The donation allowed for the continuation of the bilingual radio program "The ABC of Sexuality," broadcast by the AMA Association as an open forum where adolescent girls and women can openly discuss topics related to sexuality, violence, and the importance of women's participation on equal terms with men in various spheres of development such as sports, school, and community.

During the execution year, 30 episodes of the bilingual Spanish-Q'eqchí radio program "The ABC of Sexuality" were broadcast through the Shekina community radio, a private station with an evangelical Christian orientation. The programs were also streamed via Facebook Live on the AMA Fanpage.

This season consisted of 30 programs, divided into six blocks, covering topics such as 1) safe return to school, 2) life skills, 3) gender violence, 4) pregnancy prevention, 5) early unions in girls and adolescents, and also 6) internet safety and sports.

The program educated and sensitized 3,600 indigenous and mestizo listeners, especially from communities and urban marginal areas in the municipalities of San Luis, Poptún, and Dolores, Petén. In addition, each radio program reached 5,000 people through Facebook Live.

Continuing our radio program every year is crucial for us because we recognize that in many communities, the radio is the medium through which people receive information. We are also aware that the reach has increased with girls, adolescents, and young women who connect to the program through Facebook Live.

Three billboards were strategically installed in Southern Petén for 12 months to raise awareness among girls, adolescents, and parents about the importance of the COVID-19 vaccine for a safe return to school.

The billboards promoted a safe return to classes, the significance of the COVID-19 vaccine, and the prevention of gender-based violence during the pandemic. This has been crucial in enhancing access to education for adolescent girls and young women in Southern Petén.

Additionally, the billboards featured the new logo of the AMA Association. At the beginning of 2022, the institutional image was strengthened with the implementation of a brand manual, developed with the support of a student from the School of Graphic Design at the University of San Carlos of Guatemala. The billboards helped publicize the new logo.

AMA's operational capacity was improved through the strengthening of the team's skills. The staff participated in an English language teaching and learning process.

In this regard, five AMA Association collaborators successfully completed the first and second levels of the basic English language course. This allows for better engagement with potential partner organizations and access to new funding sources. Many funders operate exclusively in English, making this vital for the strategic sustainability of AMA's work.

The donation covered the registration for the two levels and the nine-month teacher's fee.

Office materials and supplies were acquired, including four reams of letterhead paper for the AMA Association, necessary for correspondence and logistic coordination in various programs executed by AMA. These are part of the brand manual products developed with the support of a student from the School of Graphic Design at the University of San Carlos of Guatemala.

Additionally, identification cards and badges for the AMA team and COVID-19 biosafety supplies were acquired, which have been invaluable in safeguarding the team's health.

A dozen metal chairs were acquired for the AMA office meeting room. AMA had previously purchased a table and computer equipment for the meeting room but lacked appropriate chairs.

This has been very useful, as it allows for team meetings on the follow-up of various programs and meetings with adolescent girls participating in the programs and allied organizations.

With the funds, four 480GB solid-state drives were acquired for desktop and laptop computers, as it was necessary to update and increase the capacity of AMA's computers.

The funds were also used to acquire food for the self-care activities of the AMA Association staff, as part of the activities established in the strategic plan with Women Win.

This initiative allowed the team to appreciate the importance of personal and collective self-care as a strategic activity to improve personal well-being and the welfare of the AMA team.

These efforts have yielded positive results. Team members have reported improvements in their physical, emotional, and mental well-being. For example, they have improved their diets, regulated their sleep and rest hours appropriately, and found time for exercise and daily activities.

Communication, trust, and friendship within the AMA team have improved, creating a more pleasant work environment. This enhancement has improved work performance and strengthened the development of various strategies and programmatic work being implemented.

The self-care activities have been key in the development of strategic plans, such as the fundraising strategy. These activities have been carried out in a better environment of trust and respect among the team, facilitating the expression of opinions and the drafting of documents.

A laptop computer was acquired and given to the adolescent component of the Petén Suroriente Health Area Directorate to strengthen the coordination between AMA and this component and improve services for adolescent girls in Southern Petén. This was particularly important as remote actions with adolescent girls had to be implemented due to the pandemic, and the computing equipment they previously had was outdated.

Funds were also used to purchase a video surveillance system for AMA's offices, given the increase in home, office, and commercial robberies in the municipality of Poptún, where AMA's office is located. This equipment was necessary for security purposes.

The funds allowed for the renewal of AMA Association's Zoom license for another year, crucial for remote work in the new global reality.

This account is vital for internal coordination within AMA and for strengthening advocacy processes and capacity transfer.

It's worth noting that the favorable funds in the transfer also supported the follow-up activities and the acquisition of fuels and lubricants.

This involved an on-site visit by a Women Win program officer, who conducted a workshop to advance AMA's strategic fundraising plan. During her visit, she also followed up on programs currently being executed by AMA.

Following the plan, bi-weekly virtual follow-up meetings were held, allowing for the participative establishment of AMA's fundraising plan.

AMA's strategic communication diagnosis was conducted with the support of Minga Peru organization. During the reporting period, the following activities were carried out:

• Coordination and information transfer with the FECI Minga Peru program team.
• Coordination for interviews with AMA collaborators, volunteers, and strategic allies
• Field visit by Minga Peru.
• Workshop on communication of institutional identity and impact.

Through strengthening strategic communication, a new Mission, Vision, and Institutional Values have been redefined from a perspective of seeking AMA's own identity.

This represents a significant achievement, as for the first time, the AMA Association identifies with its perspective and values. This allows for a better representation of the institutional essence, as it has been produced from the team's own perspectives.

This also strengthens AMA's recognition as a unique and leading organization in the pursuit of identity, rights, and well-being of girls and women in Guatemala. The new information is now available on AMA's website www.asociacionama.org.gt.

• "Play for Your Education" Radio Program
  5,000 indigenous and mestizo girls and young women from rural communities and marginalized urban areas living in poverty tune into AMA's radio program.
• English Language Course
  Five collaborators from the AMA Association participated in an English language educational process.
• Informational Billboards
  30,000 people in Southern Petén were informed about COVID-19 biosafety norms, the importance of a safe return to school, and mechanisms for the prevention and reporting of violence against girls and women during the pandemic.

• 15,000 people from Maya Q'eqchí and mestizo communities and urban marginal areas in the Petén department, who are listeners of Shekina radio in Southern Petén.
• 6,000 people reached and sensitized through the Facebook fanpage during the live broadcasts of the radio program.
• 180,000 other residents of Southern Petén benefited from the information provided by the billboards.

Volunteering:
5,000 indigenous and mestizo girls and young women from rural communities and marginalized urban areas living in poverty tune into AMA's radio program.

AMA Association's work has empowered girls, adolescents, and young women to understand their sexual and reproductive rights through capacity transfer processes, sports, dialogue, and advocacy. This empowerment enables them to make responsible decisions about their lives and sexuality, steer clear of negative practices like early pregnancies, sexual violence, and sexually transmitted infections including HIV/AIDS, and achieve their life plans, active citizenship, sports participation, and sexual and reproductive health.

El empoderamiento les permite a las niñas, adolescentes y mujeres jóvenes tomar decisiones responsables acerca de su vida y sexualidad, alejarse de prácticas negativas como los embarazos tempranos, violencia sexual, infecciones de transmisión sexual incluido el VIHSIDA. Lo que propicia el alcance de sus planes de vida, el ejercicio de una ciudadanía activa, al deporte y a la salud sexual y reproductiva.

AMA has established itself as a crucial link between government institutions and the population on issues related to girls, adolescents, young women, and sexual and gender-based violence, contributing to a shift in gender attitudes towards these groups in Petén.

AMA's sports and thematic processes in schools and communities foster skill development, leadership, and the prevention of early pregnancies, sexual violence, and gender-based violence.

 

AMA has influenced and formed alliances with traditionally opposing sectors to sexual and reproductive rights and the participation of girls, adolescents, and young women in community development.

A prime example is the change in opposition from the evangelical radio station Shekina, with which AMA maintains a strategic alliance, allowing for the broadcasting of "The ABC of Sexuality" program, openly discussing topics related to sexuality, gender equality, and girls' education.

This is breaking gender equality paradigms and the rights of girls, adolescents, and young women across Petén, Guatemala.

In 2021, AMA faced challenges primarily related to the COVID-19 pandemic, which imposed social and economic restrictions, hindering program implementation. This was compounded by restricted funding from some of AMA's partners.

Schools were partially open, posing a significant challenge for AMA, which focuses on projects with primary and basic education girls. The government had planned to open schools in 2021.

AMA had to move projects to remote and smaller rural communities less affected by COVID-19. Parents and teachers continued in-person classes as much as possible.

Distance education is a significant challenge in rural Southern Petén due to poverty, low educational levels of parents, limited access to electricity, and digital divides.

AMA leveraged its strong relationship with the Ministry of Education, intervention communities, and partner organizations. This allowed AMA to implement its programs with full community participation during the pandemic.

AMA's organizational capacity was stretched, requiring more human resources, larger offices, materials, supplies, equipment, and transportation. AMA expanded its office, acquired a vehicle, and adjusted budgets where possible.

New organizational commitments necessitated additional budget for staff payments, office rent, electricity, vehicle maintenance, etc. These were covered by project funds and flexible funding available to AMA, with commitments continuing into 2022.

Ending cycles with partners and adapting to post-pandemic work lines was financially limiting.

The lack of exit strategies from donors greatly affects the continuity and operational capacity of their partner organizations. This issue particularly impacts small and grassroots organizations, as their budgets are often limited.

The year 2021 also represented new opportunities for AMA. AMA further strengthened its alliance with the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, Public Ministry, communities, and media outlets. These are the main local allies with whom AMA strategically works to achieve its objectives.

This year also presented the opportunity to strengthen leadership, life skills, and sports practice among adolescent girls. AMA was able to adapt and implement the "Play Forward and PACE Girls" program in this context. The schools where AMA implemented its programs were opened one day a week, specifically for these activities to take place.

The above represented a great opportunity for adolescent girls, who are now empowered to better face the adverse situations they often encounter. Issues such as pregnancies and sexual violence increased during the pandemic, making the implementation of these projects urgent and necessary.

AMA was able to strengthen the access to formal education for adolescent girls during the pandemic. This was achieved by promoting a strategy for a safe and responsible return to classes in Southern Petén.

In this context, AMA also strengthened its communication strategy. As part of this, AMA produced a radio soap opera, educational videos for social media, and workbooks. This approach allowed for the remote continuation of leadership development and life skills programs for girls and women, significantly enhancing the teaching and learning process.

Additionally, AMA strengthened its alliance with academia, through the Faculty of Architecture at the University of San Carlos of Guatemala. This enabled AMA to now have a Brand Identity Manual, which includes the design of a new logo and branded materials (brochures, posters, letterheads, folders, business cards, among others), enhancing organizational capacity. This also presented a new challenge, as it is necessary to have funds to implement the manual.