Voces y Manos

What Voces y Manos does

Voces y Manos (legal name Voces y Manos por el Buen Vivir) is a US-incorporated 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2014 and headquartered in Oakland, California, with a field office in Rabinal, Baja Verapaz, Guatemala. The organization works hand-in-hand with Indigenous Maya-Achí farming communities to revitalize agroecosystems and empower the next generation of farmers. Its core program areas are food sovereignty, agroecology training, youth leadership, and scholarships, plus advocacy and action-research. Programs are delivered through partner schools (Fundación Nueva Esperanza), 8 schools in the Rabinal region, and on-farm technical assistance for roughly 375 farming families and 250 students.

The 'product' is a hybrid methodology combining traditional Mayan agricultural knowledge with modern agroecology practices (organic composting techniques such as Bokashi Composting and vermicomposting, live barriers for soil conservation, and climate-resilience adaptations) delivered alongside a scholarship and internship pipeline for Maya-Achí youth, including work-study placements with partner NGO Cáritas. The organization previously operated under the name 'Voces y Manos por el Derecho a la Salud' (Voices and Hands for the Right to Health), reflecting an earlier healthcare focus that has since pivoted to agroecology and food systems. The organization was selected to participate in Ashoka's Systems Change Acceleration program in 2025.

The business model is 100% donation-funded. There are no products or services sold commercially; revenue is generated through individual donations processed via PayPal and credit card, in both one-time preset tiers ($50, $100, $250, $500, $5,000, $10,000) and custom amounts, plus monthly recurring donations with an optional 3% processing-fee add-on. A secondary engagement channel is paid experiential learning tours of project sites in Rabinal. Distribution is community-led: a 9-person distributed team spans Berkeley, Los Angeles, Washington DC, and Rabinal, with bilingual (English/Spanish) donor-facing marketing via Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, blog content, and email newsletter, plus in-person engagement at conferences such as the Focus Central America Foundation annual meeting.

Name

Voces y Manos

Legal name

Voces y Manos por el Buen Vivir

Website

https://vocesymanos.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Voces y Manos is a US-based nonprofit that partners with Indigenous Maya-Achí communities in Rabinal, Guatemala, to deliver agroecology training, youth scholarships, and food sovereignty programs serving roughly 375 farming families and 250 students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Indigenous Community Development

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (BPAGAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Indigenous, Ethnic & Folk Arts/Heritage Organizations (BPAGAHAI), Community-Based & Indigenous-Led Ecotourism (THAAAEAH)

Keywords

• Indigenous youth empowerment
• Agroecology training programs
• Community development services
• Food sovereignty initiatives
• Youth scholarship programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and monthly donations from individuals supporting the organization's mission to empower Indigenous Maya-Achí youth and revitalize food systems in Rabinal, Guatemala.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Voces y Manos (formally Voces y Manos por el Buen Vivir) is a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that partners with Indigenous Maya-Achí communities in Rabinal, Guatemala to advance food sovereignty, agroecology, and youth leadership. The organization funds scholarships, internships, and youth-led community projects, while also running agroecology training, experiential learning tours, and volunteer programs grounded in traditional Maya-Achí agricultural knowledge.

Product overview

Voces y Manos is a nonprofit organization (NGO) focused on youth empowerment and agroecology, not a technology product company. Their work encompasses youth leadership programs including scholarships and internships for Maya-Achí students, agroecology training, food sovereignty initiatives, experiential learning tours in Rabinal Guatemala, and community advocacy programs. As an NGO, they do not offer software products, platforms, or technology services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Youth Leadership & Scholarship Program

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AshokacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVoces y Manos was selected to participate in Ashoka's Systems Change Acceleration program, an opportunity to deepen and extend their work promoting Buen Vivir alongside Maya-Achí communities and allies.
• Focus Central America FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVoces y Manos participated in the annual Focus Central America Foundation conference, which brings together more than 100 social sector organizations from across Central America.
• CáritasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through which Voces y Manos college scholarship intern José Oswaldo López Toj completed a work-study internship. Cáritas is a local NGO providing internship opportunities for scholarship students.
• Fundación Nueva EsperanzacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner school for Voces y Manos scholarship students. Maya-Achí students attend this school where they are allowed to wear traditional guipil and corte. The foundation provides educational opportunities aligned with Mayan cultural values.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• CounterPart International: CounterPart International is a US-headquartered international development nonprofit supporting civil society and community-led development in Guatemala and other countries. Comparable as a similarly structured US-Guatemala dual nonprofit, though at substantially larger scale and broader programmatic scope.
• Heifer International: Heifer International is a large established agricultural development organization supporting smallholder farmers globally, including in Central America, with work spanning agroecology and food sovereignty. Comparable mission at much larger scale; serves as a broad incumbent in the sustainable agriculture NGO space.
• Slow Food USA: Slow Food is a global movement advocating for good, clean, and fair food and food sovereignty, with programs supporting Indigenous food traditions. Comparable on the food sovereignty and traditional food systems thesis, but operates as a broad advocacy movement rather than a community-embedded field organization.

Direct peers

• Groundswell International: Groundswell International works with rural communities globally on agroecology, food sovereignty, and farmer-to-farmer learning networks. Highly comparable on the agroecology training and food sovereignty methodology, with similar community-led program design.
• Cultural Survival: Cultural Survival is an Indigenous-led nonprofit advocating for Indigenous Peoples' rights, traditional knowledge preservation, and self-determination globally. Directly comparable to Voces y Manos on the Indigenous rights and cultural preservation dimensions, though operating at global rather than single-community scale.
• EcoLogic Development Fund: EcoLogic Development Fund supports community-based conservation and sustainable livelihoods in Mesoamerica, including Guatemala. Highly comparable as it works directly with Indigenous and rural communities on sustainable agriculture, food security, and ecosystem protection in the same region.
• Maya Traditions Foundation: Maya Traditions Foundation partners with Indigenous Maya women in Guatemala's highlands on economic empowerment, traditional knowledge preservation, and community development. Operates in the same country and cultural context as Voces y Manos with a similar small-team, community-embedded model.

Others

• Ashoka: Ashoka is the global network of leading social entrepreneurs that selected Voces y Manos for its Systems Change Acceleration program. Not a peer but an enabling ecosystem partner that provides funding, networks, and capacity support to organizations with similar missions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@vocesymanos
• Facebookfacebook.com/vocesymanos
• Instagraminstagram.com/voces_y_manos
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/voces-y-manos

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Voces y Manos