term wellbeing.
Martha Lidia attended the One Young World Summits in Belfast, 2023, and Montréal/Tiohtià:ke, 2024. She found the latter Summit to be particularly successful in its intentionality towards building bridges with Indigenous communities, engaging Indigenous young leaders and ensuring Indigenous representation. Martha Lidia has made important connections through her One Young World journey, and sits on the organisation’s Indigenous Council. Martha Lidia has also been particularly impressed with AstraZeneca’s commitment to building a supportive ecosystem for Indigenous young leaders. She has continued fostering relationships with her peers in the Young Health Programme Fellowship, engaging in informal knowledge sharing activities and working towards authentic collaboration with other participants.
MAIA’s incorporation of health knowledge, wellbeing, and socio-emotional learning has impacted hundreds of students across multiple years. With AstraZeneca’s support, the organisation has reached thousands of family members in Indigenous communities in Guatemala, facilitating systemic behavioural change towards mental health and socio-emotional learning. The students and families MAIA works with have increased confidence, resources, and agency to act for their own wellbeing.
