Empowering 27 Mayan families to overcome poverty.

Project: Asociacion Comunitaria CREANDO MI FUTURO.

The last quarter has been marked by several special events: one occurred when I returned from California mid-November and walked into the mothers’ group expecting a short meeting, only to see balloons and FELIZ CUMPLEANOS decorations…a birthday party for me!   This appreciation was such a pleasure, but really it’s for all of our donors as well  – thankfulness for all we do to make their lives smoother and less anxiety-provoking: the monthly food baskets for the families, public school scholarships for the older kids and school supplies for all, classes for the kids and the moms, the small store to show their artistry, and the community garden.  I appreciate so much your support in providing this.

The much bigger event, of course, was CHRISTMAS or Navidad.  I try to be cautious in deciding what we can afford to do, but the Spirit of Christmas and a local donation took over.  We ended up taking the kids to the local pool (not a very Christmasy activity, but their choice for the day) for swimming, games, and a lunch including cake.   The children exchanged gifts, and we had a gift for each one.  The parent board decided on a regular food basket (before Christmas rather than at the end of the month) containing the usual rice, corn, beans, oil, 30 eggs, soap, and laundry soap with the special addition of a box of cookies, apples and grapes .  A Christmas tamale lunch with the moms with the addition of two cakes (baked at home by me) and Rosa Jamaica tea took place before distribution the Christmas baskets.

So the year ended, and after 10 days’ vacation we began again this week with a meeting of teachers and the parent board to talk about the project – are we meeting their needs? What do they want for their children in class? What could we do better?  Generally they were happy with what we provide, especially when the teachers explained that our intention for the Saturday class is to expand and augment what they receive in public school by offering many body-mind  and other learning games for a combination of fun and learning.   They did ask us to talk about bullying, since they feel some of this occurs during class, which surprised me as  the kids are much better behaved than in public school.  But since they are all speaking in Tz’utujil, obviously I could be missing something.  Of course we said we will do that.

Looking ahead at this year, we will hold elections for the 2026 Parent Board at the end of this month.   The current board (excepting two members) offered to continue thru the next year, but this would have to be approved by the membership.  We choose to avoid the development of any “power” dynamic, and not to overwork the current members.  In the past we changed Boards every six months, so that no one group would be deciding what stores to purchase from (remembering how small a community this is) or what families to include in the program.  Since we now have to pay 600Q for legal papers every time we change, we extended it to a one-year service. The current board members learned how to handle the whole food distribution, including the calculation of hours of participation (on which the size of the basket depends,) the quantities to buy and the actual order.

I received an unofficial visit from the Mayoress to my home recently, when she came to this area to see how the development of pipelines from their new water tank was going.  She stopped by to thank me for the service our project provides to the pueblo.  I hope at some point this connection will serve us in approaching the Muni for assistance to our program or the mothers’ group, specifically.   Some years ago another Mayor donated us some 50 spools of thread for the weaving class for the young girls.  Recently a friend in the States offered some floor looms for the weaving mothers  We are anticipating the arrival of this great potential benefit.

We have received some donations, locally, for a few years – one from a Spanish School – but recently a local extranjera became interested in helping our group of small children who attend the artisans’ group with their moms.   So she has paid for a teacher/babysitter and toys for the kids to use.   I appreciate not only the assistance, and chance to develop learning for these little pre-preschoolers, but the emotional support it means, coming from someone who visits the program and observes what we actually do.

There is one preoccupation that has been growing for half a year or so, and that concerns our intent and desire to provide technical training for the older boys.  Observing the amount of building that is going on in the pueblo, and learning that we have to look outside our pueblo for most of our technical workers, I became convinced that technical training would allow our young men to obtain more than manual labor as their life-path, even if they chose not to finish high school.  One of the mayorial candidates last Fall was convinced of the same need and said he was  proposing it as part of his plan.  But he didn’t win.  Now because of the number of adult men from San Pedro who have emigrated to the U.S. there are adult-level jobs available for our teens over 15 or 16, and thus the boys don’t want to take the time to come to our Saturday classes or take a year or more to learn a technical job.    So for the moment our thrust in this direction is stalled, though  I am wondering if some of the emigrants in the U.S. return or are returned (which seems to have begun), that these adults will re-occupy their former jobs, thus freeing the boys for class once again.   Vamos a ver (we will see).   And in the meantime we’ll continue to help the moms make the most of their artisan classes and the community garden in order to improve the family economy. 

In spite of the failure of interest, or vision, of these five older boys, we currently  have 10 students still under 6^th grade,  seven boys and girls in the first 3 years of high school, three of whom will graduate in October  to “diversificado” or the last three years of high school where they concentrate on a career.   One young lady is now in that part of her education and will graduate high school at the end of 2027.   I was delighted just yesterday to learn that a young man and woman of the program who had given up on finishing school, have decided to return,  thanks to our scholarships, but also to the time we spent talking with them about their futures. They are assured help from our teachers with homework and use of our computers and printer to assist them to succeed.

I thank every one of you for your support of our program and these deserving kids and families.

Mira Talbott Pope

Financial Liasion/Directora

Asociacion Comunitaria Creando Mi Futuro

PHOTO 1`:The older girls, learning to crochet.  Marta, Josefa, Florinda and Leidy. Rosalia out-of-site.

pHOTO 2;Solving puzzles. (3 heads are better than one!)

PHOTO 3:OnE of our weavers, in typical San Pedro “traje” (clothing) and a traditional woven faja or belt in process on the backstrap loom.

• photos for January 2026 report (DOCX)

Dearest Supporters of Creando Mi Futuro:

In light of the terrible things I read that are going on in the States, especially to our Black brothers, it is hard for me to write a cheery, uplifting Progress Report for Creando this night.

But know that we continue to do our work here in San Pedro la Laguna, hoping that what we do not only teaches kindness, caring, cooperation and consideration for others, but helps these families improve their income-making potential here in Guatemala, rather than feeling they have to emigrate to the States to make a decent living.

Let me say the mothers continue to bring their weaving materials to the project patio every Tuesday and Friday afternoon, and they continue to bring their smallest children with them to attend our little pre-pre-school group – to experience the basics of learning and cooperative play, and keep out of their mother’s way while they do their beautiful work.

Their older children continue to attend our Saturday class – learning this week about the origin of the volcanoes that line this side of the lake – and every week learning a little more about themselves and about making art.  Last Saturday a few of them saw Andy Goldworthy’s artwork-in-nature, online, and we went down to the lakefront beach and made some natural art of our own.

The community garden continues to be maintained and harvested.  And last Friday the mothers group went to the garden and learned all the food that can be made for their families from a simple but very large ground-level vine that produces gourds but so much more!  They harvested flowers and leaves as well as the gourds, and they made traditional dishes new-to-them, thus learning about their ancestors’ way of living as well as a new food-source that grows here abundantly    There will be two more talks/meals in this series.

So – despite all that hurts in the world right now – there is a little oasis of peace here, which I am really grateful for.   We will graduate one senior from high school this year, and 4 junior high-schoolers will move up to the next level, thanks to your donations and the scholarships they are receiving.

Thanks to all of you who participated in the recent Matching Campaign thru GlobalGiving.  I believe we received enough to not only keep on doing the work we do, but perhaps to buy a vigilance camera for our little storefront, so the mothers feel more secure leaving their products there to sell.  We also hope to finally paint our classroom floor, after 8 years of dealing with the pits in the concrete and discoloration.  Many of the children come during the week for homework help from our teachers.  I want them to feel proud of this place that for a time operates as a second home for them. 

Wishing many blessings to my brethren in the U.S.  Sometimes hard times provoke the best from us.  May there be lights everywhere.

Mira Talbott Pope, Directora

Asociacion Comunitaria Creando Mi Futuro

San Pedro la Laguna Guatemala

• Photos for Sept 2025 report (DOCX)