Quetzaltrekkers

The Quetzaltrekkers are a non-profit trekking organization based in Xela, Guatemala (commonly known as Quetzaltenango). Twenty years ago, at the end of Guatemala’s 36-year civil war, two Guatemalans and and an Englishman founded a school for the many children that were living on the streets, and called it Escuela de la Calle (School of the Street, or EDELAC for short). In order to provide steady, sustainable funding for their education, they also created the Quetzaltrekkers: a non-profit eco-tourism organization whose profits would go to support the school. Twenty years later, the Quetzaltrekkers have grown to be the largest hiking outfit in the highlands of Western Guatemala, while raising almost than $3 million USD to support education and local communities.