Day 11, 12, and 13

Day 11

Today we looked at economic globalization and manufacturing as a solution to poverty.  So to see this concept in person we visited Le Cleire Household Products Inc. factory.  Le Cleire is a Guatemalan company that is well known for treating its employees well, paying them a fair wage (about $2.30 hour minimum), and holding high environmental standards.  We toured the factory, first showing us the filling, and labeling of their products.

Then they showed us how the products are packaged and then shipped out to Guatemala.

Day 12

Today we discussed how empowering women could help to end poverty in Guatemala.  That is because when you empower women they can further their education and use their knowledge and skills to help their family.  Research shows that what ever education the mother receives, her children will match or go further.  So when you educate women, you educate a nation.  Today we visited the UPAVIM Women's Cooperative, artisan shop, health clinic, bakery and school.  UPAVIM started when 75 single women fled to the outskirts of Guatemala City.  The women were either widows from the war, abandoned by their husbands, or escaping domestic violence.  Most of the women were mothers and the only providers for their family. They joined together to claim a piece of land eventually started producing artesian crafts to sell to support their families.  Over time they opened a school, clinic, daycare, and made connections to sell their products in the US.  You can learn more about their story at: http://upavim.org/our-story/

We also visited the Survivor's Foundation for women's empowerment.  The organization was started by Norma Cruz to help women suffering from domestic violence get back on their feet and prosecute their perpetrators.  Both organizations have taken strides to empower women and help make them become an equal part of the patriarchal Guatemalan society.

Day 13

Today democratization and fighting corruption were looked at as a solution to poverty.  We visited USAID, the United States Foreign Aid Program.  They discussed their 5 year strategic plan to help Guatemala strengthen its Democracy, end corruption and tackle high rates of crime.

Afterwards we came back for lunch and celebrated Phil's 70th birthday with the staff at Semilla by trying a common (and delicious!) Guatemalan cake, Tres Leches (3 milks).

Middle of the trip

Day 6

Today we left SEMILLA to head up into the mountains to the Community Cloud Forest Conservation center (CCFC).  It took us six hours and one ice cream stop to travel through the various mountain terrains before we arrived at the completely hydro and solar powdered center where we were greeted by Rob and Tara Cahill.  We had an incredible dinner prepared by some of the indigenous students that work at the center to obtain a scholarship to further their education.  After dinner, Rob explained the WALC program which educates Mayan high school girls from small mountain villages on agroecology, nutrition, personal hygiene, and most importantly, self-worth.  They come during vacation from school in order to earn scholarships for next year's schooling. He also explained the Kids & Birds program which educates elementary students in the villages on agroecology and the impact deforestation has on their village and its future. 

Day 7

The early bird gets the worm, or probably what they would say at CCFC is, the early worm makes the best compost.  Rob showed us exactly how they recycle basically every resource on or around the center to improve the land and crop yields.  For instance, the toilets at the center were compost toilets which means the human waste and other kitchen scraps are used to create fertilizer for the vegetable and fruit trees they use, and the shower and sink water go through a gray water filtration system which adds phosphates to the dirt to better enrich the soil.  He also took us on a tour of the land and showed us the cave that many indigenous people in that area use to pray.  

That was all before we had an incredible lunch that was completely prepared by using the CCFC’s or surrounding village’s homegrown fruits, vegetables, and livestock.  Then after lunch, we continued to learn about the various problems the villages in the mountains face and the programs CCFC has developed to try to help them.

Day 8 and 9

                                           Evening view from one family's front door

Today is the big day … the homestay visits!  We drove two hours further into the mountains to the K’ekchi village of Sesalche’I where we were welcomed at a Catholic church service and then provided lunch by the families of the church.  We then paired up with families of girls who previously attended the WALC program and hosted us for the night.  Some of us had hard, high altitude hikes where our host girls showed us up by climbing the mountain in sandals.  

The stay allowed us to live a day in the life of a K’ekchi villager and understand the obstacles they face in their daily lives.  It also allowed us to see how family oriented their culture is and how happy they are living a simple life without electricity or running water.  It was truly an eye-opening experience that none of us will forget.  The family provided dinner and a -place to stay even if that bed was a just a slate of wood with a blanket.  The next day we were waken by rooster at the crack of dawn, and after a homemade breakfast of a boiled egg, squash greens and homemade tortillas, we headed to school with the children.  

At the school, the Kids & Birds program was discussed along with personal growth stories from the women that participated in the WALC program.  

Next, we helped the students plant trees and plants in the village to support the reforestation project and to help the people of the community.  

It was then time for our herd to head back to the CCFC so we all rode back in a cattle truck.

Day 10

Today was our last day at the Agroecology Center and in the mountains.  We started the day by listening to testimony from three former WALC students who now lead the program about how their lives have changed and their vision for the future. 

Afterwards we joined them in grinding flour and making bread and jam.  Next, we visited a coffee plantation where we got to see steps in how coffee is produced. On our way back we stopped outside of the agroecology center to visit the site of an ancient Mayan “Pok-A-Tok” stadium which has not been excavated yet. Then we thanked our great hosts for an awesome stay at the CCFC and the K’ekchi women for making us wonderful homemade meals from scratch and headed back to Guatemala City. 

Please take a moment to check the website of the CCFC to see pictures and learn more specifically about their work.  It’s pretty amazing.  http://cloudforestconservation.org/

Day 4

Today we reflected on our time here and we discussed how population growth, the demographic trap, geography, and climate are all causes of poverty.  We learned that countries within a certain distance of the equator have higher rates of poverty due to the type of weather they receive and the increase in natural disasters.  After lunch we visited  a program called "Bienestar" (Wellbeing), a government funded youth program where we heard presentations from Guatemalan youth volunteers who work in their neighborhoods teaching kids how to avoid violence, gangs, and drugs, as well as workshops on healthy family relationships and postponing sexual activity.

Later that afternoon we drove to La Brigada, a "colonia" (neighborhood) on the edge of the city to have supper with the family of one of the language teachers here at the seminary.  Dr. Hart and her husband had lived here for two months when they did their two-month language study at the beginning of her sabbatical in 2001.  We went up on the roof with Manuel who gave us a little history of the neighborhood.

Before eating we visited a childcare program housed in a cement block church that serves almost three hundred kids a week with Monday/Wednesdays or Tuesday/Thursdays with activities, healthcare, and lunches.  Here we are with the lady who runs that program.

 We also had a chance to stop at a  local tortilla shop where the owner let us try our skills at hand-patting tortillas.  It was a lot harder than the Guatemalan ladies make it look.

Day 5

Today we explored how the culture of sexism and corruption are causes of poverty.  After our classroom session, we headed to the Mennonite Central Committee Complex where they discussed the various non-profit groups they assist to decrease poverty in Guatemala and El Salvador.  They also discussed their work with the Kekchi Mayans and the problems they face with land ownership and agricultural challenges.

We had "pollo frito" and "papas fritas" (fried chicken and fried potatoes) for lunch. Then we loaded into the van to see the Miraflores Mayan Museum where we learned about the ancient culture and saw amazing textiles and ceramics they made.  Our guide discussed the artifacts and the fact that the Mayan people probably had a population 10 times larger than original estimates. 

We finished the day with some free time where some of us walked to the local favorite ice cream shop Sarita’s.  Later we had a dinner of "paches", a Guatemalan tamale made from potatoes, and prepared to head into the mountains and our village stays tomorrow.