In previous blog posts, we told you about the progress our Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) project has made throughout rural communities in Guatemala. Today we wanted to share a bit more information about one of our collaborators and how we have joined efforts to have a greater impact.

In June 2014, Pueblo a Pueblo began collaborating with Baobab products. Baobab is a social enterprise based in Guatemala City that makes a line of organic soaps and lip balms that are all natural, biodegradable, and free from artificial ingredients. Baobab prides themselves on being environmentally-friendly and demonstrates a strong commitment to social responsibility through their Manos Felices, or Happy Hands, program.

By providing soap and promoting hygiene awareness to Guatemalan students, Baobab’s goal with their Manos Felices program is to decrease the rate of childhood disease, increase school attendance, and enhance the lives of children, their families and communities. Reaching this goal is made possible by combining resources with Pueblo a Pueblo. Alejandro Torun, founder of Baobab, states “our Manos Felices program is focused mainly on supplying soap to participating schools in Guatemala, but by working together with Pueblo a Pueblo we found a perfect match, since they not only have a WASH [Water, Sanitation and Hygiene] education and evaluation program, but also build sanitation and handwashing infrastructure at the schools.”  

Bounded by the same goal, Pueblo a Pueblo and Baobab started collaborating in Tzanchaj and Nueva Providencia. Like many rural, indigenous communities, Tzanchaj and Nueva Providencia face obstacles to good health. Sanitation facilities are limited and soap is expensive. However, by working together, our WASH project and Baobab have closed both gaps. Pueblo a Pueblo remodeled nine bathrooms and built five more, along with six new hand-washing stations, while Baobab contributed hand soap supplies.   

At the end of the year we were astounded to find out that the amount of students using soap when washing their hands in Tzanchaj and Nueva Providencia went from 0% to 100% in the months after Pueblo a Pueblo and Baobab provided their support!

Thanks to your contributions and our collaborations with companies like Baobab, we are proud to bring the health and sanitation resources needed ensure good health in rural communities.   

Dry season is here and the honey harvest has begun! In 2015 Pueblo a Pueblo’s Beekeeping project is partnering with coffee farmers from three different communities to create an alternative economic livelihood.  The veteran group is from a small village called Pampojila. They started with us in 2013 as our pilot program and are currently processing honey from their second harvest. Since the start of the season, Pampojila’s farmers have yielded over 120 pounds of honey and expect to double this amount by the end of March.

They have also been assisting coffee farmers from the community of Totolya, who has already produced 40 pounds of sweet honey in their first harvest season!  Both groups are mentoring the newest community to join our producer association. These “newbies,” from the village of Panamiquip, are currently refining their technical skillset and installing their own hives and apiary equipment in anticipation for next season.  

Although the groups work as separate cooperatives in their own communities, they come together as an association under the name of Aj Tikonel Kab’ to sell their products. They also joined together in December to celebrate the New Year, discuss their advances and challenges, and develop their vision and goals for 2015.  

Working together as an association can be difficult because it involves mutual investment in equipment and knowledge sharing but Michelle Sims, Pueblo a Pueblo’s Project Manager, shared the benefits it has for beekeepers. “There’s strength in numbers,” she said.  “They’ll be able to work and learn together, produce more together, and eventually sell more honey together.”

All three community participants are glad to be working together and are excited to see the fruits of their labor from a truly cooperative and collaborative project. They now have new skills and improved livelihoods to support their families and their future.  

Jillian Severinski joined our team after completing a three-month internship with our Pathways to Literacy project. She'll be taking on the role as Communications Coordinator for the first half of 2015. 

I arrived in Santiago Atitlan in the middle of September as the rainy season was coming to an end. Starting as an intern with Pueblo a Pueblo, I was interested to see how an international not-for-profit organization works in a developing country.  I was also very excited to practice my Spanish and complete a life goal of living abroad.

Prior to my trip to Guatemala, I was working as a community organizer in central Illinois.  So what motivated me to intern with Pueblo a Pueblo, as opposed to the many other not-for-profits operating in Central America, was their emphasis on working with partners to create sustainable solutions to localized problems.

As an intern I was able to assist several of Pueblo a Pueblo’s projects and see the immediate effects of their work. My favorite memories are my mornings spent at the recently constructed school library in Chacaya, where I helped catalogue the freshly minted, incoming books, and share in the students’ excitement of discovering the world around them through reading. I was also inspired by the Organic School Gardens project and the children’s passion for locally-grown food and environmental protection.

It was also rewarding to help with the Maternal Child Health and Family Planning Champions projects, where mothers are alleviated the extra burden of worrying about healthcare for themselves and their children, and whose lives are forever changed through education on healthy living.

Some other tasks and responsibilities included data collection on the School Nutrition project and assisting on communication tasks, so those of us on the ground can keep you updated and informed on what’s happening in the organization.

However, what I found to be most unique and inspiring about Pueblo a Pueblo is how they work as co-creators and equal partners with local Guatemalans to empower entire communities, especially women and children. Pueblo a Pueblo emphasizes the training and development of their beneficiaries, so that they can become local leaders and eventually sustain projects independently. This is not always the norm for international not-for-profits, and it could not happen without the collaboration and involvement of local staff and members from the community.    

I’m happy to say that over the course of three months, Santiago Atitlan, which first appeared as foreign, dreary, and rainy, became home. Every day I am inspired by Pueblo a Pueblo’s multicultural and enthusiastic staff and I am proud to return in January as their newest employee.