Ana Mariela at school. She will start high school next year.

In most ways Ana Mariela is a typical teenage girl. Hiding her shyness behind bouts of giggling, she says she is currently deciding between being a doctor or a tour guide when she grows up. And this is an important difference between her and many other teenage girls in rural Guatemala: she’s able to dream for her future.

“My dreams will come true because I have a strong woman by my side, who is always there for me,” Ana Mariela says of her mother. “She is giving us an education so we can have a better future.”

Ana Mariela’s mother is a Friendship Bridge client, and has prioritized Ana Mariela’s education to secure a better future for her daughter. “She inspires me every day to be better,” Ana Mariela says.

Most of Ana Mariela’s friends stopped going to school after the sixth grade because their families either didn’t have enough money or didn’t think it was important to continue a girl’s education.

Though soft-spoken, Ana Mariela’s confidence is evident. Her mother has given her the gift of being able to dream about her future and has shown her that women can excel, even in a society like Guatemala’s where so many women are extremely marginalized.

Ana Mariela and her mother, Yolanda.

Ana Mariela says one of her favorite classes at school is history, because she can learn about how things used to be and how they have changed. She will undoubtedly be one of the girls in Guatemala ushering in more change, and what will hopefully be an era where women are more empowered.

Through investing in women like Ana Mariela’s mom, you are changing a whole generation of girls.