Guatemala Travelogue, March 2023

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This is a travelogue of Fern’s visit to Guatemala for the purpose of advancing the Agricultural, Water for Food and Water Security, and the Building Project for a Gathering Space for Eastern Alta Verapaz, Guatemala: page 1

Please see the April 1 newsletter for details on the visit to Chajmaic.

Details about giving cookware and cooking oil valued at $25 per each of the 45 women-led families in Salaguna can be found at this page.

I’m excited that, this trip, in addition to witnessing the harvest of greenhouses for the 2nd village, Salaguna, led mostly by women because the men have left to try to get to the U.S. and the women are left to care for their children – I also have a meeting scheduled with Habitat for Humanity Guatemala at their headquarters in Quetzaltenango (Xela), and am bringing apostilled documents to legally establish the Guatemalan branch of our 501(c)(3) here in the U.S.

This photo is from Travelogue of Fern’s visit to Guatemala for the purpose of advancing the Water for Life project for Chajmaic, Guatemala (page 6) December 21, 2018: Incredible visit to Chajmaic today   

 

 

 

   

   

Details of the harvest are upcoming.

 

YouTube Channel

Travelogue of Fern’s visit to Guatemala 2023: page 2

Here was the itinerary of Fern’s travel:

March 12: Arrive in Guatemala, meet with Guatemala team in Antigua, Guatemala (page 3)

March 14: Drive 12 hours to Fray Bartolomé de las Casas, Eastern Alta Verapaz, Guatemala to meet with agricultural team (page 4)

March 15: Visit the remote, indigenous village of Salaguna, Guatemala (page 5)

March 16: Travel to Antigua via Río Dulce, Guatemala (page 6)

March 17: Travel to Sololá to meet the women with A Thread of Hope Guatemala Fair Trade, see them at work, learn about the processes at Asociación Maya de Desarrollo and receive handicrafts to sell at our upcoming fairs in Massachusetts (page 7) 

March 17:  Lago de Atitlán, Guatemala (page 8)

March 19: Travel to Quetzaltenango, Guatemala (page 9)

March 20: Meet with Hábitat para la Humanidad Guatemala, Quetzaltenango, Guatemala (page 10)

March 20-22: Meet with Antigua, Guatemala team (page 11)

Travelogue of Fern’s visit to Guatemala: page 3

Antigua: Meeting with the Team: March 13

Eldín Sierra and Fern, March 13, 2023
Evita, Manchitas, Ricardo, Valéria, and Fern, March 13, 2023                                   ——————                                                                                                Travelogue of Fern’s visit to Guatemala, page 4                                                                                                      Meet the agricultural team in Fray Bartolomé de las Casas, Eastern Alta Verapaz: March 14-15

 

Travelogue of Fern’s visit to Guatemala: page 4

Meet the agricultural team in Fray Bartolomé de las Casas, Eastern Alta Verapaz: March 14-15

 

 

 

 

 

We left before dawn to avoid traffic in Guatemala City, March 14, 2023

 

Traveling in Guatemala is unlike travel in the U.S.
You can see things along the highway that you would not see in the U.S.
People travel to work in the ways that they can
The road to Salaguna is very mountainous; the white clouds are due to slash and burn agriculture, which is highly in practice in this region

Agricultural team: Federico, Fern and Ricardo, March 15, 2023

Agricultural team: Federico, Fern, Licenciada Lety and Ricardo, March 15, 2023

Travelogue of Fern’s visit to Guatemala: page 5

Visit to Salaguna, Eastern Alta Verapaz: March 15

We learned that the harvest would be on Friday, March 17.  Our agricultural engineer taught the people how to harvest by cutting the plants, rather than by pulling them up by their roots.  This way, the plants would regenerate.

Because most of the people in Salaguna do not know Spanish, we learned some Q’eqchi’ words:

Nice to meet you = Chan cha quil
Very good / very good work = Uz chabil
Congratulations! = Masal injol
Thank you = Bantiox / Bantiox en que
Goodbye = Chin quan bi
See you tomorrow = Wan chic

 

Licenciada Lety set up a spreadsheet in conjunction with the agricultural engineer.  On the spreadsheet were the qualifications for each family’s greenhouse.  Each evening, they review the strengths and weaknesses of each qualification, such as sufficient watering, etc.  Then, in the next day’s class, they review best practices to addresses any weaknesses.

Despite not knowing when her husband will return to Salaguna, Guatemala, Doña Delfina Cucul Chub has a resilient and optimistic spirit. She is an entrepreneur.
We learned that though the women have more rustic greenhouses than those built by or with men, the produce cultivated are better organized and have more yield.

Ricardo, Fern Federico & Doña Delfina Cucul Chub at her greenhouse.  She is growing cilantro, green onions, lettuce, macuy, and corn (in black plastic bags).
Cilantro is incredibly difficult to grow, but with the right expert advice and resources, it can flourish! Eastern Alta Verapaz, Guatemala

 

Dolores Coc Icó and her mother and daughter and Fern
The fruits of their labor: The women proudly share about the successes of their greenhouses, under expert leadership, in remote indigenous Guatemala.
Macuy is an important plant in the Guatemalan diet, full of protein, vitamins and minerals. Consuelo Chóc and her infirm husband Pedro Tux have a flourishing greenhouse with macuy, Swiss chard, celery, and green onions, among others vegetables in Eastern Alta Verapaz, Guatemala
The generosity of the women of Salaguna, Guatemala: They prepared a special coffee for us and gave us plantains from their tree – their valuable resource. We are grateful for the partnerships with you all to make our work in this region possible.
The pride on the faces of the people is evident – having been given the resources and now having grown incredible crops that sustain their families in rural Guatemala.
It is an honor to be part of this incredible team. We are grateful to have you as part of our team. Together we are changing / repairing the world.
You are central in this work of economic justice which affects the whole world: we are connected. And, this justice addresses the immigration crisis.
Your support helps families to stay in their homes in search of a better life. Sowing Opportunities’ agricultural solution allows families to feed their families and this gives them hope to not emigrate to other places.
When we were in Alta Verapaz on March 15, Jeremías García told our team:
“I’m not just thanking you for the greenhouses.
You give us more than we can see. You’re giving us respect, when no one else has. We’re forgotten by the world.”

 

 

Marta Molina Choc, Jeremías García Coy, and Fern, at their greenhouse

The 45 families who have greenhouses in Salaguna, Eastern Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, express gratitude for the resources and training to grow food for their families.  We are a team!  Donations make it possible for people without resources to securely feed their families in rural Guatemala.

 

Travelogue of Fern’s visit to Guatemala: page 6

Travel to Antigua via Río Dulce: March 16

Mountains en route from Salaguna to Río Dulce, 3/15/2023
Mountains and homes en route from Salaguna to Río Dulce, 3/15/2023
Scene from the highway, en route from Salaguna to Río Dulce, 3/15/2023

Entering Río Dulce, 3/15/2023 – it is common to see two or three people traveling on one motorcycle
Lago de Izabal, Río Dulce, 3/15/2023
Río Dulce, 3/15/2023

 

 

Sunrise, on the way back to Antigua
Cargo and passengers in the back of a pickup
Arriving in Antigua, Guatemala
Antigua, Guatemala, March 16, 2023

 

Travelogue of Fern’s visit to Guatemala: page 8

Lago de Atitlán: March 17-19

el Lago de Atitlán

Travelogue of Fern’s visit to Guatemala: page 7

Visit at Asociación Maya de Desarrollo in Sololá: March 17

It was an honor to visit Asociación Maya de Desarrollo weaving cooperative in Sololá, Guatemala with Eliza Strode of A Thread of Hope Guatemalan Fair Trade. I was introduced to the women, saw them at work, learned about the processes and received handicrafts to sell at our upcoming fairs in Massachusetts.

If you can’t make it to our fairs, you can also benefit both the artisans and Sowing Opportunities’ projects through your purchase online at A Thread of Hope Guatemalan Fair Trade/ with the code Sowing.

Visit to Asociación Maya de Desarrollo weaving cooperative in Sololá, Guatemala

Aldea de El Jaibalito, el Lago de Atitlán

Hike to Santiago La Laguna, El Lago de Atitlán

Santiago La Laguna

Leaving el Casa del Mundo via lancha with a view of the volcanoes, March 19, 2023

 

 

Travelogue of Fern’s visit to Guatemala: page 9

Travel to Quetzaltenango (Xela): March 19

Eldin, Oscar, Paola, and Fern enjoy dinner at Latam, March 19, 2023
Fern and Paola in historic Quetzaltenango
Oscar, Paola and Fern in historic Quetzaltenango, 3/19/2023

Travelogue of Fern’s visit to Guatemala: page 10

Meet with Hábitat para la Humanidad Guatemala, Quetzaltenango: March 20

Fern, Vanessa Lee Brombosz, Director of International Resource Development, Daniela Ramírez, and Ricardo, March 20, 2023

 

I am so excited to share that our team met today with Habitat for Humanity Guatemala at their headquarters in Quetzaltenango. We will explore ways to work together as we continue to  locate and then purchase land on which to build a Gathering Space for safety and learning.

Travelogue of Fern’s visit to Guatemala: page 11

Antigua: Meeting with the Team: March 21

On March 21, Ricardo, Evita, Fern and Ginny (via FaceTime) met to discuss options for next steps and safely traveling to the region.  The four of us agreed to meet again face to face in September.

On the way to the airport, Eldín took Fern to Cerro de la Cruz.  There are many new renovations since we last went in 2015, including an opportunity to pose with quetzal wings and tail! ((Interestingly, common expression for the plant “fern” in Guatemala is “quetzal’s tail.”)