CASA GUATEMALA NGO

What CASA GUATEMALA NGO does

Casa Guatemala is a Guatemalan nonprofit founded in 1977 — originally as Casa Canada, established by a Canadian couple during Guatemala's civil war — that operates a Children's Village on more than 100 acres in Rio Dulce, with administrative headquarters in Guatemala City. The organization serves more than 300 children drawn from 30 indigenous Mayan villages, providing housing, K-12 education (delivered by 20 teachers), healthcare, and family-style care. Operations are staffed by approximately 60 employees plus roughly 20 international volunteers, and the organization explicitly declines government funding.

The business model is a hybrid nonprofit/social-enterprise structure. Core funding comes from private donations channelled through two international affiliates that enable tax-deductible giving: Friends of Guatemalan Children in the United States (EIN: 52-1302396) and Support Casa Guatemala Children in Canada. To supplement donations, Casa Guatemala operates four earned-income ventures: Hotel Backpackers (dorm beds at Q50/night, private rooms at Q120–300/night), the Dockside Restaurant, a Boat Store, and Granja de los Niños, a regenerative agriculture farm. A formalized volunteer program generates additional revenue at $500/week for short-term placements and a $300 one-time fee for long-term stays. The largest disclosed corporate sponsor is PERENCO Limited.

Leadership spans founder involvement by Angelina de Galdamez and current Executive Director Heather Graham (in role since 2014). Notable alumni include Elmer Ramos and Dr. Axel Satuye Mena, who grew up at Casa Guatemala and now hold leadership positions in Guatemalan institutional and healthcare settings, illustrating a multigenerational leadership pipeline. The organization has operated continuously for 47 years.

Name

CASA GUATEMALA NGO

Legal name

Fundacion Casa Guatemala

Website

https://casa-guatemala.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Casa Guatemala is a Guatemalan nonprofit founded in 1977 that operates a Children's Village in Rio Dulce serving 300+ children from 30 indigenous Mayan villages, funded by private donations routed through US and Canadian affiliates and supplemented by four social enterprises.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Non-profit Children's Welfare Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Residential Care Facilities (6239), Community Housing Services (62422)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

NGO/Nonprofit Education Programs & Service Delivery (EDADALAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD), Youth Housing, Foster Care & Wraparound Support (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAO), Nutrition & Food Security (Global Health) NGOs (HLAJAKAH)

Keywords

• Children's welfare services
• Orphanage education
• Primary healthcare
• Community development
• Social enterprise hospitality

Headquarters

HQ city

Guatemala City

HQ country

Guatemala

HQ region

Latin America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Sponsorships: One-time and recurring monetary donations from individual donors worldwide. Monthly 'Core Supporter' program. Individual child sponsorship through dedicated fundraising platform. The organization receives no government funding.
2. Hotel Backpackers: Rustal affordable hostel on Rio Dulce river. Social enterprise that generates revenue while supporting Casa Guatemala. Accommodations include dorm beds and private rooms.
3. Dockside Restaurant: Restaurant and bar situated along Rio Dulce waters, open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Combines indigenous dishes with international cuisine. Social enterprise supporting Casa Guatemala operations.
4. Boat Store (Granja de los Niños): Grocery delivery service and butcher shop that sells surplus produce and livestock from the farm to the local community, contributing to organizational self-sufficiency.
5. Volunteer Program Fees: Short-term vacation volunteers pay $500/week (includes accommodation at Hotel Backpackers, meals, and boat transportation). Long-term volunteers pay $300 one-time donation for 3-6 month minimum commitment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

CASA GUATEMALA NGO runs the Children's Village, providing residential care, primary education, primary healthcare, and daily nutrition to vulnerable children in rural Guatemala. To fund the mission it operates three on-site social enterprises — Hotel Backpackers, Dockside Restaurant, and the Boat Store / Granja de los Niños — and supplements the model with donations and child sponsorships routed through international affiliate charities.

Product overview

Casa Guatemala NGO operates as a non-profit organization with a portfolio of social enterprises that support its core mission of providing education, healthcare, and nutrition to vulnerable children. The organization offers five main products/services: the Casa Guatemala Orphanage & School (core mission), Hotel Backpackers (rustic hostel), Dockside Restaurant, Boat Store grocery delivery service, and Granja de los Niños Farm Project. These social enterprises generate revenue and provide job-training opportunities for the children while funding the organization's charitable operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Casa Guatemala Children's Village (residential care) Residential care campus providing shelter, daily care, education, healthcare, and nutrition to abandoned, orphaned, and at-risk children in the Río Dulce area of Guatemala. For families who entrust the organization with their children's care and upbringing.
• Primary Education Program Primary schooling for children housed at the Children's Village, operated on-site as part of the residential program.
• Primary Healthcare Program Basic medical care provided on-site to children at the Children's Village, supporting the residential and educational programs.
• Nutrition Program Daily nutrition and meals for children at the Children's Village, supplied in part via on-site permaculture and regenerative agriculture production.
• Hotel Backpackers (social enterprise) On-site budget hotel hosting travelers visiting the Río Dulce region; revenue surplus is reinvested into CASA GUATEMALA's children's programs.
• Dockside Restaurant (social enterprise) On-site restaurant serving visitors to the Children's Village; revenue surplus is reinvested into CASA GUATEMALA's children's programs.
• Boat Store / Granja de los Niños (social enterprise) On-site store selling artisan/boat-related goods; revenue surplus is reinvested into CASA GUATEMALA's children's programs.
• Child Sponsorship Program Recurring-giving program through which individual sponsors provide ongoing financial support tied to a specific child at the Children's Village.
• Volunteer Program Volunteer placement program enabling individuals to apply and serve at the Children's Village in support of education, care, and operations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 300+ children supported annually from 30 villages
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Long Way Home: Guatemala-based NGO using sustainable construction and education to break cycles of poverty for at-risk youth — comparable scale, Guatemala geography, and integrated education-plus-vocational-training approach.
• Safe Passage: Guatemala City-based NGO educating and supporting children from the Guatemala City dump community; shares Casa Guatemala's focus on education, nutrition, and family-stabilization for vulnerable Guatemalan children.
• SOS Children's Villages: Global NGO operating family-style residential care villages for children without parental care, combining housing, education, and healthcare — directly comparable to Casa Guatemala's Children's Village model.
• Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH): Operates residential children's homes across Latin America and the Caribbean serving orphaned and abandoned children with education, healthcare, and family-style care — closely aligned with Casa Guatemala's orphanage-plus-school-plus-clinic model.
• Mayan Families: Lake Atitlán-based NGO providing education, healthcare, housing, and microenterprise support to indigenous Guatemalan families — directly comparable mission, geography, and beneficiary demographic to Casa Guatemala.

Broad incumbents

• Children International: Major international child sponsorship organization focused on education, health, and youth leadership in five countries; comparable beneficiary model and sponsorship-driven revenue, but with global reach and broader programs.
• Compassion International: Large global child-sponsorship NGO pairing individual donors with children in developing countries; comparable child sponsorship GTM and recurring-donor infrastructure, but operates at vastly greater scale.
• Food For The Poor: Large relief and development NGO serving Latin America and the Caribbean with food, housing, and education programs; comparable donor-infrastructure footprint and focus on poverty alleviation in the region.

Emerging players

• Pencils of Promise: Education-focused NGO building schools and training teachers in Guatemala, Laos, Ghana, and Nicaragua; shares Casa Guatemala's Guatemala education mission and recurring-donor sponsorship model but with narrower scope.

Regional players

• Habitat for Humanity Guatemala: Regional affiliate of a global housing nonprofit operating in Guatemala; relevant comparator for community development and family stabilization work in the same country, though focused on housing rather than education/childcare.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@CasaGuatemalaONG/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/CasaGuatemalaFOGC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/casa-guatemala-fogc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 CASA GUATEMALA NGO