By Mark Skeith | Visitor
Empowering Pío & Defending Pepe
As I arranged my visit to APROSADSE in San Martín Jilotepeque, Guatemala, I wondered if I would be able to brush the dust off my Español skills to interact with an organization that is comprised entirely of local Guatemalans that have lived in San Martín since birth. After a wonderful day long visit to this project, however, my fears of stumbling through conversations gradually turned into a clear realization that this native-run development organization has the power to support its community in ways that are simply impossible for outside organizations.
The day started bright and early with me standing outside a church in a Guatemalan town I had never been to before looking for a Guatemalan man I had never met before. After a few awkward encounters introducing myself to random strangers who fit the description of APROSADSE’s Executive Director, Gervacio Atz Jichá, I did finally link up with him. During our car ride to San Martín, he described the organization’s history starting with its birth in 1975 in the middle of the brutal civil war, which was particularly rough in western highland communities like San Martín. After pointing out that that the other two co-founders disappeared during the civil war, Gervacio summarized a 34 year career of dedication to his community.
Arriving at the APROSADSE office, I was welcomed by ten members of the organization staff who were very eager to deliver PowerPoint presentations detailing the organization’s various development activities in healthcare, environment, education, women empowerment, and micro finance. With my limited Español, I naturally focused my attention on the presentations’ pictures of female entrepreneurs receiving training at workshops, children receiving vaccinations, farmers signing loan documents, and animals eating clean food at San Martín farms. I didn’t need my Español to understand that this organization provides crucial support to the community in a variety of ways.
After a lunch that included delicious stewed chicken, fried plantains, and some fiery shots of Cusha (Guatemala’s take on moonshine), the staff took me out to some farms that had received loans over the past couple of years. One pig farmer named Pío and his 280lb pig stud, Pepe, demonstrated APROSADSE’s importance:
Pío was the type of man who wore his sense of humor on his sleeve if, of course, he happens to be wearing a shirt. After some heavy chuckles and a tour of the facility, I asked him why APROSADSE loans are important to him, and he answered “porque puedo recibirlos” (because I can receive them). For Pío, these loans are not just important because he enjoys lower interest rates than the banking industry offers or because he is granted longer repayment periods than banks typically allow. This extension of financing is absolutely essential because farmers like Pío simply cannot get loans from banks. In this area of Guatemala, there are no credit bureaus that record Pío’s financial history, and these local banks do not have the resources to develop a personal relationship with him either. This is exactly where APROSADSE comes into the picture because they know and trust him just as he knows and trusts them. Our visit seemed to be more like a call to an old friend’s place than a professional inspection of facilities.
For Pepe, APROSADSE’s loans ensure that his farmer will be able to take care of him. Because Pío can afford to provide cleaner facilities and safer food, he has seen a significant decrease in animal losses due to disease. And because he can afford to maintain an adequate stock of pigs, he does not force unnatural levels of production out of animals like Pepe. Pío also mentioned that he recently practiced administering a vaccination to a pig under professional supervision at an APROSADSE clinic so that he didn’t have to try it out himself on Pepe. Not only is APROSADSE empowering Pío to create a business, but they are also protecting Pepe as they advocate sustainable farming techniques.
This dual theme of vitality and sustainability runs through all APROSADSE’s activities, but I believe they are truly effective because they personally know farmers like Pío and sincerely care for animals like Pepe. This welcoming group of Guatemalans refused to let a simple language barrier prevent me from understanding all the wonderful work they were doing in their community. And, I thank them for such a wonderful visit!
If you would like to support these Guatemalans as they help their neighbors, please visit their project page at: www.globalgiving.org/1660
When asked what she would tell her friends about this project, Mark said: "Great: They are making a difference."
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