Guatemala’s Banana Project
Bananas really are amazing. They are the perfect nutritious snack food wrapped in their own sanitary packaging. They have 110 nutrient-dense calories and are pure and safe enough to be a baby’s first solid food. Bananas are low in fat, cholesterol-free and a good source of potassium, dietary fibre and magnesium, as well as Vitamins B6 and C. The residents of Chuk Muk, Guatemala are incredibly fortunate that this power food grows in their sub-tropical climate. If the village had a slightly higher altitude and was not situated on a lake, they would not be able to grow bananas. In Chuk...
Read MoreCooperative Offers Hope
Just this past April, Aldea Maya fulfilled a long time dream to facilitate the formation of a Women’s Cooperative in Chuk Muk village in Guatemala. For many years we have wanted such an organization to exist, but the correct opportunity never presented itself. Why did we want/need a women’s cooperative? Chuk Muk is a huge village with no feeling of community. The inhabitants in the village have survived a 35 year civil war and a massive mudslide, after which they were transported up to 20 miles to a new village. The village is in survival mode. The women working together in the...
Read MoreWhen A Dream Becomes Reality
October 28, 2014 was one of the best days of my life. It was the Middle School graduation ceremony for 23 students in Chukumuk, Guatemala. These students, dressed in traditional Tz’utujil splendor, were so elated and their families so proud; they were one step closer to graduating high school. I am wearing a beautiful guipil (shirt) that was embroidered by the Home Economics teacher as a gift. All the students looked fantastic and so proud in their traditional clothing. To a Canadian, this does not seem an exceptional feat. However, when one considers that less than 1% graduate high...
Read MoreNutrition and the Papaya Project
Guatemala is the only country in the Caribbean, Central or South America that has chronic malnutrition. It actually has the 4th highest rate in the world. This leads to high infant mortality rates and stunting of growth. The problem is not caused by a lack of healthy foods in the market as there is an abundance, but by the poor quality of eating habits, minimal nutrition knowledge and a lack of funds to purchase food. Malnutrition is rife and there is no easy solution. It will take many years and numerous projects to make a dent in it, but you have to start somewhere. Aldea Maya started...
Read MoreA Hand Up, Not a Handout
Nestled in the highlands of Guatemala sits the new village of Chukumuk. Its inhabitants are survivors of one of the worst natural disasters in Central American history, the 2005 Panabaj Mudslide. This mudslide killed hundreds of Tzutujil Mayans, leaving many more without families, homes or belongings. The mudslide was up to 40 feet thick and half a mile wide, and decimated half of the village of Panabaj. This disaster occurred in the middle of the night and a disproportionate number of men died as they tried desperately to save fellow Mayans. Due to the size and scope of the disaster, massive...
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