MAYA TRADITIONS FOUNDATION EVALUATION
GUATEMALA
Date: 2017
Partner: Maya Traditions Foundation
Funding: Michael Scriven’s Faster Forward Fund with the specific purpose of advancing the practice and profession of evaluation.
Background: Maya Traditions Foundation (MTF) is in the Guatemalan highlands and supports female artisan cooperatives with national and international markets committed to the global Fair Trade movement and its principles. Their vision is to build a social enterprise that leverages traditional Mayan cultures to provide opportunities for economic independence and social development for Indigenous women and their families.
Purpose:
EoE worked in partnership with MTF’s board of directors, staff and artisans garnering insights into organizational and program-level activities to provide an independent validation of their systemic operations. The evaluation assessed the impact MTF activities had on the quality of the lives of Mayan Indigenous artisans and their families in six communities near Panajachel. The objective of the evaluation was to address the core question: what has been the impact of MTF on the women’s lives, independently and collectively, and their communities?
Additionally, a comprehensive board assessment was administered using an online survey. The assessment was research-based and addressed six dimensions of board effectiveness: contextual, board capabilities, relational, analytical, political and strategic.