Sol y Verde X Evoca Foundation

A Shared Vision for Ecological Restoration and Community Building

Evoca Foundation is pleased to announce its partnership with Sol y Verde, a grassroots organisation dedicated to ecological restoration, education, and community support in Guatemala. This partnership reinforces Evoca's commitment to addressing education, climate action and the advancement of women and girls.

Mission

Founded in the heart of the Petén region in Guatemala, Sol y Verde is devoted to ecological restoration, regenerative agriculture and building resilient communities. Their vision is to live in harmony with the jungle, integrating permaculture ethics and ancestral Mayan wisdom to create solutions that restore ecosystems and uplift communities. 

By teaching communities to plant their own seeds and grow their own food, Sol y Verde breaks the cycle of poverty, promotes food sovereignty, and reduces reliance on unstable governmental systems. This process not only heals local ecosystems but also fosters climate resilience.

At the Frontline of Climate Change

In the last two decades, climate change has disproportionately impacted the Global South. Guatemala, situated in the Dry Corridor (a drought-prone region in Central America), faces increasingly extreme weather events, such as hurricanes and droughts, which destroy infrastructure, crops, and cause soil erosion and desertification. Traditional agricultural patterns are becoming irrelevant due to climate unpredictability. Campesinos (small-scale farmers) and indigenous Mayan families face widespread resource scarcity, driving them into extreme poverty.

Effects on Vulnerable Populations and Intensification of Forced Migrations

Many Guatemalans are being forced to migrate, first within the country, then internationally, in search of sustainable incomes and better living conditions. Climate change often acts as the final push for migration, with Guatemalans now making up 20% of those attempting to cross the US-Mexico border. The separation of families leaves women and children vulnerable, forcing them to work multiple jobs and become increasingly disconnected from their cultural heritage.

Restoration and Innovation as a Response

Sol y Verde aims to reclaim self-sustainability, connect to ancestral traditions, and secure a future for the forest landscape by transforming land use. Rooted in holistic systems design and permaculture, the organization integrates permaculture ethics, principles, and technical practices with ancestral Mayan wisdom to create innovative solutions that restore both the forest landscape and indigenous cultural heritage. Their solutions are locally sustainable, affordable, culturally sensitive, and designed to be accessible and replicable for local community members.

Educational and Social Goals

In Guatemala, where 27% of young people are not enrolled in education, employment or training, and 67% of 10-year-olds struggle with basic reading comprehension, innovative educational solutions are urgently needed. Sol y Verde’s Ecological Centre aims to:

Building for the Future

The construction of the Ecological Centre represents an innovative approach to rediscovering hyper-local and indigenous building methods. By using natural materials and sustainable techniques, Sol y Verde is creating dignified, functional spaces that honor the region’s rich architectural heritage while addressing critical educational and economic challenges.

Recently, Sol y Verde was awarded a large piece of cattle-pasture land, saving it from becoming a landfill site. They also acquired the land adjacent to it, one of the last fully forested hillsides in the area. The team has worked hard to restore the soil and transform the land into a vast permaculture forest, producing turmeric, cacao, ginger, papaya, plantain, native fruit trees, medicinal herbs, and traditional Mayan vegetables. This new land ownership expands Sol y Verde’s reach, creating space for alternative learning opportunities across Guatemala, particularly for women and children.

Our Collaboration

At the core of our partnership is the development of Sol y Verde’s Ecological Centre. This centre, the first of its kind in the region, will be a hub for environmental education, providing vital infrastructure for the organization's projects. It will feature lecture rooms, classrooms, a kitchen laboratory, community space, and a library—fostering a rich learning environment focused on practical skills in agroecology and bioconstruction.

What Sol y Verde Does 

By drawing on ancestral Indigenous knowledge, Sol y Verde is building with natural materials like adobe, wattle and daub, clay plasters, and cob. This approach not only creates affordable, beautiful, and climate-resilient spaces but also spreads these skills throughout the community.

  • Provide Free Education:

    Sol y Verde offers practical training in agroecology and bioconstruction, tailored specifically for children and women of all ages, enhancing resilience and fostering self-sufficiency within communities.

  • Promote Ecological Practices:

    Teaching methods that counteract industrial and unsustainable agricultural practices, fostering food sovereignty and environmental stewardship.

  • Create Safe Learning Environments:

    Constructing buildings with passive ventilation and low carbon footprints, providing a sustainable alternative to the often oppressive heat of concrete school buildings in the region.

  • Community Support and Education:

    They provide a safe and supportive space for locals, particularly vulnerable individuals. Their female-led group, Fronteras Entretejidas, engages local women through crafts, planting, construction, and companionship.

  • Placemaking through Bioconstruction:

    They collaborate closely with the local community, constructing buildings using accessible and eco-friendly materials that are thoughtfully sourced from their own land. The process is both environmentally responsible and culturally aligned with the region's traditions.

  • Reforestation and Agroecology:

    Sol y Verde reforests jungle landscapes, propagates endangered plant species, and supports local farmers in transitioning to regenerative practices. They are establishing an agroforestry farm with organic fruits and vegetables using permaculture practices.

Get involved!

We are excited about the future of Sol y Verde and proud to support their mission to build a resilient, regenerative community at the edge of the Maya Biosphere.

Together, we are planting the seeds for a brighter, more equitable future.