INDESGUA is a Guatemalan Civil Association and not-for-profit organization, officially created and registered on June 26, 2007 (Calderon de Leon, 2007). Initially formed by a small group of research-oriented professionals, it has evolved to systematically incorporate volunteer efforts. INDESGUA has its own legal representation and assets. Its main purpose is to advise students and professionals of Guatemalan nationality on the management of scholarships, loans, and educational aid to continue higher degree studies and postgraduate studies in Guatemala or abroad. The mission adopted by INDESGUA is to contribute to the inclusive and sustainable development of Guatemala, through the academic and professional training of its inhabitants, in higher education supported by scholarships and other mechanisms. The Vision followed by INDESGUA, according to its constitutive documentation (Calderon de Leon, 2007) is to become a leader in scholarship promotion and calls for applications in Guatemala. INDESGUA defines its work as promoting equal opportunities and non-discrimination regardless of ethnic condition, religious or political affiliation, gender, age, sexual orientation, ability, nationality, place of residence, or economic possibilities. Its values are cited as: commitment; honesty; determination; gratitude; solidarity; simplicity and innovation.

Since its creation in 2007, INDESGUA has consistently promoted admission processes and scholarship opportunities so that young Guatemalans can have timely information to access scholarships and financial aid that facilitate higher education at different levels (technical, bachelor’s, master’s, postgraduate and specialized short courses).

Figure 2 illustrates the governance and operational scheme of INDESGUA. The Directive Board, represented in purple, serves as the organization’s main decision-making body, responsible for legal representation, calling meetings, and managing tasks such as registration with authorities and tax declarations. The General Director, illustrated in black and white, is placed in a central position. He is also a member of the Directive Board (purple) and plays a pivotal role in coordinating activities and delegating tasks to the group of volunteer contributors. The pivotal role of the General Director is exemplified by Mr. Luis Edgar Arenas, who has held this position since INDESGUA’s creation in 2007. He has served as the backbone of the organization, facilitating the functions and operations of the governance structure. However, his central role also presents a challenge for replicating the model in other contexts, given the time-consuming and demanding nature of the position. The group of volunteer contributors carry out different tasks including website design, social media management, video editing, and audiovisual content creation while replying to emails, sharing stories, counseling, and assisting applicants. The next element of the figure incorporates individual applicants or scholarship seekers, those actively involved in the application process, seeking help to secure opportunities. They are committed to their process, or rather processes; in most cases, each applicant engages in more than one scholarship application process. At the right end of the figure, the potential beneficiaries and broader sectors of society are represented in light blue. Most frequently, potential beneficiaries are high-school and university students who engage with the organization through email or social media. As the communication products created by INDESGUA to promote access to scholarships are open to the public and free of charge, anyone interested can participate in the scheme. Finally, parents or guardians of applicants who are minors occasionally communicate with the organization, supporting young applicants and reviewing the provided material. INDESGUA has, since its foundation, grown in its direct interactions with different stakeholders at the institutional and organizational level. Figure 1 illustrates the relationship that INDESGUA has developed over the years with different local and international universities. A critical part of INDESGUA’s operation is also determined by trends on the cooperation side, including interactions with representation in Guatemala, as well as regional and international operations. In addition, frequent interactions and exchanges take place between INDESGUA and four public institutions: The General Secretariat of Programming and Planning of the Presidency (SEGEPLAN), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MINEX), The Ministry of Education (MINEDUC) and the National Secretariat of Science and Technology (SENACYT).

INDESGUA was certified as a social technology through a competitive process implemented by the Banco do Brasil Foundation (2019). This acknowledged INDESGUA as a “replicable” initiative, involving techniques and methodologies, developed in interaction with the community and which represents effective solutions for social transformation” (Banco do Brasil Foundation, 2017:3). To be certified, the initiative must meet the following criteria: It must have been implemented, be active and have proven results of social transformation; it must be systematized in a way that allows the reapplication of the technology by other communities. The local community must have taken part in the development, implementation, or reapplication of the Social Technology. The initiative must also include the following dimensions: Social protagonism, cultural respect, environmental care, and economic solidarity. Through knowledge management and communicational engagement, the criteria listed above are salient features of INDESGUA’s engagement in its community. As suggested by Morjan de la Vega (2019), while other organizations implement information sharing as a one-way process, INDESGUA’s approach is documented as bilateral and multilateral, communicating with individuals, entering dialogues — whether face-to-face, by email or other means. Communication is about asking questions and listening to answers. It is about receiving information, analyzing responses, reassessing positions, and moving the discussion forward. Morjan de la Vega (2019) identifies INDESGUA’s as a validated model for coaching students into higher education scholarships. Alvarado Fajardo (2018) agrees and calls attention to the importance of INDESGUA’s digital graphic material to promote educational opportunities and professional advisory services that it offers to Guatemalan youth on social networks. She said that the design of the digital graphic material on social networks has enhanced the promotion of educational opportunities and professional advisory services that the Institute for the Development of Higher Education in Guatemala-INDESGUA-offers to Guatemalan youth.

Among all the interviewees, there is a consensus on the unique role that INDESGUA plays in Guatemala. INDESGUA’s trajectory has allowed it to emerge as a key player facilitating opportunities for higher education and advanced training by providing unique and detailed access to scholarship opportunities. The interviewees stressed that, without the information provided by INDESGUA, several opportunities would have remained out of reach. INDESGUA’s role is pivotal in democratizing access to educational opportunities, particularly in a context where information is often scarce due to the intricate nature of the application processes that vary between calls, academic, technical and cooperation areas. Despite financial limitations, INDESGUA has successfully mobilized a dedicated team of volunteers who have contributed to reviewing applications, searching for opportunities, and supporting applicants throughout the process. This support network has been essential for the organization’s continued operation, enabling its standout feature—personalized assistance. Volunteers help identify suitable programs, review essays, and guide applicants through the processes. This support has been identified as a critical factor in the success of applications, and the voluntary work has helped mitigate the lack of financial resources.

One of INDESGUA’s strengths is its ability to facilitate equitable access to scholarship information. Over the years, INDESGUA has established itself as a reliable and accessible source to be consulted. As its trajectory has advanced, it has adapted to key technological changes in communication, such as the rise of social media and the widespread use of online platforms like Zoom and WhatsApp, enabling better access to scholarship information. The systematic process of organizing, filtering, and structuring the information has produced knowledge products (starting with scholarship guides, evolving into more sophisticated and complex documents such as scholarship catalogs categorized by level of education, destination, type of funding sources) which are readily disseminated and kept up to date. This has provided for access to accurate and detailed data on both national and international scholarships, allowing scholarship seekers from different socio-economic and geographic backgrounds to apply.

Over time, INDESGUA’s 16 years of operation have gained the organization legitimacy, recognition, and validation at the national and regional levels. INDESGUA has established itself as a leader in promoting scholarships through personalized advice and support. This service includes essay reviews, guidance in finding suitable academic programs and the scholarship programs that cover them, making it key for many applicants to improve the probabilityof enrollment. INDESGUA’s work and reputation have evolved and even expanded beyond Guatemalan borders, with 102 successful scholarships applications for non-Guatemalan applicants.

However, difficulties in reaching the most vulnerable communities are persistent. Although it is recognized that INDESGUA has made significant efforts to reach Mayan, Garifuna, Afro-descendant, Xinca and rural communities, there is still a significant demographic gap in access to information on scholarships available to these populations (the database shows that 65% of the applicants were born in the province of Guatemala). In addition, the people who need scholarships the most are those who tend to have the most difficulty accessing information or meeting the requirements to apply. For instance, the challenges of starting, continuing, and finishing the application process are recurring problems for several applicants. Even though INDESGUA has promoted scholarship opportunities in different ways and spaces, most beneficiaries still have difficulties in applying for scholarships. INDESGUA’s database showed that factors such as lengthy administrative procedures, meeting language requirements, associated costs, and the duration of the process make access difficult, especially for people from rural or indigenous communities.

The interviewees mentioned that the application processes are lengthy and costly. Yet, INDESGUA’s work in disseminating and sharing self-systematized knowledge products is available free of charge. It must be noted that many people who apply for scholarships face difficulties due to the complexity and cost of the procedures necessary to apply for the scholarships. This includes expenses related to exams such as the TOEFL or IELTS (English), DELF (French), TestDaf (German), among others, and preparatory courses that require time and financial resources to reach the minimum scores required by universities. In addition, there are other mandatory requirements, such as certified translations of diplomas, grades, and letters of recommendation, which further hinder the application process for some. The estimation of minimum preparatory cost is in between 300 to 500 US Dollars, which represents three times the minimum wage in Guatemala.

INDESGUA devotes efforts to the collection and dissemination of information (not managing funding and consequently not granting scholarships directly) and systematizes information about scholarship opportunities through different knowledge products (guides, catalogues, organized indexes). However, the scope it has reached remains limited because access to information by the communities most in need remains low, as the INDESGUA’s database shows. Despite their efforts to reach indigenous and rural communities, a significant gap exists in who can access the scholarships. According to INDESGUA’s database, 82.12% of the applicants recognize themselves as Mestizo compared to 15.89% who identify themselves as Mayan, and 0.69 and 0.46% of Chinese descendants and Afro-descendants, respectively. The most vulnerable people, who need these opportunities the most, often do not have the resources or information required to apply, perpetuating structural inequalities.

One interviewee mentioned that the lack of strategic alliances, such as with Municipal Development Committees (COMUDES—acronym in Spanish) and Departmental Development Committees (CODEDES—acronym in Spanish), meansthat INDESGUA has not been able to establish partnerships that could expand its reach at the rural level. These partnerships would be critical to disseminating scholarship information in more remote territories and facilitating access to people who most need it. However, the way these committees work does not allow us to assert that they provide viable and effective options in disseminating information due to their systematic corruption. Additionally, interviewees mentioned that INDESGUA’s weakness is its dependence on the work carried out by Luis Arenas. This has meant that responsibilities have not been sufficiently delegated, thus creating a more sustainable structure over time. The future of INDESGUA could be compromised when Arenas ceases to lead the organization. INDESGUA needs to address this issue in order to ensure its long-term sustainability. This dependence has also caused a lack of financing. The organization lacks the necessary funds to expand its coverage, improve its services, and ensure long-term sustainability. Although it has tried to raise funds through donations, this strategy has not been enough to cover its operational needs in the short term. These same financial constraints restrict the capacity for growth and long-term sustainability.

INDESGUA’s lifespan can be divided into three phases, influenced by scholarship design, and shifting global geopolitical structures. Regardless of their funding source, international scholarships are being shaped and altered by myriad factors, including budget constraints, commodity prices, regulatory and policy changes, political imperatives, conflict and changing power structures including gender norms. The design and infrastructure that support and maintain international scholarships, such as geographic focus areas or levels of study, can significantly impact access and equity in application processes and will affect the outcomes the programs can achieve (Kent, 2018). These changes have led to the discontinuation of some scholarships with programs, specific targeted populations – i. g. indigenous women and rural youth, that were prioritized by some programs and after a period of time discontinued. With changes to the requirements for the scholarships to be awarded (demanding an advanced command of a foreign language, raising the threshold of grades/GPA), sometimes even without prior notice, the general Guatemalan population is often unlikely to be able to meet.

Table two depicts the trajectory of INDESGUA in three time periods with descriptions of four dimensions of its salient features.

The methodology applied by INDESGUA to engage in knowledge management and communication includes:

Some of the knowledge management and communication products elaborated by INDESGUA over the years include:

INDESGUA has changed how it disseminates scholarship information, reaches the targeted population, and gives guidance and application support, which has led to changes in the population benefiting from the services offered by INDESGUA. For example, from 2007 to 2011, a total of 275 scholarship processes were successfully completed, with 98.6% of the beneficiaries being Guatemalan nationals from all twenty-two provinces and 1.4% being foreign nationals from five different countries. Of the Guatemalan recipients, 44.2% were from the province of Guatemala, while the remaining 55.8% were from other regions across the country. The gender distribution showed a slight majority of female recipients (51.1%) compared to males (48.9%). Regarding ethnic composition, 75.5% of recipients identified as mestizo, whereas 24.5% identified as Maya or Afro descendants. Geographically, 33.1% of the scholarships were awarded for studies within Guatemala, 62.6% for studies abroad, and 4.3% for online courses. The types of academic programs varied, with 21.2% in specialized short courses, 1.4% in language courses, 0.4% in secondary-level education, 2.9% in technical university programs, 39.9% at the undergraduate level, 32.7% at the master’s level, and 1.4% in doctoral studies.

From 2012 to 2019, 443 scholarship processes were successfully completed, with 95.5% of the recipients being Guatemalan nationals from all 22 provinces, while 4.5% were foreign nationals representing ten different countries. Among the Guatemalan recipients, 56.7% were from the province of Guatemala, with the remaining 43.3% from other regions across the country. The gender distribution indicated a higher proportion of female recipients (61.2%) than males (38.8%). Regarding ethnicity, 82.8% of recipients identified as mestizo, while 17.2% identified as Maya or Afro descendants. Geographically, 19.6% of the scholarships were awarded for studies within Guatemala, 73.1% for study abroad, and 7.2% for online studies. The programs of study were diverse, including 29.1% in specialized short courses, 1.4% in language courses, 2.0% at the secondary level, 2.0% in technical university programs, 17.6% at the undergraduate level, 44.9% in master’s degree programs, and 2.9% in doctoral studies.

The period between 2020 and 2023 proved to be the most successful in INDESGUA’s history, despite half of this period coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, a total of 940 scholarship processes were successfully completed, with 91.8% of recipients being Guatemalan nationals from all 22 provinces and 8.2% being foreign nationals from 10 different countries. Among Guatemalan recipients, 58.4% were from Guatemala province, while the remaining 41.6% were from other regions. The gender distribution revealed that 60.9% of the recipients were female and 39.1% were male. Regarding ethnicity, 84.9% of recipients identified as mestizo, while 10.1% identified as Maya or Afro descendants. In terms of the geographic location of scholarships, 39.3% were awarded for studies within Guatemala, 43.4% for study abroad, and 18.2% for online studies. The types of studies included 6.9% in specialized short courses, 30.0% in language courses, 1.6% at the secondary level, 0.4% in technical university programs, 7.1% at the undergraduate level, 52.8% in master’s degree programs, and 1.2% in doctoral studies.

INDESGUA has made a significant impact on the democratization of access to scholarships, providing crucial information and support to many individuals. However, it faces substantial challenges related to its reliance on a single leader and lack of funding. To improve, INDESGUA must diversify its sources of income, establish strategic alliances with key stakeholders, and create a more sustainable structure that allows for the delegation of responsibilities and ensures continuity. The knowledge produced through the systematization and dissemination of information on scholarships and the accompaniment and advice to almost 1700 successful cases, means that INDESGUA contributes with access to information and to the improvement of application processes both by helping those interested in applying and providing national and international cooperation agents with data to understand the circumstances of the applicants. Contextualizing INDESGUA’s work makes it clear that the barriers faced by the most vulnerable populations to accessing scholarships cannot be overcome only by disseminating information. Solutions must also address structural inequalities by prioritizing specific groups that need additional support in the application process. While this is outside the scope of INDESGUA’s mandate—whose primary focus is on disseminating scholarship information and supporting applications rather than granting scholarships, it remains an important consideration for future development.