The Sexto Sol Center for Community Action contributes to the elimination of poverty and the restoration of the damaged environment by promoting cooperative enterprise, environmentally sound agriculture, appropriate technology and conservation. We work in the Sierra Madre region of Chiapas, Mexico and with repatriated refugee communities in Guatemala.

The world is our classroom for practicing compassion. The Sexto Sol Center for Community Action serves impoverished communities in Chiapas and Guatemala where a change of vision and technical assistance can help them jump off into a better life. Since 1997 we have assisted people to: create success with cooperative businesses, grow healthful food, improve their kid’s neglected schools, regain cultural pride, protect the watershed, create eco-villages and heal from trauma of disaster and war. We lobby internationally for indigenous human rights, reminding decision-makers that life is sacred. In our process of serving the people we sweep up those who want to jump off into the exercise of their own compassion be they our supporters, volunteers or interns. We work in one corner of the world to in a way we hope ripples out beyond. Guatemala.

Volunteers needed now in Mexico, see Volunteer section for details. We also seek a volunteer with web design experience to provide technical advice as we upgrade our site. Location not important. Please contact tamara@sextosol.org.

According to the Mayan calendar, the world is entering the Sixth Sun, El Sexto Sol, the time of Justice and of the emancipation of indigenous peoples. We promote the ethic of "community action" whereby community members work together to solve common problems and to reach common goals.

On a planet with abundant life, water and resources, poverty should be viewed by everyone as an aberration. But as you well know, human beings have yet to figure out how to live in a way that affords every member of the human family with the necessities for a healthful life. Therefore most people accept the existence of poverty, of the loss of 35,000 children to starvation every day, as "normal."

It is possible to create a sustainable world in which all people live with dignity and enjoy good health in harmony with nature. So help us get going toward this better vision! It starts with imagining a future for our world in which all Earth's creatures live in harmonious relationship with each other in a benevolent universe. We are the solution.

"Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."
-- Howard Thurman

Thank you to Shawn Gallaway at www.ichooselove.org for this inspirational message. To view the video, you need adobe flash player, click here.

IMPROVING EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR INDIGENOUS CHILDREN: A long term response to the root causes of immigration In an impoverished region such as the Sierra Madre, people immigrate in search of work when they feel that there is no other opportunity to keep their families fed, earn money to build a house or start a business. Behind every immigrant working illegally in the U.S., there is a story of heartache; from the sacrifice of being separated from loved ones so far away and that of children who long for the warmth of an absent father or mother. The Sexto Sol Center has always sought to give people the tools they need to build a better life at home so that they would not have to immigrate. This keeps families in tact, giving children a better chance of developing in a healthy way. But in January, 2008, an abnormally strong gale force windstorm hit the Soconusco coastal area and the Sierra Madre of Chiapas. In just two days of wind, tens of thousands of small-scale coffee farmers lost an entire year's earnings. Businesses are feeling the impact as the usual surge in sales after the coffee harvest did not happened. This is especially hard on people still trying to recover from the losses from Hurricane Stan. It is times like these when people look to finding work in the U.S. as their only hope to sustain their family. As the saying goes, "When the U.S. sneezes, Mexico suffers pneumonia". In 2009, the recession have reduced the opportunities immigrants might have to find work in the U.S. Many are returning home even thought most poor families here rely on the funds sent home by a family member working in "El Norte". Education is one of the best ways to help people create more prosperous lives. Sexto Sol has a fund-raising campaign underway for 6 projects that will make significant improvments to 8 schools. Together, projects will benefit over 800 children in the Sierra Madre and in Nuevo Bullaj community in Guatemala. These schools suffer inadequate support under the separate system for indigneous education. The Sexto Sol Center advocates for the right of all children to receive a quality education that honors the history and culture of their community. Building on past work to provide books and more, Sexto Sol has developed the projects to improve the schools in consultation with teachers and parents. We will work with them so that these young people will not one day face the difficult choice of leaving family and country just for the chance to work but instead will be prepared to create their own opportunities. click to learn more… We can't change the weather, but we can help children become better prepared for the future by making significant improvements to these schools. We need your help to make this possible. Join with us in this effort to attack the root causes of poverty and immigration by making a tax-deductible contribution.