Give efficient stoves to 100 Guatemalan families

2020 has been a challenging year for all of us, to say the least. However, all of these unforeseen difficulties have not stopped the Community Finance Guatemala team from finding ways to continue to support the 15 communities we work in. As you know, towards the beginning of the pandemic we responded by providing helpful information about the pandemic to the families we support --- some of whom don’t have television or internet access. We encouraged them to wash their hands regularly, keep a safe physical distance and always wear a mask when around other people.

Along with the informational support, we also helped them to start their own home gardens by providing them with seed packets and instructional pamphlets. Their gardens have flourished this year and the multiple harvests of leafy greens, cauliflower, radishes, and more, have greatly supplemented their typical diets of corn tortillas and black beans. As the weeks passed and the pandemic showed no signs of going away, the local team came up with a new idea for increasing the food security of the families: egg-laying chickens!

After shopping around at nearby farms, the team found a great deal and purchased more than 1500 chickens to distribute among the families. Each family received about six baby chickens and a few pounds of chicken feed to get them started.

One of our Community Finance Advisors, Doña María, who is always thinking about ways to promote sustainability in the communities, came up with a simple chicken feeder design made from recycled two-liter bottles. As the team visited the families, they facilitated short workshops on how to make the chicken feeders, best practices for raising chickens, and how to plan their small homesteads to be as sustainable as possible.

Now, as we look ahead to 2021 we are seeing potential to continue along this same path towards greater resiliency. We have big plans to help our families achieve greater health financially, physically, mentally, and emotionally. From new projects such as designing composting chicken coops to new workshops on holistic stress management. We believe the incredible resilience of the families we work with will provide a solid foundation upon which they will continue to develop themselves and their communities in 2021 and beyond.

During the past few months, the COVID-19 virus has continued to spread across Guatemala. Fortunately, as far as we know, no one in the Community Finance Program has been infected to date. While many people in their communities were minimizing the threat of the virus, our local team was ensuring that all of the program’s families had access to the most up to date and accurate information. Once those communication channels were established a culture of prioritizing the health and safety of the community quickly emerged. From that solid foundation, the local team was then able to design and implement further support.

Since economic and food insecurity was quickly on the rise due to the loss of jobs and other income generating activities, the team decided that providing home garden kits was the most sustainable and cost-effective way to support the families. We provided seed packets, how-to guides, and a video series that taught them how to start their own home gardens. Each family received 250 radish seeds, 250 swiss chard seeds, 250 spinach seeds and an ounce of mustard seeds. These vegetables are not only high in nutrition, they are also easy to cultivate and fit into the typical diet of the region.

Since receiving the support, the families have already harvested baskets and baskets of nutrition. They were so successful, that many of them began selling their extra harvest to their neighbors as an additional source of income. Many family members told us how enjoyable and satisfying it was to grow their own gardens and are planning to continue this practice even after things return to “normal”.

So far, there is every indication that the virus will continue to be a threat for the remainder of this year. And as some of the nearby communities become higher risk, the need for more support is increasing. Currently, the local team is planning on creating at-home medical kits that will consist of basic medications such as ibuprofen, simple thermometers, vitamins and other immune system boosters.