In the most remote mountainous regions, hours by 4wd vehicle on formidable roads, Agros searches for the glowing flickers of resilience and hope among the poorest-of-the-poor: people who don’t even reach the bottommost rung of the World Bank Poverty Measurement Ladder.
Many families in the Ixil Region of Guatemala exist on $0.47/day – drastically below the category of “Extreme Poverty” (i.e. 1.90 int’l dollars/per day). Yet, even in the ashes of misery, poor health, malnutrition, and the heavy burden of day-laboring, there burn some fiery embers…human beings with a zeal for life, a willingness to work hard, and hope for the future. These are those who rise up to seize the hand of partnership from Agros International, to learn new ways in agriculture, health care, hygiene, education, and leadership.
Teresa-Erica is one such young woman. A recent beneficiary of the Health Start program launched by Agros, her upgraded home boasts a poured cement floor, a tidy bedroom, and efficient kitchen with vented stove and running water. Household water & waste is funneled to a nearby compost pit, which fertilizes the well-protected garden she tends, growing food for the family and for market.
Teresa-Erica was dressed like the successful businesswoman she is, with her healthy two-year-old son playing energetically around the yard. She was able to enroll herself and her baby in the new Healthy Start program at the village clinic, where he has been monitored in height/weight and received healthy nutritious meals/supplements/feeding since birth. His mother notes that he is on track with the Growth Chart: he is much more healthy/energetic than his older sister, who didn’t have such an opportunity at his age. Wearing the beautifully colorful traditional woven skirt and blouse of her village, Teresa-Erica proudly beams as she shares about the improvements to her family’s situation.
Her son’s respiratory ailments vanished after the dirt floor was replaced. Their home is able to be clean! They all feel stronger, now that they have purified water and healthy food. And she is dreaming of (and working toward) more future opportunities. She is a passionate, energetic volunteer in the community, a noticeable leader who inspires & encourages those around her. She had a spark, which has become a fire!
Just down the lane, her neighbors live in a miserable shack with a dirt floor – home to nine adults and three children. Chaos rules, inside and out. The unused & never-connected government-provided stove stands awkwardly in a corner of the hovel, while a cooking fire crackles nearby, on the floor in the center of the room, sending wafts of smoke up to the ceiling and into every breath of air. Overhead, the interior of the roof drips with creosote, while the numerous-as-stars holes predict rain will not be kept at bay.
Haphazard piles of belongings and garbage lie stuffed into every area – no organization, care, rhyme, or reason…no designated personal space nor peaceful retreat. Outside, we gather near the Growth Chart hanging on the exterior ramshackle wall…the children are receiving health & education services. The owners hang their heads, averting our gaze as the guide interprets the answers to the many questions about their life. Little mention is made of plans, accomplishments, hopes, or dreams. Other than the fire smoldering inside, it’s difficult to detect a spark. This family will need innovational support measures.
Agros programs continue to reach out into the remote rural areas of Guatemala & neighboring countries searching for ways to bring hope and a path to prosperity.
The infusion of services into established poor villages is bringing profound change, as participants learn & experience success and improvement… people like Teresa-Erica, who then turn to include, inspire, encourage, lead, and mentor their neighbors on the journey.
This blog post was written by Karen Weber, an early childhood education specialist and wife to Board Member, Mark Weber. Her reflections in this post came from the recent Board of Director trip to the Ixil region to visit several Agros villages and see the progress made throughout the villages and how many projects are ahead of us.
We thank Karen for her reflection, participation, and prayers. We ask you to join us in the same.
Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions and follow us on social media to stay updated.
Blessings.
Karen and her husband Mark are long-time supporters of Agros. Mark currently serves on the Board of Directors. On their most recent trip to Guatemala they were able to see firsthand the transformation happening in the programs established there.
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