Improve Diet of 20 Guatemalan Families

Maria and Candelaria attended a workshop at IMAP ( Mesoamerican Permaculture Institute) with Candelaria Sut, Kateri Women’s Development Manager.  The workshop was titled Growing in Small Spaces. They both were very excited about the new things that they learned.

Maria is happy to go to these workshops because each time she learns something new.  This time she learned to make different kinds of natural insecticides.  This was important because they were insecticides she could make herself and did not need to buy.  The other thing she learned was how to have a garden in a small space.  She learned to use tires, plastic bottles, pipes, and iron to form the garden.   The thing that made her happiest was to know that she would be able to share all she had learned with the rest of the group.  She thanked Candelaria for giving her the opportunity to travel outside her village and learn new things.  She said that before she never left Chumanzana and did not know all the things that she now knows because of this opportunity.

Candelaria felt very satisfied with the content of the workshop. She has participated in two workshops now.   Before she never left her home and now, she is having that opportunity.  Before this workshop, she participated in the workshop in Zaragoza about packaging mushrooms.  The workshops are an experience for her.  She plans to put into practice the things she learned about growing in small spaces and preparing natural insecticides to fumigate her plants.  She learned how to use common things like onions, black soap, garlic and chili for insecticide.  She sees the things she has learned as helping her earn more money to support the family because she can sell the things that she grows.  She will share with the rest of the group along with Maria.

These young women as well as most of the women in Chumanzana have a limited education.  The workshops that funding from You, our donors on GlobalGiving, and a grant from the  Atkinson Fund provides, give them the opportunity to not only learn useful things, but to widen their worldview.  As they travel outside their village, they lose their fear and become more confident.

Giving Tuesday is coming up on November 27th.  GlobalGiving will be matching funds donated on that day.  Maria, Candelaria  and the other women in Chumanzana will benefit from your donation that day.   Recurring donations always give the projects more security.  If you can budget a monthly donation toward continuing education on good gardening practices, you will be making it possible for these women to provide nutrious food for their families and become more independent women with a secure food source.