The Maya Initiative

Slopes & Saucepans

The Maya Initiative's Tartu Home ski weekend

On February 6th, children of the Tartu Christian Youth Home (Tartu Kristlik Noortekodu) arrived at the Sokka Guesthouse in Southern Estonia with a team from the Maya Initiative. The group settled in and then hit the sauna. As with most Maya events, the children did the cooking (under supervision to prevent the juggling of 8-inch kitchen knives) and this time they prepared a pot of chilli con carne.

This classic dish was proudly compiled for the Maya Cookbook and it reflects the core aim of the Maya Initiative: to empower children by providing them with essential life skills and education through the medium of food and culinary arts. Through planning, preparing, and cooking together, the children not only learn recipes, but also develop responsibility, teamwork, confidence, and independence that will support them far beyond the kitchen.

After a sausage breakfast the next morning, which they also cooked, the kids hit the slopes of Kuutsemäe. The temperature was 10 below zero, but that's nothing for veterans of Slopes & Saucepans, which combines outdoor adventure with practical life skills, teamwork, and shared meals.

We wish to offer special thanks to the Oak Lounge who made the event possible, and to the Children of Maya who so enthusiastically took part.

Weighing carefully
Once the teas were mixed, it was our crack assembly line team's job to carefully package, weigh, and seal. Each paper bag weighed seven grams, and so a perfectly filled package weighed exactly 107 grams.
The question of how to price these artisanal masterpieces came up, and an internet search produced similar products that retailed close to 20 euros. But don't worry, ours are going to be priced very affordably. In fact, you won't find this price/value/impact-on-society relationship anywhere else on earth!
Visit us Saturday, Dec. 13th, between 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., where you can meet the young artisans and stock up with goodies for the Christmas season.

The Maya Christmas Market: What can 𝘠𝘖𝘜 do?

Here are posters in three languages. Please download the one most relevant to you and help spread the word among your friends. The kids are working very hard to prepare for the market (a post coming on that topic soon), and we want to make sure that we deliver the customers! Won't you download a poster and share it on your social media feed?

Or would you like to print a physical poster and put it up at your place of work? Or plaster them on every lamppost in the city of Tallinn? If so, get in touch with Scott Diel and he'll get you a printable file.

Make Christmas Matter

Many of the gifts we give at Christmas aren't needed by the receiver. We do it because it's part of a ritual, because we know not to show up at our friends' house empty handed. We grab a bottle of wine or some nicely-packaged sweets from the supermarket because it's a no-brainer. And in doing so we may enrich the supermarket's shareholders but, in the end, the transaction has no lasting impact on the giver or the receiver. But Christmas can be much more.

Buy your Christmas gifts--pastries, cookies, handicrafts, artisanal teas--from the Children of Maya at the Peeteli Christmas Market, and you will immediately impact the lives of the young people who made and sold you their goods. Here's how:

(1) They work with a professional chef in the Peeteli kitchen to create what they sell with their own hands.
(2) The kids learn how to interact with people they don't know who come from other social strata.
(3) They get a lesson in materials sourcing, production, and retail. They learn to operate a coffee machine and payment terminals.
(4) They use to use their basic math skills under pressure while the customer waits.
(5) They learn teamwork and they gain confidence.

Patronizing the Peeteli Christmas Market on Saturday, Dec. 13th, might be the most gratifying thing you do this season. You'll meet the kids, get some great gifts, you'll make a lasting impact, and you'll leave feeling great about yourself.

Make Christmas count:

Christmas Market 2025
Saturday, December 13, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Balti Jaama Turg (downstairs next to Selver)

Mark your calendars, then spread the word!

The Maya & Peeteli Christmas Market is coming December 13th (details below). Won't you spread the word to help us ensure the day is a success?
It's the one time of year when a small gesture can make a big difference. (Actually, that's true of every day, but the Christmas Market makes it easy!)