Participants will be able to choose from the following projects. All people mentioned in these projects are ready and willing to collaborate exclusively with SalaamGarage and you to help tell their story. They are looking forward to meeting you. Join us.
A gringo went to live in Batzchocolá after visiting on a trip with his father. He says the trip changed his life. He spent almost 18 months living a sharing with the families, listening to their stories about war and conflict, stories they had never felt safe to share with anyone else before. Now Jake is working on a book about what he’s learned.
Petronila, mother of four daughters in Trapichitos, is illiterate. Her one dream is that just because her girls are indigenous and female, that they will not face the same discrimination as she. All of her agricultural and economic projects, like a worm composting bin (she wants to sell worms to other families) and small animals are focused to keep her girls in school so that they can learn to read and write and not suffer like she had too.
Tomasa in Batzchocolá was holding her baby when she heard planes dropping bombs above her village during the conflict in the 1980s. Her two daughters were screaming out of fear, screaming to God for help the last time she saw them. Her baby was snatch from her arms. She never saw her husband again. Tomasa says that “God has taught me how to pray for the people who killed her family, because they did not know what they were doing.”
A small local church was burned down outside of Batzchocolá. One of its members, Francisco Cruz, wants to know who burned his church so he can pray for them. He and a friend decided to walk from their community in Quiché to Antigua, a trek of five days on foot, to find a church to pray for them.
Elena, the secretary of Community Bank Group A, shines as the example and motivation for Xeucalvitz. Elena runs a small store, being careful to invest and practice safe business administration in order to generate a steady source of income for her family. Elena takes advantage of the credit offered through the Community Bank program, using her new skills and knowledge from Agros trainings to continue empowering herself and other women in her community.
Jacinto and his family have been working together to support their daughter Engracia’s needs. Jacinto participated in the bread-baking course offered by FUNDAP, and built a wood-burning oven from what he learned in the training. Now the entire family works together to make fresh hot bread daily and sell it in Trapichitos and neighboring Agros community Xeucalvitz. They have also put a sign on the road in between the two communities advertising for the bread. With this bustling business, Jacinto and his family are closer to realizing their dreams.
Rodrigo, a member of Trapichitos that has long been a major participant in community activities, including maintaining the access road, building the community’s hostel and school buildings, and faithfully attending community meetings, is thrilled to finally have built his first sturdy home in partnership with Agros. “I am so happy with my block house and Agros. No other institution has ever been able to work with us in this project. For a long time, I’ve been waiting to be able to build my home. Now, I am happy, and still busy in other community activities, working alongside my family and my neighbors.”
The community of Batzchocolá is very proud and excited that local member Bernardo has been selected to participate in a two-month training conference in Panama in order to learn more about incorporating hydroelectric projects in his community. The hosting organization, Fundación Solar, has supported projects with Agros in the past, and is thrilled to work with Bernardo, a strong leadership figure in the community, among other participants from other communities.
Francisco, one of Jacinto and and Catarina’s seven other children, is an 11 year old boy living with his family in Xeucalvitz, and is in charge of eight goats. Francisco is also the youngest participant in the trainings about caring for the animals and milking them for consumption and sell. “I want to tend animals when I’m older, so I’m learning everything I can now.”
Dominga, President of the women’s Community bank in Batzchocolá says she feels “personally responsible that each partner is successful in her project.” Dominga checks in with each of the 25 women in the bank to make sure that things are going well and the women will be able to repay the loan and interest. Dominga herself has been in the bank for 3 years, starting with a loan $64 that gradually grew to double that amount—$128. Dominga has been so successful with her projects that she has been able to be a source employment for other people in her community; she hires others to help her harvest coffee so that she can focus on experimenting with another crop this year—peas. Join us.
Guatemala: Projects
Participants will be able to choose from the following projects. All people mentioned in these projects are ready and willing to collaborate exclusively with SalaamGarage and you to help tell their story. They are looking forward to meeting you. Join us.
A gringo went to live in Batzchocolá after visiting on a trip with his father. He says the trip changed his life. He spent almost 18 months living a sharing with the families, listening to their stories about war and conflict, stories they had never felt safe to share with anyone else before. Now Jake is working on a book about what he’s learned.
Petronila, mother of four daughters in Trapichitos, is illiterate. Her one dream is that just because her girls are indigenous and female, that they will not face the same discrimination as she. All of her agricultural and economic projects, like a worm composting bin (she wants to sell worms to other families) and small animals are focused to keep her girls in school so that they can learn to read and write and not suffer like she had too.
Tomasa in Batzchocolá was holding her baby when she heard planes dropping bombs above her village during the conflict in the 1980s. Her two daughters were screaming out of fear, screaming to God for help the last time she saw them. Her baby was snatch from her arms. She never saw her husband again. Tomasa says that “God has taught me how to pray for the people who killed her family, because they did not know what they were doing.”
A small local church was burned down outside of Batzchocolá. One of its members, Francisco Cruz, wants to know who burned his church so he can pray for them. He and a friend decided to walk from their community in Quiché to Antigua, a trek of five days on foot, to find a church to pray for them.
Elena, the secretary of Community Bank Group A, shines as the example and motivation for Xeucalvitz. Elena runs a small store, being careful to invest and practice safe business administration in order to generate a steady source of income for her family. Elena takes advantage of the credit offered through the Community Bank program, using her new skills and knowledge from Agros trainings to continue empowering herself and other women in her community.
Jacinto and his family have been working together to support their daughter Engracia’s needs. Jacinto participated in the bread-baking course offered by FUNDAP, and built a wood-burning oven from what he learned in the training. Now the entire family works together to make fresh hot bread daily and sell it in Trapichitos and neighboring Agros community Xeucalvitz. They have also put a sign on the road in between the two communities advertising for the bread. With this bustling business, Jacinto and his family are closer to realizing their dreams.
Rodrigo, a member of Trapichitos that has long been a major participant in community activities, including maintaining the access road, building the community’s hostel and school buildings, and faithfully attending community meetings, is thrilled to finally have built his first sturdy home in partnership with Agros. “I am so happy with my block house and Agros. No other institution has ever been able to work with us in this project. For a long time, I’ve been waiting to be able to build my home. Now, I am happy, and still busy in other community activities, working alongside my family and my neighbors.”
The community of Batzchocolá is very proud and excited that local member Bernardo has been selected to participate in a two-month training conference in Panama in order to learn more about incorporating hydroelectric projects in his community. The hosting organization, Fundación Solar, has supported projects with Agros in the past, and is thrilled to work with Bernardo, a strong leadership figure in the community, among other participants from other communities.
Francisco, one of Jacinto and and Catarina’s seven other children, is an 11 year old boy living with his family in Xeucalvitz, and is in charge of eight goats. Francisco is also the youngest participant in the trainings about caring for the animals and milking them for consumption and sell. “I want to tend animals when I’m older, so I’m learning everything I can now.”
Dominga, President of the women’s Community bank in Batzchocolá says she feels “personally responsible that each partner is successful in her project.” Dominga checks in with each of the 25 women in the bank to make sure that things are going well and the women will be able to repay the loan and interest. Dominga herself has been in the bank for 3 years, starting with a loan $64 that gradually grew to double that amount—$128. Dominga has been so successful with her projects that she has been able to be a source employment for other people in her community; she hires others to help her harvest coffee so that she can focus on experimenting with another crop this year—peas. Join us.