A Message From the Board

Your investment in Natik means you recognize that grassroots organizations possess the visionary leadership and capacity to confront the challenges of poverty and marginalization in their communities.

Whether you are new or have supported a partner or Natik for decades, please know that your support is central to the work we do.

We’re excited to have celebrated Natik’s 20th anniversary in 2023. Since 2003, we’ve contributed to the education, health, and sustainable livelihoods of thousands of individuals, families, and communities through cultivating the talent and nurturing the potential of extraordinary women and men and the organizations they have created.

Your support enables us to collaborate with a growing number of people and organizations in Guatemala and Mexico. We’re pleased to share some of our successes and learnings with you in this report.

Through our strategic goal of Social Impact, we’re working with our partners to improve options for learning, family health, and sustainable livelihood through community based programs that inspire regional collaboration and mutual capacity building.

Our Global Connections goal is to innovate interaction with international citizens who yearn to make a difference globally through connections with locally-based changemakers.

Finally, Institutional Strengthening plays a crucial role in maintaining stability and predictability in our relationships. We provide essential structure to processes, and facilitate collaborative efforts through the utilization of interactive platforms.

From the 2024 Board of Directors, thanks for being a member of our feisty charm of hummingbirds!

Devin Graves, Addison Nace, Libby O’Kane, David Feuerbach, Heidi McAnnally-Linz, Laura Miranda, Alex Graybar, Sidney Brown

A Message From the Natik Team

This report was created for you with love and gratitude. Your trust allows us to prioritize an organizational philosophy that values humans as our most important asset, and that includes you!

The people in Natik’s growing network (partner leadership, board, advisors, team, and volunteers) are our greatest hope for expanding our impact. We’ve learned that the degree to which we nurture, educate, and value everyone, is directly proportional to our ability to influence the present and the future.

We encourage practical knowledge acquisition and honor the wellbeing of all members of our charm because we understand the importance of strong organizations and healthy people for long-term sustainability. 

Development research demonstrates that leaders who embrace autonomy are eager to accomplish what they have envisioned and understand that mastery of practical skills will help them succeed. Shared goals strengthen their determination to stay loyal to each other and their vision, despite challenges along the way. 

2023 was the first year of our current five-year Strategic Plan and we’re thrilled by how much we were able to accomplish in one year. We hope you enjoy this report as much as we enjoyed putting it together! Thanks for being a part of this journey! 

Anita Smart, Deborah Colvin, Élida Anaya, Karla Herrera

Inspired by academic internships and experiences throughout the developing world, six Dartmouth students founded the International Humanitarian Foundation in 2003.

Their vision was to create a new type of international development organization that would tap the potential for reciprocal partnerships between students in the U.S. and communities abroad.

In 2012 we decided to concentrate on our partner relationships in Santiago Atitlán, Guatemala and Chiapas, Mexico. Both regions have strong Mayan and Spanish-speaking populations, which inspired the name Natik Esperanza.

Twenty years of experience has reinforced what the founders envisioned from the beginning: long-term collaborative relationships are key to developing strong partnerships, creating solid infrastructures, and cultivating local ownership of processes.

Read more about the history of the IHF-Natik