About Us

Adopt-a-Village partners with Indigenous Maya communities in northwest Huehuetenango to expand access to meaningful education and strengthen opportunities for future generations. Our work centers on quality secondary education at the Maya Jaguar Private Technical Institute, early childhood literacy support in outlying villages, and community-based programs that address chronic malnutrition and food insecurity. Since 1991, we have worked alongside local leaders to develop practical, culturally grounded pathways that empower Maya youth and families to build brighter futures.

Read our latest annual report and our latest IRS Form 990 filing.

  • Adopt-a-Village in Guatemala empowers Maya children and families in northwest Huehuetenango to break the cycle of generational poverty through education, leadership development, and community-based support. In partnership with the Fundación para el Desarrollo Comunal de Huehuetenango, we provide quality secondary education at the Maya Jaguar Private Technical Institute—emphasizing strong academics, technical and vocational training, and self-reliance. We further strengthen early childhood and primary learning through bilingual literacy and tutoring programs, and support family well-being with nutrition and agricultural initiatives designed to address chronic malnutrition and food insecurity.

    • Respect and dignity for the Maya people, their culture, and languages. 

    • ​Integrity. Our strong organizational culture is based on ethical integrity, which has been instrumental in attracting talented volunteers and building strong donor relations.

    • Innovation. As leaders for change, we advance initiatives that create immediate, as well as long-term improvements to our educational programs.

  • Adopt-a-Village works with Maya communities in the remote northwestern region of Huehuetenango, supporting more than 300 villages across the Cuchumatanes mountains. These rural communities—many formed by families displaced during Guatemala’s 36-year civil war—are among the most underserved areas in the country. Limited access to schools, economic opportunity, and consistent nutrition makes long-term, community-driven educational support essential. Our programs are shaped in partnership with local leaders, ensuring they reflect cultural priorities and the strengths of each village.

Our Story

Adopt-a-Village in Guatemala was founded in 1991 by Canadian-born Frances Dixon. A lifelong traveler, Frances first arrived in Guatemala in the 1980s, when the country was in the midst of a civil war that had stretched on for nearly four decades.

While exploring the region outside Huehuetenango, she followed a narrow, unpaved road into the Cuchumatanes mountains and came upon Quetzalí—a small rainforest village where displaced Indigenous families were living without electricity, running water, or access to education. There were few roads and no schools. Children old enough to walk worked alongside their parents in the coffee fields to help their families survive.

The civil war had left many rural Maya communities in extreme poverty. Compelled by the difficult conditions she witnessed, Frances founded Adopt-a-Village in Guatemala as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit to partner with Maya families in rebuilding their lives. At the time, Guatemala had the lowest literacy rate in Latin America, and chronic malnutrition was pervasive among children. Early efforts focused on raising funds to support priority needs in the villages.

Over the following decades, the organization helped establish schools, homes, roads, and community water systems in some of the most remote regions of Guatemala. More importantly, long-term partnerships developed with local leaders who shaped the direction of ongoing programs.

More than 30 years later, Adopt-a-Village continues this mission. Hundreds of children and families have benefited from educational opportunities and skills training designed in collaboration with Maya communities to improve social and economic conditions across the region.

In 2009, the Maya Jaguar Private Technical Institute opened as the cornerstone of the organization. Built at the top of a mountain surrounded by rainforest, the campus has grown into a thriving residential learning community offering high school and middle school education, nutrition support, organic gardens, greenhouses, and housing for students and staff. The Institute emphasizes leadership, practical skills, and academic preparation, equipping graduates to bring meaningful progress back to their home villages.

Students from Maya Jaguar regularly continue on to university-level study and build promising careers. Many become symbols of hope for other young people in the region who dream of a better future. In addition to its secondary school programs, Adopt-a-Village continues to support agricultural, nutrition, and literacy initiatives in surrounding communities.

Who We Are

Frances Dixon - Founder

Frances grew up in a small and isolated gold mining town in the western foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Canada, where the community lived snow-bound for much of the year. At the age of 16, she founded her first charity, which joined the needs of marginalized teens with those of poor families. Fascinated with off-the-beaten-path travel and different cultures, she worked her way around much of the world in a variety of careers, including work in Africa with the Canadian Consulate. She also founded two successful businesses, one in magazine publishing.

Her travels eventually brought her to Guatemala. Her unwavering commitment to social justice and her profound interest in aiding the Maya rebuild their lives after the ravages of a decades-long civil war, prompted her to launch Adopt-a-Village in the Northwestern highlands of Guatemala.

For over 30 years her vision has led this small, but highly spirited organization of dedicated volunteers to provide education and assistance to hundreds of Indigenous people living on the edge of survival in an isolated region of Guatemala. Frances has served as president of both the Adopt-a-Village Board of Directors in Oregon and Fundación Para el Desarrollo Comunal de Huehuetenango in Guatemala. In 2020, Frances received the prestigious Rotary International "Service Above Self" award. Her vision of empowering Indigenous Maya through education continues to guide the education and literacy programs of the organization.

Board of Directors

The Adopt-a-Village in Guatemala Board of Directors are stewards for fiscal management and are responsible for fundraising. All of our Officers, Founder, Directors, and Advisory Council members are 100% volunteers who receive no financial compensation. Each volunteer dedicates their time, expertise and financial support to our mission of education. Click on the names to learn more about each director. 

  • President

    Emily Francona is a retired U.S. Air Force officer with degrees in international relations. Her professional and personal travel have exposed her to a variety of cultures in the Middle East, Europe, the Balkans, Latin America, and New Zealand. Following several years as a professional staff member of the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Emily and husband Rick retired to the southern Oregon coast. 

    Emily firmly believes that education is critical for success in life. She became involved in Adopt-a-Village in Guatemala’s efforts to empower Maya youth through education after visiting the Maya Jaguar camous in 2019. Her experience with a Rotary service project led her to focus on promoting education and literacy for impoverished Maya girls.

    After serving on AAV's Literacy Council, Advisory Council, and Board of Directors, Emily reaches out with presentations about AAV programs to service organizations. These efforts directly support AAV's goals to increase public awareness and donor outreach and form new partnerships.

    ​She was elected as President in 2024.

  • Vice President

    After serving in the U.S. Air Force, Ted became owner/manager of an office equipment business in Eureka, California. Fifteen years later, in 1986, he sold his business and moved to Colima, Mexico, with his wife, Susan.

    His love of the Mexican people led him on a path to philanthropy. He founded an educational charity, Project Amigo, with the mission of assisting disadvantaged and marginalized children in west-central Mexico. During that time, Ted, a Rotarian for over 40 years, was honored with the highest individual award by Rotary International—the organization’s Service Above Self award—bestowed annually on only 150 Rotarians of its 1,200,000 members around the world. 

    After retiring from his charity, Ted joined Adopt-a-Village in Guatemala in 2019, serving on its Board of Directors. He brings extensive expertise in the international nonprofit arena, along with his unwavering passion in helping impoverished children in Latin America. In 2022, he accepted the position of Vice-President, and in 2024 was reelected to continue in the role.

  • Secretary

    Kate Jones is a career attorney and compliance professional in the investment industry. She earned her JD and MBA at the University of Oregon. Over her career, she has developed a wealth of experience in navigating legal landscapes and ensuring regulatory adherence.

    She is currently working as a Chief Compliance Officer and as Counsel for an investment adviser in Los Angeles. In addition to her serivce as our Secretary, based on her extensive legal experience and compliance specialization, Kate provides guidance regarding compliance, transparency, and corporate governance matters for our organization.

    Kate lives in Southern California where she serves on her community’s Civil Service Board, takes advantage of the weather by training for triathlons, and watches rocket launches out of Vandenberg SFB from her roof.

  • Treasurer

    Shelly has a love for children and a realization that education is the key to building a successful life. Shelly learned about Adopt-a-Village in Guatemala through its Founder,
    Frances Dixon. The combination of education for children and a background in Accounting and Finance planted the seeds to become involved with this revolutionary
    organization for the Maya.

    She joins the Board of Adopt-a-Village in Guatemala as the Treasurer with an education and many years of experience working in the world of Accounting. She will bring her
    accuracy and expertise with numbers together with her focus on education to benefit and assist with improving the lives of the Maya children in northwest Guatemala.

    Assisting in the background and working alongside Frances for several years, Shelly has learned Adopt-a-Village from the ground up. Visiting the schools and villages in
    Guatemala in person, meeting the teachers, staff, and Maya children, solidifies the endeavor to wholeheartedly serve these fine Maya people.

  • Director

    Dorothy DeMichele has worked as a marketing and public relations professional as well as a licensed realtor in Naples, Florida, for 40 years, having moved there from her hometown Hastings-on-Hudson, NY. She has dedicated much of her real estate career to helping senior citizens. She has lived in Germany for several years and has been an avid student of languages--French, Spanish, Italian, and German. 

    Dorothy remains an active member of several professional and charitable organizations in Naples. She was a director of the local chapter of Civitan International and remains active with the local chapter in fundraising, raising awareness and enhancing lives of the developmentally disabled. 

    Dorothy has sponsored many impoverished Maya children through Adopt-a-Village over her years of involvement with the organization, helping to ensure that they received food, clothing, and education. Dorothy also brings a little bit of Guatemala and the Maya handiwork to her local Naples area by offering handmade items in trade for donations to further our educational programs for Maya children.

    Dorothy joined Adopt-a-Village’s board of directors in 2020 to give back to the organization and its president, who she says has been a great source of inspiration to her for more than 25 years.   

  • Director

    Frank Dixon is a founding member of the Adopt-a-Village Board of Directors. He has visited the project sites in Guatemala during the past 30 years and is a major supporter of the Maya Jaguar Scholarship program. As a successful and long-term business owner, he volunteers his professional skills in public relations and strategic planning. 

    A classical pianist, Frank spends his vacation time traveling to world famous music centers such as Prague, Budapest, St. Petersburg, and others. An avid nature lover, one of his hobbies includes managing a backyard butterfly farm. He expresses his keen interest in history and culture through reading, travel, and ethnic cooking.

  • Director

    Kathy has been a steadfast volunteer since the inception of the organization. Prior to relocating to California, she worked for many years in the mortgage brokerage business.

     Following the Guatemalan civil war, she made two trips to the country when hiking was the only mode of travel to Adopt-a-Village´s early projects. Kathy's life-long interest in the Maya, Incan, and Aztec cultures, along with her compassion for helping others, prompted her to join the Adopt-a-Village mission.

    ​Kathy manages our non-profit eBay store. 

  • Director

    Susan has a broad and generalized past in Central American. Her first position in 1972 was a bilingual (Spanish and English) role in the department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Stanford University Medical School. She fell in love with Mexico on a trip with a surgical team on which she was the translator for surgeons from both countries. She later served as Office Manager for a plastic surgeon in Eureka, California before switching lanes to the office equipment business.

    After a vacation in Mexico in 1984 with her husband, Ted Rose, the couple became involved with a primary school in the village where they now live - Cofradia de Suchitlan in the state of Colima. ​During their visit, they learned that many children dropped out of school by third or fourth grade to work in the fields, or to care for younger siblings at home while their parents worked in the fields, they decided to move to Mexico to see what they could do to improve the education opportunities in small villages like theirs.

    She and Ted founded a 501(c)3 non-profit in 1996 to expand their educational opportunities. Now, thirty-years later, children not only complete primary school; most of them go on to finish junior high and high school. More than 100 students have completed university.

    Now retired from the organization, she is eager to serve Adopt-A-Village in Guatemala and focus her efforts with the Maya children.

  • Director

    In the early 1970s, Bruce served a church mission in Mexico. Since then, he has traveled to Latin America more than 70 times leading humanitarian groups all over Mexico, as well as South and Central America.  

    A Rotarian since 1985 he is the recipient of the “Service Above Self” award and served six years as his District’s Foundation Chair. 

    Bruce has served on the Board of Directors of five different humanitarian organizations working in Latin America. As such, he has been involved in many water, education, and health related projects.  He and his wife, Karen, recently returned from a year and a half working with the Maya in Quintana Roo, Mexico.

    He had served his community as a member of the Planning Commission for 9 years, and his church as an LDS bishop.  As the retired owner of a successful contracting business, Bruce is excited to again be working with the Maya people.

Advisory Council

Members of the Adopt-a-Village in Guatemala Advisory Council are volunteers who bring a diverse range of talents and expertise that aid our organization in bringing positive long-term changes to Indigenous communities in Guatemala. Click on the names to learn more about each member.

  • Retired USAF Officer

    Rick Francona is a retired US Air Force intelligence officer, media analyst, cruise-ship lecturer, and amateur photographer.

    ​Rick manages our website and social media outreach.

  • Professor Emeritus

    Jerry Johns has taught students from kindergarten to grade eight, and is a professor emeritus at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, where he served on the faculty for 30 years. He has coauthored more than 50 books and articles and has presented at professional literacy conferences in 13 countries around the world.

     Jerry has received numerous awards for his contributions to education and literacy. He has traveled to over 50 countries. Jerry and his wife, Annette, have supported causes locally and internationally.  He enjoys walking, playing pinball, and driving his 1971 Ontario Orange Corvette convertible.  

  • Retired Forest Service Biologist

    Linda authors the organization’s Travel Guide and helps prospective volunteers with their travel plans to Maya Jaguar. She assists with the organization’s Bilingual Early Literacy program by researching and recommending appropriate materials and literature.

    Linda and her partner, Dave, traveled to Guatemala in 2015 and volunteered at Maya Jaguar High School, where they experienced firsthand the enthusiastic and gracious spirit of the Maya children, as well as the acute needs of the Indigenous families in the region.

  • Entrepreneur

    As the founder and formulator of Maya Chia, Susanne Norwitz did not come to skincare the usual way. Before she was blending chia and advanced actives in a solar‑powered lab, she was a political and Fortune 100 speechwriter, refining other people’s messages while quietly crafting formulas of her own. Eventually, the disconnect between big claims and ho‑hum results in beauty became too loud to ignore, so she traded talking points for pipettes and set out to build a line where the marketing would finally have to keep up with the science. Over more than 11 years, that decision has grown into an indie beauty brand recognized for results, not noise.

    Her fascination with the Maya people began in childhood, listening to stories of her father, a surgeon who traveled to Guatemala to repair cleft lips and palates, and deepened when she became stepmother to two sons born in that region. Discovering how powerful chia is for skin—and how long it has been revered by the Maya—turned that lifelong connection into a brand. Susanne later earned a graduate degree from Harvard University, a rigor reflected in the way every ingredient decision is backed by data, not headlines. Today, she personally formulates each product in Charleston, South Carolina.

  • Author

    Louise Steinman is a writer, artist, and independent literary curator. She was the founder and long-time curator of the ALOUD series for the Library Foundation of Los Angeles.

    She is co-director of the Los Angeles Institute for Humanities at USC and the author of three books, most recently The Crooked Mirror: A Memoir of Polish-Jewish Reconciliation. Her essays appear in the Los Angeles Review of Books and the Los Angeles Times.

    Read her blog here.

  • Retired Medical Research Scientist

    Lilik is a medical research scientist, now retired and living with her husband in coastal Oregon. She has over 25 years of experience in academic and public health research, including universities and non-profit institutes. In her first career, in Los Angeles, Lilik worked in the areas of immunology and physiology of the human central nervous system tumors, and autoimmune diseases. She later moved to Seattle, to study nutrition, which led to the second phase of her career in nutrition and biomarkers studies of healthy eating and their relationships to various cancers and heart disease.

    Lilik enjoys reading, cooking and developing recipes, gardening, hiking, volunteering, and spending time with friends. She still follows the current research and literature in nutrition and health and also continues to have informal scientific discussions with her former colleagues

  • Nurse and Health Educator

    Professionally prepared with public health and school nurse credentials from University of California and a Certificate of Study Teaching English to Speakers of other Languages from Humboldt State University, plus an intense desire to learn about other cultures, Kathleen has created a life that is filled with international experiences. She has been a sojourner in more than 40 countries, has lived and worked in several Latin American countries, and has served as a consultant in Ghana (CDC/WHO/Rotary Global Polio Eradication Initiative). Kathleen’s first international public health nursing assignment was in Guatemala. Most recently, she served in Guatemala as a health educator and interpreter.  

    At home in California, Kathleen co-founded and was executive director of a licensed non-profit international adoption agency, served for 17-years as a volunteer with AFS  international student exchange program, and worked as an ESL instructor. She taught Medical Spanish for Health Care Providers and has been a Humboldt Literacy Project and Humboldt County Schools Early Literacy Partners volunteer to promote both Spanish and English proficiency. 

    Kathleen’s extensive teaching experiences in Latin America include working as an elementary and adult language school ESL teacher, a substitute kindergarten teacher at a migrant labor camp, and a school nurse at the American School. She brings to Adopt-a-Village in Guatemala’s Advisory Council her unique perspectives, extensive volunteer experience, a passion for serving others, and a cross-cultural competency in Spanish-English. Even before the COVID pandemic, Kathleen was channeling her enthusiasm for giving back as a volunteer for Adopt-a-Village in Guatemala. “I am excited to be part of an initiative that will offer innovative new bilingual preschool literacy experiences for children in Guatemala,” she says. 

Maya Jaguar Private Technical Institute Faculty and Staff

  • Executive Administrator / Principal / Teacher

    Before coming to Maya Jaguar in 2010, Osman taught computer science at a private school in Quetzaltenango, and later in Barillas. There, his skills led to a position as manager and administrator of a cybercafé, where he first met Adopt-a-Village in Guatemala founder Frances Dixon.

    Osman received his formal education in computer science, communications, and administration at the Universidad Panamericana. Based on his qualifications and an obvious dedication to excellence, Frances offered him a position at the unique school she founded and built in the mountains and rainforest in northwest Guatemala. Once there, Osman’s life transformed!

    Like the students who arrive at Maya Jaguar Private Technical Institute for the first time, Osman was taken by the silence and the natural beauty of the surrounding forest. In addition, he was moved by the joy the students found in studying and attending classes at Maya Jaguar. Even more appealing, the teachers WANTED to teach. They strove each day to ensure every student fully comprehended their lessons - even if that meant presenting the same information in a different manner. That standard is held to this day!!

    Osman’s career at Maya Jaguar began as a computer skills teacher in 2010. In 2011, he introduced personal development seminars and discussion groups to augment learning, and to build enthusiasm and camaraderie among the students. A year later he was promoted to School Director while still being the computer science instructor. In 2013, he received yet another promotion and is now the Executive Administrator of the Maya Jaguar middle and high schools.

    Osman and his wife are the proud parents of a young son. Everyone who meets Osman finds him to be the rare treasure that Frances discovered during her first encounter with him many years ago. He inspires the best from all the students and staff - we are lucky to have him!

Our Guatemalan Associate Organization

The Fundación Para el Desarrollo Comunal de Huehuetenango, (FPDCH) a legally recognized Guatemalan nonprofit organization, executes and administers the educational and nutritional food growing programs funded by Adopt-a-Village in Guatemala.  In cooperation with Adopt-a-Village in Guatemala and Maya village leadership councils, the FPDCH’s staff of teachers, agricultural technicians, and administrative staff manage the organization’s private schools and village projects. 

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