I have let my blog go silent for quite awhile but have not stop dreaming, planning, and working on how to continue helping in the Chajul region. Last May, I made a list of goals for the next six months. I have done well on three of the six, made some progress on two of the others, but haven’t yet touched the sixth. All this shows me that this is a big process, and it is accomplished by a lot of little steps. The biggest goal, and the most important one to achieve over this next year, is to come under a sister non-profit organization or to start one. Many of the steps for both options are the same so I can, “fish in both ponds” so to speak. It is a humbling process both in the daunting task of learning new skills and that of building a network of interested people. I love both the dream of assisting these people to better their life and the potential for people in the states to directly help these families, but standing in the middle of both worlds is very stretching for me. All said, I am at a crossroad of saying this is bigger than me, and I am starting to reach out for help. I am looking at this year as a year to solidify the form and direction of this organization and to prove the value and validity of these ideas. I invite you all to follow along. Enjoy the beauty and trials of life in this region. Along our journey in life, there are many ways that each of us can step in and make life better. If the opportunities presented here are of interest to you, please contact me @ mewens000centurytel.net
Here is a photo of twenty widows to whom we have been providing a monthly allotment of food. Pictured below is an example of what is provided, with about #25 of corn being the largest commodity. Sixty widows around Chel have asked for help in establishing a weaving co-op. We are going to choose seven to ten of the widows presently in the food program who are too old to work, to stay in the food program and provide $25 worth of thread to each of the 50 others.I would like to provide thread twice a year. When the women sell their weavings, a portion of what each sells would go into the co-op to help the food program. A local fair trade store in Gig Harbor, Washington is going to sell some of their wares as well as display a photo journal of the program. I want the women to elect officers to record and manage the program. We will see how this goes. The man in the red and white shirt is Higinio Asicona. He is working for the regional government in developmental aid and has been a real asset in introducing me to communities and program development. The man in the green shirt is Manuel Riviera and is a very respected leader in Chel
( see entre "las viudas de chel '08" for more)
(view "clean water '09"post for more)
Here is the start of a chicken project on which Higinio was working. Fifty meat chickens with feed and feeders cost around $100. Materials for a pen will run around $80. Sheep cost around $35 each and $15 to transport to the villages.
. In Guatemala I will be working to form a committee that will oversee the direction of future projects and the management of existing ones. I am also desiring to hire someone four or five days a month for research and reporting. The projects of pots and pans for Amechel and water for the community of Nuevo Puntos are still on the “to do” list but will have to wait for funding. I am looking forward to deepening relationships and clarifying how we can turn this effort into a real, working organization. I worry about the “bumps in the road” that always come, but, if life is nothing else, it is a journey. I would really enjoy feedback so if you have any ideas or suggestions please e-mail me. If you are interested in helping, let’s get connected. I know this year our economy is very slow, but imagine spinning a world globe, then randomly put your finger on a spot to stop it. Chances are the things that we might have to cut back on are things that the people that live where you are pointing will never even have the chance to experience. Good shoes, a good job, enough food, education, clean tap water or a shower are luxury items in many places.We still have the opportunity to share and make a difference in this world. I encourage you to find a way to do just that. Plant a seed and watch it grow. We can’t change the world or can we?
When Forrest died in Afghanistan he left me $10,000. Last year we used this money to buy 22 cows, one freezer, a table saw and some carpentry tools, materials for a concrete floor, 50 fence post and some other building materials for the people of Chajul. A little more was added, and we have been feeding twenty widows for the last ten months, bought a gas stove for a family, some blankets, shoes, and clothes. My family and some of Forrest’s friends pooled together and funded a well for 500 people in Afghanistan. I realize that my son gave me the seed money to pursue a dream of helping in regions of extreme poverty and need. With a high cost, he has planted a precious seed. With careful cultivation I want to watch it grow. By investing in a cow here, or a chicken there, clean water for a community, or just standing by someone in their struggle, I would like to see a garden grow. I would like to form an organization or sub chapter with one and name it “Seeds of Hope.” Doing this will form a bridge that we could use to reach directly into these lives and lend a helping hand. I don’t know what the future holds and even though this last year might have been hard, it was a good one. I look forward to planting some more seeds this years and seeing what grows
En camino sacrado Michael Departure date January 27th 2009 Return March 27th
For more about Forrest see the post "Thank-you Forrest '09"
Here is a photo of twenty widows to whom we have been providing a monthly allotment of food. Pictured below is an example of what is provided, with about #25 of corn being the largest commodity. Sixty widows around Chel have asked for help in establishing a weaving co-op. We are going to choose seven to ten of the widows presently in the food program who are too old to work, to stay in the food program and provide $25 worth of thread to each of the 50 others.I would like to provide thread twice a year. When the women sell their weavings, a portion of what each sells would go into the co-op to help the food program. A local fair trade store in Gig Harbor, Washington is going to sell some of their wares as well as display a photo journal of the program. I want the women to elect officers to record and manage the program. We will see how this goes. The man in the red and white shirt is Higinio Asicona. He is working for the regional government in developmental aid and has been a real asset in introducing me to communities and program development. The man in the green shirt is Manuel Riviera and is a very respected leader in Chel
( see entre "las viudas de chel '08" for more)
PROJECT TWO--- Water for Xesayi. This is a community of 22 families for whom we have been studying how to provide drinking water. In June, Higinio brought an architect to this village to look at the springs and work on a design. He provided this service for only the cost of transportation as payment. It was good to bring another perspective into the picture. The estimantes for this project have been varied a lot, with my projection landing in between Higinio’s and the architect’s. I have a friend who is researching using Ultra-Violet light to purify water from a nearby stream. This would eliminate a lot of piping. Rites of passages for the water have been cleared, but we are not yet solid on a budget. After some meetings and research, I hope to plow ahead with this project. The local community will supply labor and set up a maintenance committee, and I will provide materials and hire a mason to oversee the tank construction. Each of the choices for the water supply are higher in elevation, so this system will be gravity fed into a storage tank and then distributed to each house. One hose bib with clean water can make a huge difference to ta home. Below are some of the children of Xesayi in the “town center”. This village is just a fifteen-minute walk from Chel and sets on the side of a hill with a precious view. The building behind the kids is their school. Below and to the right are some of the men from this village after a meeting in Chel.
(view "clean water '09"post for more)
Project Three--- Giving people the ability to provide for themselves is one of the greatest gifts we can offer. It puts their future in their hands. It lets them dream and work to reach those dreams. In Guatemala the patience level required for bettering you life or the life of your family is totally different. Parents are willing to work hard, taking small steps with the hope that their children will have a better future. For this reason, I believe offering income generating programs is a great investment. We are trying to provide programs that require an investment by the recipient and multiply the original gift. We will develop and offer a small animal project this year. I do not have a lot of money for this right now so we will offer one of the small communities a program of sheep or chickens. The cow program that we started last year was very well received, and the regional government has used the same model to provide 200 cows in the Chajul region. Small gifts in this direction can really change the future for a family. I will post the details after some meetings with the local leaders. ( for more on the cows see "Operacion Bendicion '08")
Here is the start of a chicken project on which Higinio was working. Fifty meat chickens with feed and feeders cost around $100. Materials for a pen will run around $80. Sheep cost around $35 each and $15 to transport to the villages.. In Guatemala I will be working to form a committee that will oversee the direction of future projects and the management of existing ones. I am also desiring to hire someone four or five days a month for research and reporting. The projects of pots and pans for Amechel and water for the community of Nuevo Puntos are still on the “to do” list but will have to wait for funding. I am looking forward to deepening relationships and clarifying how we can turn this effort into a real, working organization. I worry about the “bumps in the road” that always come, but, if life is nothing else, it is a journey. I would really enjoy feedback so if you have any ideas or suggestions please e-mail me. If you are interested in helping, let’s get connected. I know this year our economy is very slow, but imagine spinning a world globe, then randomly put your finger on a spot to stop it. Chances are the things that we might have to cut back on are things that the people that live where you are pointing will never even have the chance to experience. Good shoes, a good job, enough food, education, clean tap water or a shower are luxury items in many places.We still have the opportunity to share and make a difference in this world. I encourage you to find a way to do just that. Plant a seed and watch it grow. We can’t change the world or can we?
When Forrest died in Afghanistan he left me $10,000. Last year we used this money to buy 22 cows, one freezer, a table saw and some carpentry tools, materials for a concrete floor, 50 fence post and some other building materials for the people of Chajul. A little more was added, and we have been feeding twenty widows for the last ten months, bought a gas stove for a family, some blankets, shoes, and clothes. My family and some of Forrest’s friends pooled together and funded a well for 500 people in Afghanistan. I realize that my son gave me the seed money to pursue a dream of helping in regions of extreme poverty and need. With a high cost, he has planted a precious seed. With careful cultivation I want to watch it grow. By investing in a cow here, or a chicken there, clean water for a community, or just standing by someone in their struggle, I would like to see a garden grow. I would like to form an organization or sub chapter with one and name it “Seeds of Hope.” Doing this will form a bridge that we could use to reach directly into these lives and lend a helping hand. I don’t know what the future holds and even though this last year might have been hard, it was a good one. I look forward to planting some more seeds this years and seeing what growsEn camino sacrado Michael Departure date January 27th 2009 Return March 27th
For more about Forrest see the post "Thank-you Forrest '09"
No comments:
Post a Comment