Summary prepared by Janet Pearson on behalf of the site visit team that also included Betsy Hale and Diane Logan.
Pangea site visits are unique opportunities to further a core element of our mission, which is to engage in trust-based partnerships with grassroots organizations. Our recent visit to Guatemala provided the opportunity for careful listening and deep conversations.
As with most Pangea site visits, there were three elements to our time in Guatemala: 1) educating ourselves on the political, social, and economic realities our partners face; 2) reuniting with an existing partner; and 3) meeting with a potential new partner.
Educating ourselves on local issues
We hit the jackpot on this one by attending the Seattle International Foundation’s Central America Donors Forum. This 3-day event held in Antigua was attended by 1,000 participants representing non-profits throughout Central America, as well as donors from the US and many other countries. Workshops and seminars focused on a variety of issues but we observed that the themes of climate change, food sovereignty, and indigenous peoples’ rights were frequent topics. We came away from the conference much more oriented to the issues and inspired by the energy and creative forces working to address local problems.
Reuniting with our existing partner Taa’ Pi’t
After the conference, we traveled across Lake Atitlan to the small town of San Pedro La Luna to meet with Juan Manuel, Executive Director, and the teachers at Taa’ Pi’t. Imbedded in Taa’ Pi’t’s programs is a holistic vision with deeply held values based on their Mayan culture.
The after-school programs, women’s cooking classes, and demonstration gardens are all means to the broader goals of strengthening their community, improving nutritional levels by introducing healthy local produce, as well as addressing climate change and the pollution of their mother lake (Lake Atitlan).
Since our last visit, they have developed an impressive demonstration garden, and expanded their reach into the community through training public school teachers with their curriculum, and providing tours of the gardens. They have also initiated a connection with local farmers in order to preserve native, ancestral seeds.
During our visit, Juan Manuel was excited to share an important new development: Taa’ Pi’t has been gifted a large property located on the outskirts of San Pedro La Laguna. The property includes extensive gardens, two residential rental units, and a large building that can be used for many purposes (e.g., retreats, conferences etc.)
This property and the buildings will become a major (long-term) income generating business with the profits going directly to support Taa’ Pi’t. In accepting the gift, Taa’ Pi’t’s board agreed to the condition that it not be sold. They are in the early phase of developing a business model, and plan to hire a manager to operate the business.
Meeting with potential new partner, Voces y Manos
The site visit team planned to visit Voces y Manos at their location in the Rabinal region of Guatemala. However, just before the site visit, we learned that dengue was prevalent in the region. In fact, a young Voces y Manos staff member had just passed away due to dengue, and two other staff were recovering from the disease. Rather than travel to the region, we hosted a meeting in Antigua where we met with the Executive Director, three program staff, and a board member.
The organization began in 2019. Its formation came from the inspiration of graduates of Fundacion Nueva Esperanza, one of Pangea’s former grant partners. These young adults were inspired to form their own organization to address climate change (e.g. hotter weather, much drier than in past years, crop failures.) Their focus is to educate families about sustainable agriculture practices, bring back traditional methods, and pass the local Mayan ancestral knowledge onto the next generation.
Through their work in addressing food sovereignty, they also aim to address the lack of job opportunities in the area, and offer young adults alternatives to taking jobs with the police force (one of the few regular-paying jobs in the area) or migrating to the US.
The project application for Pangea funding is to support their new school-based project for children. The in-school program, which was approved by the school district, started 7 months ago with an $8,000 grant from the AMB foundation. In addition, they have significant community and in-kind support, including use of school facilities and land, support from teachers, and participation of parents and grandparents in the project.
Sprinkled throughout our team’s trip to Guatemala were meetings with local NGO leaders, other international donors, as well as with experts knowledgeable on local issues. We were also fortunate to spend time with local Guatemalans who were personal friends of Diane. These experiences enriched our experience and provided additional insight for us.
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Learn more about our Pangea Giving program including other Latin America grant partners and more details about your experience if you joined Pangea.