Keynote July 2025 + Annual Report
Read our Annual Report!
At Creamos, 2024 was a year of listening more deeply, acting with greater intention, and staying rooted in the truth that meaningful change occurs when people have the power to shape their own paths. While geographic discrimination and entrenched classism continue to deny residents in Zones 3 and 7 access to safety, and possibility, we remain committed to transforming this reality through a vision rooted in solidarity, redistribution of power, and collective action.
Thank you to all who stand with us - for believing in collective wisdom, investing in local leadership, and committing to shared power.
Some of our organizational accomplishments in 2024 included:
Rearticulating our mission, vision, and organizational goals
Aligning our programs into an ecosystem of opportunity using a fully integrated, participant-centered model
Identifying four core “transversal themes” - financial literacy, technology literacy, gender-based violence, and healthy masculinities - that connect across programs
Launching a new Impact Management Department to increase learning, adaptability, and accountability
Inaugurating a Staff Mental Health Program to strengthen collective care
Developing and implementing the “Trautman Methodology” to build institutional knowledge and sustainability
In 2024:
56 Jobs were created through Workforce Development
292 Participants engaged in therapeutic services with Emotional Support
67 Students completed their grade level in Accelerated Education
216 Children received support through our free childcare center
68 Artisans received an income through mi eelo
Read more about the collective impact of our Accelerated Education, Workforce Development, Emotional Support, and mi eelo programs in the full report, as well as our 2024 financials and partners.
Big change needs steady love - become a monthly donor!
Monthly donors give us stability. Ongoing support enables us to plan ahead, respond consistently, and stay focused on long-term goals instead of short-term fundraising gaps.
Recurring giving also reduces uncertainty, allowing us to spend less time predicting income and more time strengthening programs and engaging more people.
Consistency is powerful. Please consider becoming a monthly donor today!
Building Belonging Through Work
Now in its third year, the Workforce Development Program connects individuals to meaningful employment opportunities. With over 70% of the population working in the informal sector, we combine technical training, holistic support, and strategic partnerships to open doors that reflect both participants’ goals and the realities of the labor market.
Creating pathways to employment means reimagining who feels welcome, supported, and seen in those spaces. This commitment guides our team’s ongoing work to embed equity and inclusion into every part of what we do. This quarter, our Barista Training pathway reflected expanded participant diversity - challenging the systemic exclusion that has long denied gender diverse people access to safe, affirming spaces for learning and employment.
Cris, a proud graduate, reflects: “It was an opportunity to realize that we are capable of so much, and that there is always someone who sees the light we think we’ve lost and helps us shine again.”
In addition to the core training, participants were invited to apply for a one-month internship with a local café. Through exit interviews, we identified individual next steps and some graduates have already begun internships or advanced to job interviews!
We’re deeply grateful to everyone who walked alongside this cohort, from training partners to community allies. We’re proud of how far this group has come and look forward to continuing to create access to everyone.
Please join us for a mindful moment
Take a minute. Let your shoulders drop. Unclench your jaw. Breathe in slowly through your nose, then out through your mouth.
Notice how your body feels. No need to change anything. Just notice.
Sometimes, slowing down, even for a moment, is enough to remind us we are present, and that is something worth honoring.
At Creamos, we hold space for reflection and care because that is part of the work too.
Highlights
Last month, our graduating class of 2025 completed a very special milestone: their Life Project! Through this exercise, they bravely shared what they’ve learned, what they dream of, and what inspires them to keep moving forward.
We celebrated Mother’s Day with a series of self-care activities focused on rest, reflection, and community. We’re so grateful to walk alongside these women and honor all the different meanings Mother’s Day holds — whether it brings joy, complexity, grief, or something else entirely.
As part of our work to eradicate gender-based violence and economic insecurity by building spaces for reflection and care, community members came together to share their stories, build power by standing together, and create a collective mural of their commitments and dreams for a future without gender-based violence.
For photos and more, follow us on social media! [Facebook] [Instagram]
Partner Spotlight: PriceSmart
Earlier this quarter, participants in our pilot dual-formation gastronomy program, the first in Guatemala, had the chance to tour the facilities of our partner PriceSmart Inc. The visit gave them a first look at where they’ll be doing their internships and helped spark excitement about what a future in the culinary field could look like.
A heartfelt thank you to PriceSmart Inc. for being such an engaged and committed partner in this transformative new program.