New Lives for 150 Women of the Guatemala City Dump

This year, Creamos celebrated its thirteenth anniversary and since our founding, we have evolved into a collaboration of over 350 individuals who unapologetically challenge this status quo in pursuit of safer and healthier futures for their families and community.

This past year was a year of growth and perseverance. Creamos participants dove into 2021 with a fine tuned adaptability, creativity, and tenacity to dismantle chronic barriers to opportunity. Over 115 adult learners remained diligent through distance learning; 140 women engaged in emotional support and therapy; and to top it off, 50 Creamos artisans manufactured over 30,000 custom packaging bags, all while designing, producing, and launching the Creamos COLOR Collection.

These successes were made possible through your shared belief in our mission to propel community-driven change. Irina, a Creamos jewelry artisan, expresses her gratitude, saying: “[At Creamos,] I’ve had the opportunity to meet many people to whom I am very grateful because they believed in me. They don’t just believe in our program - they believe in us as people.” We are committed to manifesting Irina’s sentiment by believing the lived experiences of Creamos participants, deferring to local wisdom, and centering program design around participant-identified needs.

As a demonstration of this commitment, we hired four community members to our team this year in recognition of the reality that true change hinges upon local leadership. Beyond our walls, we forged relationships with neighboring nonprofits, coming together in innovative ways to share resources and promote a sense of collective action within the community surrounding the garbage dump.

Throughout 2021, we strengthened local partnerships, expanded our programming, and as always, Creamos participants displayed unyielding perseverance on their paths to self-determination. We now look forward to channeling this growth and momentum in 2022!

Many elements of Creamos, like much of Guatemala, continue to operate in virtual spaces when possible as infection rates recently peaked at the end of August with the increasing presence of the more contagious Delta variant. Currently, a little over 13% of the population of Guatemala is vaccinated. Specifically within the communities of the Guatemala City garbage dump, myths and misinformation regarding Covid-19 circulate via social media in the absence of educational resources regarding safe health practices. Added layers of religious influence, low education levels, and historical exclusion from adequate healthcare systems have resulted in hesitancy and even fear of the vaccine and a stigma of testing positive.

In efforts to counter these elements and assist their community in navigating the government’s vaccination process, Creamos participants, Lesly (pictured above), Mirna, and Maria recently participated in a community-led health training. Through their participation, they gained vital information about the virus, the vaccine, and how to respond to Covid-related questions. As a follow-up to this training, these three women, along with a staff member at Creamos, manage a list of all vaccinated community members, ensure that their friends and neighbors know when and where to receive their second dose, and reach out to those once they become eligible for the vaccine. Lesly, Mirna, and Maria meet every Monday at Creamos to review and update the list and make calls to members of the community. As respected women of Creamos, their congregations, and the larger community, these women have been key to combating layers of mistrust and misinformation that, unchallenged, would result in low vaccination rates and likely higher infection rates within the community. In a display of leadership and solidarity, they’re taking it upon themselves to make their communities brighter and healthier.