Maya First Founders
Jamie and Julie Krieger have been visiting the Mayans for years. Upon realizing that most Mayan children don’t go to school much past the 3rd grade, they began sponsoring the education of Mayan children. Their dream to educate the children expanded into a larger desire to empower the entire community, to sustain the rich Mayan culture. Maya First has been working in Belize for four years, and hopes to someday expand their activities in Central America. The Maya First organization is very near and dear to our founders. Coming to Central America for over 20 years, witnessing the poverty and difficult conditions that the native Maya children live under in Belize and Guatemala, they have never forgotten. Maya First is a multifaceted vision with tangible and sustaining results. The spiritual strength, character and integrity of these people have been an inspiration to them and all of us that have visited there. We hope someday to be able to help all native Maya children throughout Central America.
A note from the founder of Maya First
My wife and I married later in life and we have no children of our own. Many years ago on the beach in Palencia, we met a young boy who was 14. Hundreds like him travelled a great distance to sell crafts to the tourists. I told him about the strange journey I was on. I showed him the tattoo on my arm (a very long story) and he said, "I know all about it. I'm 100% Mayan. My Mom is Kekchi Maya and my Dad is Mopan Maya." I was dumbstruck as suddenly so many things over a long span of time instantly made sense, and instantly this organization began to set into motion. We have since sponsored him and he is now finishing his last year at the University of Belize; we are very proud of him.