Saturday, June 22, 2013

Stuck between a rock and a hard place

Hello! Its been a while. Life has been hectic, but only in the best sort of way. I have guided two groups and this past week we had none! It has been a refreshing break before the flood gates open. Starting Saturday, we will anywhere from one to four groups with us until August 10th. Let the countdown begin! I'm thinking it will be like waitressing through the dinner rush except the dinner rush lasts 24 hours a day for the next 2 months. . . If you don't hear from me for a while its because I have collapsed somewhere.
Although the work is busy and I feel as though I'm on stage a lot (with translating, giving instructions, informing people of their daily itinerary, etc.) I am able to share in the most amazing experiences. I get to watch lives being changed every time I am in the community. I get to see women making decisions for them. And under the thumb of Guatemala's machismo culture, that is a huge deal!
I am lucky though, to be surrounded by tons of strong Guatemalan women. They all shine like beacons of hope for me and the Mayan women they seek to mobilize. Every single one of these women impresses me as they have overcome so much to stay strong and to be the rock for their family. There is one woman in particular that I have found to be my inspiration and when I am feeling unfocused I try to think of her. This woman tried to follow her husband illegally to the United States three times, one of those times almost dying in transit in the desert through Mexico. She still has debt accumulated from her coyote bills and although her husband was deported back to Guatemala he plans on risking it all again with the promise of a better life. The sad reality that Guatemalans and really any Latin American face is that they would rather be in their own country surrounded by their land, their friends, their family, their culture, but with little hope of a prosperous future. As I walk through the community with a the mason, Don Pauli, by my side I point to the different houses and ask about their differences. I ask, “why is this house so nice and big and this one is put together with pieces of scrap metal?” “Well that woman’s husband is in the states.”
The employees of AMA identified this woman I spoke of early of at risk and also as a great asset to our team of strong women here. Guatemala, just like every other developing country has a serious brain drain. Practically anybody with good education or ambition leaves. It’s a survival technique, but it leaves the country lacking in innovation and growth. This woman is the 3rd of three generations to be involved with AMA’s women circles. Her grandmother was an exuberant participator; her mother currently is the chef extraordinaire for AMA and makes all the lunches for groups that come to Guatemala through HSP. This woman has moved to a new community with her husband now that he is back in Guate and has started a now thriving women circle. Despite both her husband and her family not wanting her to work with the women circles she pushes on. She has become one of our strongest leaders and I am intimidated by her strength.
I have started to get to know her personally as we have been seeing a lot of each other during group season. She even let me hold her 5 month old baby Louis! My hope is that they stay put, but with her husband laying plans to return to the US I worried for her leaving too. I feel so bad that the choice even has to be made. How do determine what is best? If she tried again this time she would have to sneak her baby with her. . . The desire to keep your family together for the promise of a brighter future, but with the risk of death. . . I am just so happy to know that for the moment she is here, with her beautiful baby, changing the lives of women, and inspiring me.

On a side note I am hiking the volcano Santa Maria tonight by the light of the full moon. Pictures to come! A little indulgence before my life is consumed by groups.
http://www.quetzaltrekkers.com/guatesantamaria.html

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Guatemala is saturated with aid, but which aid is good aid?

I was able to go home last week for the funeral of my grandfather. I am so thankful I could be with my family during this time and beyond the sadness of morning my grandfather I had a wonderful time being with family and close friends. It was on my return flight to Guatemala, from Atlanta to Guatemala City, that I was overcome with the realization that Guatemala has too much foreign aid! There were 4 mission trips alone on my flight and I know for sure that there were at least 2 other flights coming into Guatemala that day from the United States. The reason I can confidently say that these were mission trips was because each "team" had their own specially made t-shirt, which each person in the group was wearing. Each t-shirt bore the cross and a verse from the bible about the mercy of Christ. I am intimately familiar with the look; I myself went on several mission trips where we were all extremely coordinated in attire. I am not sure what the appeal of that is . . . I tried to ask a member of each group what they were going to be doing for their week in Guatemala although I never made it over to ask the neon, tie-die group. Pretty much all of them had the same answer, "we will be visiting an orphanage", "bringing medicine to a really poor community", "painting a church". Now that is all good and well, but what does that "poor" community have once those mission/service/volunteer teams leave? A bottle of medicine that will run out in a month? A memory of white faces that treated them like they were poor? A building that is freshly painted, but will probably never be used because it was not that "poor" community's idea to have it there in the first place?

I am sad for both groups of people, the community that is now poorer and the group that came to "help". Please do not get me wrong, this is in reference to any group of people whether they be from a university, a church, temple, mosque, or volunteer organization. In reality the team of people that came from the states to help had all of the best intentions in mind! I cannot be upset with them for that I just wish they could see how their aid has left the community they worked in. What actually happens is people come for a week and everything is all smiles and it feels as though the team has made a world of difference in the lives of the people, but most mission/service/volunteer teams will end up giving away aid for free and where does that leave the community? The community develops the mindset, "I don't need to work, I can wait on the next hand out that comes from the next service team". These handouts leave a community that once had developed systems of support, entrepreneurial aspirations, investment in their children's education, and pride in themselves without any of those things. This type of aid reduces people to believe that they are incapable of doing for themselves, they are reduced to having zero self worth, and they don't take ownership for their community any longer. It is true that communities need help! In the organization that I work for we measure poverty not by the amount of money you make, but by the opportunities available to you. Instead of giving material things we give experiences and opportunities. Instead of giving food to a family we teach the woman of the house a skill that she can support her family on. Instead of giving medicine to a whole community we organize support systems so that relationships can be formed in which they are comfortable to ask their neighbor for help. Instead of painting a building that was our idea to erect in the first place, we work with community leaders to identify what communal problems they want addressed with some support from our organization. This puts the power back in the hands of the "poor" and they are "poor" no longer. They have their pride and they are invested in their families and communities. This might take more investment and it won't provide instant gratification, but it is the right way of doing things. As ashamed as I am about the horrid t-shirts I had to wear on the high school mission trips I am proud that my church chose to participate in mission that truly benefited the community instead of leaving it a poorer place.


If you treat this woman like she is poor she will believe it and become so.