2009 AGALI Fellows – Guatemala

Carmen Lissette Vanegas Chacón is Coordinator of the Gender component in the Cross-Sectional Health Program in the Guatemalan Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance. She specializes in Gender and has a Master’s degree in Public Health; has a Dental Surgeon qualification from the San Carlos University of Guatemala; and a degree in I.T. and Communication Sciences in Public Health and Public Administration from the Francisco Marroquín University in Guatemala.

Camilo Morquecho is Communication and Outreach Coordinator for Chiltak, an organization that provides legal assistance and training to indigenous communities, based in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico. He has a degree in Communication Sciences.

Daniel Alberto Cifuentes is the Founder and Coordinator of the Colectivo Paso Joven, a youth organization that advocates for youth-friendly laws and policies. He is a youth trainer in sex education and STD/HIV/AIDS prevention, accredited by the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance (MSPAS) in Guatemala. Daniel is trained as an accountant, and he is currently studying Business Administration at Mariano Gálvez University.

Dina Elisabet Eguigure coordinates the national health, nutrition and HIV programs at Visión Mundial Honduras.  Dina graduated with honors from the Pernambuco Federal University in Recife, Brazil, with a degree in Nutrition. She has a postgraduate degree in Social Project Administration (INCAE-ITM) and is qualified as a facilitator of Channels of Hope by the Agencia Cristiana para el SIDA (The Christian Agency for AIDS, CABSA) by the Hugonote School.

Guillermo Enrique Leverman Hernández is a Program Coordinator for ChildFund Guatemala. He is the founder and vice-president of the PAZ JOVEN Association, and a founding member of the National Association of Cefistas (ASOCEFE) in Guatemala.

Hugo Higueros is an independent consultant, and a professor at Rafael Landivar University in Guatemala, in the Faculty of Political Science and Social Work. He is also the Technical Secretary at the Reproductive Health Observatory in Chimalteango.   He has a degree in Social Work majoring in Development Management from Rafael Landivar University.

Iris Patricia Blanco is the Executive Direcetor the Centro de Formación, Capacitación y Gestión en Educación Social (Center for Training, Education and Management in Social Education, CENFODES) in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.  She is a Masters candidate in Sexology and Human Sexuality and has a Degree in Pedagogy with a major in Educational Administration.

Janeth Herrera is Coordinator for the “Adolescente Entre Jóvenes” (Adolescent Among Youths) Program in the Honduras Family Planning Association (ASHONPLAFA). She has a degree in Psychology.

Joany Garcia is the Technical Liaison for UNICEF’s children and youth programs in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. She has a degree in Training Trainers in Integral Prevention from Honduras’ Catholic University.

Joaquín Deras Lemus is Project Manager with Medicus Mundi El Salvador, and coordinates projects in sexual and reproductive health for adolescents, young people and women. Joaquín is a medical doctor and has a Master’s in Public Health.

Juany García is Program Supervisor for the Domestic Violence and Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Program supported by UNICEF and is Coordinator for the Comunicadores Sociales Encuentro de Expresiones (Social Communicators Expressions Encounter) Program in the IDEI Association. Juany graduated with a Psychology Degree from the Rafael Landivar University in Guatemala.

Luisa Verónica Dávila is Social Work Supervisor for the Instituto Guatemalteco de Seguridad Social (Guatemalan Social Security Institute, IGSS), works in the adolescent pregnancy program of the IGSS Antenatal Clinic, and is a member of the Intersectoral Commission of the Guatemalan Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance. She is a graduate of San Carlos University with a degree in Social Work.

Maira Sandoval is Program Coordinator for the National Cross-Cutting Youth and Adolescents  Program with the Guatemala Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance and is an active participant in the development of the National Reproductive Health Program. She is a doctor, a surgeon, and a graduate of San Carlos University in Guatemala. She is the Treasurer of the current Board of Directors of the National Commission on Childhood and Adolescents (CNNA).

Maria Dolores Yax Sisimit is Territorial Coordinator with Ventana Construcción de Paz (Window to Peace-Building), working to achieve the Millennium Development Goals as part of the Ministry of the Interior’s work with the UNDP.

Maria Lucia Escobar is Manager of Rural Development with the Asociación Pro Bienestar de la Familia (Association for the Well-Being of Families, APROFAM) in Guatemala. She has a degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from San Carlos University.

Maria Verónica Buch is Program Coordinator for the Federación de Salud Sexual y Reproductiva de Guatemala (The Federation for Sexual and Reproductive Health in Guatemala, FESIRGUA), part of the Alianza Nacional de Mujeres Indígenas (National Alliance of Indigenous Women) in Chimaltenango, Guatemala. She has a degree in Social Work with a concentration in Development Management from Rafael Landivar University.

Miguel Angel López is Director of the Asociación Nacional Contra el Maltrato Infantil (National Association for the Prevention of Child Abuse, CONACMI) in Guatemala. He is a psychologist and vocational advisor, a graduate from USAC and a docent in the social department of USAC’s School of Psychology. As a consultant, he has worked on investigations into several areas related to childhood and adolescence in Guatemala.

Ninfa Alarcón heads the Children’s Rights Department in the Office of Human Rights in the Archbishopric of Guatemala (ODHAG). She studied Sociology at the National University of Costa Rica and has a Master’s in Primary Education from the Alfredo Carrillo Ramírez School in Guatemala. She recently received a second Master’s in Child and Adolescent Development from Raphael Landivar University.

Silvia Molina Zaldaña is Head of Institutional Strengthening with the Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo (Spanish Agency for International Cooperation in Development), Guatemala.

Suyapa Rodriguez Cruz is Youth Coordinator and Project Supervisor for Child Fund, Honduras. Suyapa has a degree in Social Work, and is presently finishing a degree in “Youth, Society, and Public Politics” at the Autonomous University of Honduras.

Walter Orlando Trochez was a leader, activist and defender of rights for the LGBTI Community, people living with HIV and AIDS, and Honduran youth. He was coordinator of the “Ser Humano” (Human Being) Movement and studied Legal Science at the Autonomous University of Honduras. He was an active coordinator of the Frente de Resistencia Popular de Honduras (The Honduran Popular Resistance Front). Tragically, Walter was assassinated in Tegucigalpa on December 14, 2009 for his vocal criticism of Honduras’ current government.