By Anna Aziza Grewe, MSW | Education Coordinator
This year at DESGUA our work in The School of Community Organizers is well underway with projects coming to completion and many others on the horizon.
2013 came to a strong start with vigorous work on our nine-year strategic plan. Thanks to a generous grant from Global Fund for Children, DESGUA has been able to hire an external consultant to guide us in the process of organizational development. As the consultancy progresses we will be posting updates on our new website.
In February, DESGUA celebrated the Mayan New Year with Mayan ceremonies and meditations, reflecting on the past year and the opportunities to strengthen our work in the communities the year ahead. In March, we had the pleasure of hosting the annual delegation of students from the Earlham College Border Studies Program. Students from this university program came on a 9-day coordinated trip in order to learn about the structural causes of migration and local economic initiatives from DESGUA and the DESGUA community network. This particular group of students left us incredibly inspired, as their commitment to working together with community members was evident in their participation in the various conferences, community visits and workshops. The visit to the eco-tourism project of La Florida was an important educational exchange for both the students and the community members. The students learned about the struggle of this campesino community to win the rights to their land, and were able to participate in the community’s harvest season. As one student wrote in their evaluation: ¨Great opportunity. The people in La Florida were welcoming and great teachers. Plus, food = A+.¨ The DESGUA team looks forward to working with La Florida this year providing continuous support through classes and visits to their eco-tourism project.
The young women from the towns of San Martín Sacatepéquez, Cajolá and San Andrés Xecul will be celebrating their graduation this month from the Technology and Participation course where they will present photo essays promoting the cultural wealth and knowledge of their communities. We look forward to sharing their work next month.
Finally, are very excited to share that we have launched the new DESGUA website. To learn more about our program areas and networks please go to www.desgua.org.
Thank you so much for supporting DESGUA’s work. Please take a moment to make a donation to help continue this important work.
With Love and Solidarity
The DESGUA team
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