In the sacred Mayan calendar, 1 Toj ushers in a new trecena. Toj is the day of offering—of giving back for all we have received and restoring balance through gratitude, generosity, and service. It is the sacred fire where we acknowledge that life is sustained through exchange.
The number 1 begins the cycle. It is a seed of intention, a fresh start, an invitation to plant something meaningful. Together, 1 and Toj call us to begin this trecena in the spirit of giving with an open heart, clear purpose, mindful listening, and deep humility.
Today also happens to be Giving Tuesday in the modern world, a perfect echo of Toj energy. While much of the world focuses on consumption and accumulation, Toj reminds us that true abundance circulates. What we give in sincerity returns as harmony, healing, connection, and community.
Here at Lake Atitlán, we are surrounded by organizations doing deeply meaningful, life-changing work. On this day of offerings, I want to uplift a few I know personally and wholeheartedly trust as projects led with integrity, love, and long-term commitment:
Wellkind
A deeply rooted environmental NGO dedicated to real, locally-led conservation at Lake Atitlán. Wellkind plants over 100,000 native trees each year in the highlands—restoring watersheds, preventing erosion, and protecting the lake’s precious water sources. The focus is on long-term reforestation work led by Indigenous community members.
Wellkind partners directly with local farmers and leaders, providing native seedlings, technical training, and agroforestry support that rebuilds forests and creates sustainable income. Every tree is planted and cared for by local hands. Every project strengthens both the land and the families who steward it.
A donation to Wellkind directly funds native seedlings, farmer-led reforestation, and the ongoing monitoring necessary to ensure these forests survive and thrive for decades to come.
Puerta Abierta Atitlán
La Puerta Abierta is a progressive learning center in Santiago Atitlán dedicated to literacy, creativity, and meaningful education for children and families. Founded in 2007 by a retired teacher and former Peace Corps volunteer, it now offers a vibrant PreK–6th grade school, a traveling library that visits six local communities each week, teen reading circles, and support for a mothers’ artisan cooperative.
The school embraces three languages—Spanish, English, and Tz’utujil—and welcomes families from diverse backgrounds. Their traveling library brings books, stories, and interactive literacy activities into classrooms, helping teachers integrate reading while students develop curiosity and critical thinking.
Visitors and student groups can arrange to witness the center’s innovative, heart-centered approach to education. It is one of the most inspiring and authentic educational projects on the lake. Learn more about La Puerta Abierta.
The Midwife Project
The Midwife Project is a grassroots initiative devoted to providing safe, dignified, and culturally rooted healthcare for women in Guatemala. Their work centers on empowering Indigenous midwives through education while honoring and revitalizing Maya ancestral knowledge. By integrating traditional wisdom with modern medical practices, they are creating holistic clinics and birthing centers that serve as models for respectful, community-led care.
Their vision is simple and powerful: that every woman has access to humane, supported, and safe birth. That midwives and mothers alike are equipped, respected, and empowered. That families and communities thrive through shared responsibility—where women lead with confidence and men stand beside them in partnership and support.
The Midwife Project uplifts those who are often the most vulnerable, helping to build a future where birth is sacred, supported, and culturally honored. Learn more or donate here.
If you feel called, consider making a donation today to any of these projects. Even a small offering ripples out in powerful ways.
1 Toj teaches us that giving is receiving. Generosity and gratitude are worthy foundations to build upon. Every act of reciprocity brings us back into alignment with ourselves, others, and Mother Earth.
May your offerings today (material, emotional, energetic, and spiritual) be received with grace.
May this new cycle begin with silence, gratitude, intention, and wholehearted presence.
May your giving open the way for blessings to flow in every direction for the highest benefit of all beings.
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