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ITZA WOOD, A COMPANY THAT FOSTERS LOCAL ECONOMIC GROWTH BY TRANSFORMING SUSTAINABLE, EXOTIC WOOD INTO STRIKING OBJECTS
Story by Diana Keeler
Itza Wood showcases products made of exotic tropical hard woods from the Peten Jungle to help fund social initiatives – like employment and education – that enhance economic growth in this remote region of Guatemala. The company is led by a mother-and-daughter team: Philadelphia native Suzanne Babarczy and her daughter Eliza, who spent much of her childhood in Guatemala, where Suzanne founded The Jungle School with her husband Mario.
Top: Mother and daughter, Suzanne and Eliza Babarczy.
Above: Classrooms at The Jungle School, founded by Suzanne Babarczy and her husband, Mario in 1999.
Above middle: Students at The Jungle School.
Left: Guatemala’s lush Peten Jungle.
Top: Mother and daughter, Suzanne and Eliza Babarczy.
Above: Classrooms at The Jungle School, founded by Suzanne Babarczy and her husband, Mario in 1999.
Above middle: Students at The Jungle School.
Below: Guatemala’s lush Peten Jungle.
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When Eliza Babarczy reached an inflection point in her professional life as an event planner, she looked to her past for inspiration for where to turn next — to a childhood spent largely in Guatemala. “I was very comfortable living Stateside, but as I was trying to decide where I really wanted to land, I took a six-week trip through Latin America, and my love for this part of the world was reignited,” she says. Babarczy’s mother, Suzanne Babarczy, had grown up in Philadelphia, while her father, Mario Babarczy, is from Peru. Together, the elder Babarczys founded The Jungle School in remote Peten, Guatemala, in 1999, with 15 students. Now, they offer pre-K, elementary, secondary and vocational training to over 400 students. Eager to try something new, Eliza Babarczy left Columbus, OH, originally intending to spend a year or two in Guatemala, working alongside her parents: “The stars just aligned, and after a lot of processing what felt like a scary and heavy decision and getting to a point where it felt right, a year later I was here, living down a dirt road in the rural jungle of Guatemala.” 
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“Itza Wood was intended to make the most of the region’s beautiful natural woods, while supporting the local economy and training their neighbors in valuable artisanal skills.” 
“We take something that would only rot in the forest or lumber yard and turn it into something beautiful and functional, which helps people break out of the cycle of poverty.” – Eliza Babarczy, co-founder Itza Wood Four years have passed since Babarczy returned to Guatemala — twice as long as she expected, and still counting. “I was surprised at how quickly I was able to adapt and how the tough stuff and the challenges, though always tricky, feel so much more meaningful and manageable when related to something you know you’re supposed to be doing,” she says. “I finally found my element. Depression and anxiety don’t hit me hard at all since I returned here. It’s not always easy, but there is something so profoundly grounding and beautiful about this simple life.” 
Students at The Jungle School.
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