Creating with Purpose: How 3D Printed Bowls Are Supporting STEM Education in Guatemala

One of the things I’m most passionate about is not just teaching students how to use technology—but helping them use it in meaningful ways. That’s why I’m excited to share a new project we’ve been working on at Cadaniño that combines creativity, culture, sustainability, and impact.

Recently, we partnered with Orphan Outreach for their upcoming annual gala, the 2025 Children’s Hope Dinner. They were looking for unique, meaningful centerpieces for the event and asked us if our students could 3D print something beautiful, that would represent both their talent and their story.

The result is a limited-edition collection of 3D-printed bowls, produced by the students at the Cadaniño Community Impact Centers. Each bowl is paired with a stunning, jewel-toned Mayan faja, a traditional woven belt, repurposed as a table runner. The set is being offered to gala attendees for $99, with the proceeds going directly toward expanding our STEM programs, including the purchase of an additional 3D printer.

But this project is about more than fundraising.

It’s about showcasing the value of our students’ work. When kids see that something they created with their own hands is appreciated—and purchased—by people halfway across the world, it builds confidence, dignity, and pride. They realize that what they’re learning matters. That their ideas, creativity, and skills can make a difference.

It also reinforces something we believe deeply at Cadaniño: education should empower students to serve others. These bowls aren’t just beautiful and functional, they’re a symbol of how students can apply STEM to real-world projects that support their community and their future.

We’re already seeing how this project is inspiring students to take greater ownership of their learning and experimenting with new creation. It is provoking them to consider how they can use 3D printing to help others in different ways.

This is the kind of impact that fuels me.

If you're attending the Children’s Hope Dinner, we hope you’ll stop by and take a closer look at these centerpieces. If not, you can still support our work by donating to our STEM initiative, where every gift helps us continue creating opportunities like this, where education becomes purpose-driven and students begin to see themselves not just as learners, but as leaders.

Let’s keep building a future where every student has the tools, and the confidence, to shape the world around them.

Alexander Martiny

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