La Choza Chula
Organization Details
La Choza Chula is a social enterprise based in El Paredón, on the Pacific coast of Guatemala. We support coastal communities to flourish through community development and tailored partnerships.
We envision a world in which coastal communities benefit from quality education and sustainable local enterprise opportunities.
We respond to real need, creating projects which develop skills, improve lives, enhance creativity and enable locals to benefit from the growing tourism industry.
Support Needs
We’re looking for:
FacilitationMonitoring & EvaluationNonprofit OperationsStrategic MarketingTeaching
Impact Story
La Choza Chula was established in June 2012 by founders Julia Harriman and Carla Thomas. When they arrived in El Paredón, they were struck by how few local people were benefitting from the growing surf tourism to the area and wanted to help change this. They started to teach English in the school and run community tours employing local guides. Three months later they opened a workshop for young people to learn how to make and sell crafts to tourists.
Our achievements
In the last three years we have:
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Built a library and created a literacy programme within the primary school, allowing over 300 children access to 2000 books and games, creative activities and dedicated reading hours
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Made the community’s 25 year old dream to build a dedicated secondary school* in the town a reality. We worked with 90 volunteer surfers from US nonprofit Surf for Life and the community to build 3 spacious classrooms, an office and a storeroom and are aiming to build a computer lab and basketball court next year
*This free, state school will be the first of its kind in Guatemala with a methodology which focuses on vocational and entrepreneurial training. It will allow students to put into practice their learning, turning ideas into micro businesses and other forms of innovation, which will also generate income for the school.
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Helped underachieving primary school students pass their end of year exams through catch up classes, enabling young children to advance to the next grade
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Trained over 20 local young people to design and make their own bracelet collections which are sold internationally, with profits allowing the makers to save for their own surf boards, school supplies and clothes and supporting social projects
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Established an English teaching programme which enables locals to be able to work with tourists
