We started Aldea in 2023, giving full scholarships to 18 students in deep poverty.

In 2026, we gave scholarships to over 100 students.

In 2027, we’re on track to reach over 500 students. Your donation helps make school possible for every one of them.

A group of six people, including women and children, standing outdoors in front of a rustic building with a dirt ground. The group appears to be smiling and posing for the photo, with a hilly landscape in the background.

Founded in 2023

Aldea was founded in 2023, by founder and CEO Joshua Turnbull, supported by a team of dedicated volunteers.

Sponsored 100+ Students

Without our sponsorship, these children will never attend school again and continue the cycle of deep poverty both for them and their families.

Donate Today

With your support, we can keep sponsoring our students every year, and help children in Guatemala access the education they deserve.

Meet Our Team

  • A person with short dark hair, wearing a gray t-shirt and a name tag that reads 'Josh,' is holding out their left hand with fingers spread apart. There are various containers and tools on a marble countertop in the background, including a pink container, a yellow bottle, and a white item. The wall behind has a textured, cracked pattern.

    Joshua Turnbull

    Founder / CEO

  • A person with a black cap, smiling, wearing a blue shirt and gray Columbia fleece jacket, standing in front of a plain wall with a poster in the background.

    Raul Rosales

    Chief Operating Officer

  • A young man with dark hair smiling and sitting in front of a laptop, wearing a blue shirt with a name tag labeled 'Diego,' in a room with a brick wall and shelves in the background.

    Diego Pacheco

    VP / Director of Educational Development

  • Close-up of a woman smiling outdoors, wearing a beige baseball cap, round dark sunglasses, a blue t-shirt with part of the word 'aldea' visible, and carrying a black backpack against a background of a building, a light pole, and electrical wires.

    Lacey Waterman

    Creative and Communications Director

  • Smiling man on outdoor trail holding vintage camera, wearing a name tag that reads 'KATE'.

    Nathan Kraxberger

    Photographer

  • Woman smiling and making a peace sign with her right hand, wearing a blue hat with a Texas shape and a beige top, outdoors near a building with large windows.

    Candice Hererra

    VP of Operations

  • Founder / CEO

    Founder Josh Turnbull is an Austin based entrepreneur. After earning a DMD and MBA at Harvard, Josh founded Lydian Dental, which gained national attention for its innovative approach to dental care. Josh is currently working on his next start-up, Breeze Dental, with the help of Strand Studio. He loves to spend time with his amazing wife and 5 beautiful children.

  • Chief Operating Officer

    Raul was born and raised in a rural area of ​​Guatemala called Momostenango. He is an administration technician at the Rural University of Guatemala. He currently works as director of Latin American communications for Bountiful Children's Foundation, a foundation he helped build from the ground up into an international non-profit serving tens of thousands of malnourished children. He loves spending time serving in his church community and working on his small farm.

  • VP / Director of Educational Development

    Diego was born and raised in Guatemala City with all the best opportunities in life. Now married to an incredible woman who was born and raised in the countryside in poverty and without any opportunity. With the help of God and her family, she made it to the University obtaining her master’s degree, which is where we met. We’ve been passionately helping those less fortunate than us ever since.

  • Creative and Communications Director

    Lacey Waterman is a Los Angeles based Founder and Creative Director with over 15 years of experience. She earned her BFA in Advertising from Art Center College of Design, and her MFA in Graphic Design from Yale University. Her company Strand Studio helps both up-and-coming and established brands create a connected vision between design and storytelling.

  • Photographer

    Nathan Kraxberger is a NYC based still life photographer who currently resides in Brooklyn. Nathan got his career started in architectural photography, but his passion for still life photography quickly emerged. He has shot still life campaigns, editorials, and e-commerce photography for iconic fashion brands such as Oscar de la Renta, Diane von Furstenberg, Kate Spade, Rag & Bone, the GAP, and more.

  • VP of Operations

    Candice was born in Brownsville, TX and comes from a large family of eight kids and a single mother. Candice was the first of her siblings to graduate from high school and attend business school. She’s currently serving as VP of Operations for Lydian Dental, where she directs all aspects of operating and growing the business.

Join Our Community

A large group of people, including children and adults, waving and smiling in front of a decorated tour bus with a city building and flags in the background.
A man in a red shirt and a backpack standing in front of a rustic building with a mix of adobe, wood, and corrugated metal walls, pointing towards an open window or doorway.
Group of seven people, five children and two adults, sitting on a stone ledge with a cityscape and mountains in the background.
Get in Touch