Author Archives: OB Volunteer

Musings from abroad

Posted on October 13, 2011 by OB Volunteer Leave a comment

As a volunteer with OB since early September, I’m a little delayed on posting about life’s trials and tribulations in Guatemala. Blame it on the persistent rain and now, the widespread damage to all roads leading in and out of Panajachel. While the rains haven’t exactly affected my internet connection or work responsibilities, I do suggest you check out photos of the mudslides that have destroyed homes and left our queridas facilitators stranded in Pana, unable to return to their families until the roads are cleared.

Preamble aside, I’ve decided to switch things up in this post. Instead of recounting my experience in Panajachel, our Field Supervisor, Lucia Chavez, shares some observations about her recent trip to the United States with OB community members Rosa F. Garcia (Patanatic) and Yolanda Calgua (Quiejel) and Executive Director Ramona Kirschenman. The four women returned to Guatemala last week after a whirlwind trip to the Midwest where Rosa and Yolanda presented their beautiful rugs at the Anderson Center exhibition “Mary Anne Wise & Friends: The Art of the Hooked Rug.” In addition to the exhibition arranged by Mary Anne Wise and Jody Slocum, the women also visited the Minneapolis Institute of Art to view huipiles (traditional blouses) from the early 20th century, attended a Hot Flashes concert and mass at the Minneapolis Basilica, gave presentations at the Textile Center and University of Wisconsin (Eau Claire), met with Native American women, and reunited with former OB volunteer and Watson Fellow Mady Kreider Carlson. And of course, there was the requisite trip the Mall of America and a roller coaster ride.

And now, Lucia tells us how strange Americans really are or in her words, “not at all.” By now she’s used to their peculiarities after having worked with many Americans in OB. “One of the things that surprised me about the people (in the United States) is that they were proud of us, proud of walking with us. They appreciated and valued our presence. It’s incredible; there was a strong connection even with those who could not speak to us (in Spanish). They expressed everything with a smile and without any words there is so much to be said.” This connection was something Lucia mentioned over and over again and while it certainly reflects her warm demeanor (we’ve bonded right?), she believes there is more to it. For her, it’s the act of opening ourselves up and inviting others into our lives that creates a resilient bond. She added, reflecting on the difference between Mady she knew in Guatemala and the Mady she saw on this trip, “in the United States she has a car and a relatively comfortable life, but she came to Guatemala. She walked with us through the rain, shivering. One feels the harmony between people – when you come here to share with us and when we go to the United States. I was welcomed and cared for.” Impressive to know that Americans are regarded as friendly and welcoming…Perhaps it’s just the Midwesterners.

Another important memory from the trip was the visit to the Textile Center.  While viewing ceremonial huipiles from the 1950s, Lucia “wanted to cry. It was incredible – one feels an energy seeing these relics that are so well preserved. I never knew a place like this existed when I was younger and now I want my daughters to have the same opportunity. We cannot go to a museum like the Textile Center in Guatemala and while on the one hand it’s disheartening, I see how these things are looked after in the United States and I am not sure that would happen in Guatemala.” The opportunity to see historic Guatemalan artifacts underscored Lucia’s commitment to her children’s education. For her, the lack of opportunity and more importantly, the lack of knowledge have impeded development in Guatemala and for that reason; she wants her children to learn as much as possible in order to have opportunities and advocate change.

Having missed her children so much, Lucia returned not only with the loving embrace of a mother, but with presents: “I brought back a few stones from the Mississippi and gave them to each one of my children. I told them that there were responsible for returning the stones one day.” Until they make it back to the Mississippi, Lucia’s children will take care of their presents and their mom now that she’s finally home.

- Lucia and Shilpa

Guatemala, OB Blog , ,

Election Realities

Posted on September 22, 2011 by OB Volunteer Leave a comment

It has been about two weeks since I first started working at Oxlajuj B’atz’ (OB).  As a political science undergraduate and a current graduate student of international affairs, I was excited to arrive in Guatemala just prior to the presidential elections. Immediately coming out of the airport I was bombarded by campaign signs of different candidates that were enormous and plastered nearly every two feet down each street I passed. I was surprised, yet excited, to see so many female candidates on the posters for both president and vice president in a country that is known for its machismo (and also saddened for my own country that we do not empower more women to seek executive office).  Once I reached Panajachel, a town on Lake Atitlan where OB is stationed, I saw groups of young people running together wearing matching  t-shirts of different political parties and felt like I was constantly followed by tuk-tuks or trucks that played campaign jingles repetitively down the streets. On the actual election day I saw hundreds of people wait in lines for up to three hours to cast their vote. I thought this is really what democracy in action looks like, as there were so many more people visibly involved in campaigning and very determined to participate in the elections than I have ever seen in my home country.

Later, at my first staff meeting at OB, I heard accounts from our community facilitators who led voter education trainings prior to the elections and I learned about the reality of elections in Guatemala. Lucia, one community facilitator, asked a group of women, “How much do you think your vote is worth?” One woman responded “10 Quetzales” and another “100 Quetzales.” (roughly $1.25 US or $13 US) Lucia explained that if you sell your vote and so does another person for another candidate, then it as if your vote did not count at all. Therefore, by selling your vote, your vote was in fact worthless. Facilitators also eased the fears of many women who were scared that their vote would be recorded and could have repercussions if they did not vote for a certain party. In a country with such a torment history of violence stemming from a 36 year civil war, the legacies of such fear, mistrust, and uncertainty still run very deep. However, through the work of OB with its amazing community facilitators that go out into the rural communities and educate women about the history of women’s suffrage in Guatemala and their civic rights and responsibilities, this fear is slowly being eroded and a stronger more vibrant democracy is growing in Guatemala.  Societies are at their strongest when all members of the community are active citizens, and while the programs of OB focus on empowering women, they contribute to the development of Guatemala as a whole by building civic leaders from the other half of society, the side that is sadly frequently marginalized.

My time at OB is just beginning, but I have already learned so much from the women that I work with. From day one, I was welcomed with open arms and invited to join and participate in team discussions about issues from the future of OB to how to conduct demographic surveys as part of an evaluation project. I came into OB with an open mind that this would help support my studies, which are focused on gender and development; however, in just a short time I have learned far more than I ever could in a classroom and I am very excited to continue working here, learning from the other women, and exploring the fascinating country of Guatemala!

 –Beth Davis

Guatemala, OB Blog ,

Ethical dilemmas

Posted on July 19, 2011 by OB Volunteer Leave a comment

Though the past six weeks have been incredible, my fellowship with Oxlajuj B’atz’ and Nest has not been without challenges – with the most difficult challenge being navigating the fine line between exploitation and assistance that constantly overshadows this – and all other – forms of development work.

One of the major ethical dilemmas I’ve had is regarding the process of obtaining testimonials and life-histories of the women artisans, which we’re doing to help connect Western consumers to the indigenous artisans producing their products. Ananya Roy, one of my past professors and Founder of the Global Poverty and Practice Minor at Berkeley, called this type of work the “prostitution of poverty” – while the end goal is admirable – and beneficial to the women – this process can also be seen as a form of exploitation, as we’re taking sad stories of the lives and hardships of the women artisans and using them to get funding and support and to help sell their products. The sad truth has been that in each interview, Darcy and I are actively seeking examples of hardships the women have overcome, or of the poverty and challenges that they’re constantly undergoing – because in the business of poverty and development, these are the stories that sell.

Obtaining consent from one of the artisans to use her story and image online

Another dichotomy I’ve struggled with since arriving is the goal of alternative trade organizations – like Nest and Oxlajuj B’atz – to preserve indigenous culture and history while at the same time opening up indigenous producers to new and expanded markets for increased profits. Even within the alternative trade sector, organizational models and

missions vary greatly. For example, Oxlajuj B’atz’ places a much greater focus on empowerment and capacity-building of the Mayan artisans themselves, and directly providing an expanded market for the artisans’ products –through the Fair Trade store – is only a small part of the overall mission. Organizations such as Maya Hands, Maya Traditions, and Nest, however, are more focused on international exports and thus play a greater role in directing the artisans in their designs and production process. Each model has its own pros and cons. Whereas outside organizations increasing their involvement in the actual production process can help make the products more profitable and sellable to an expanded market – for example, by improving quality, efficiency, or desirability to consumers – doing so can be seen as a form of unnecessary control, exploitation, or suppression of creativity, and can degrade the unique cultural and traditional qualities to the products. The challenge is seeking a balance between all of these factors, in a non-exploitative, sustainable, and efficient manner.

Lety, one of OB's amazing community facilitators, leading a catalog workshop for the Morales cooperative

As my summer in Guatemala quickly comes to a close, I’ve been reflecting a lot on these and other concerns that have been brought to my attention over the past six weeks. I started thinking about these issues this past semester at Berkeley, as I put together a literature review concerning the impact of fair trade and microfinance on the indigenous Maya in Guatemala, but nothing can really compare to the experience of throwing yourself head-first into a project, making personal connections, and seeing the way things truly are on the ground – rather than making assumptions based on something you’ve seen, read, or heard from an outside source.

-Nikki Brand, 2011 Nest/Oxlajuj B’atz’ Summer Fell0w

Build a Nest, Guatemala, OB Blog

Reflection from the Most Comfortable Couch in the World

Posted on June 29, 2011 by OB Volunteer Leave a comment

Only in Guatemala would I spend six hours on a couch doing absolutely nothing, and not feel like I was missing out on life. Granted, this is not any ordinary couch- it has been deemed by Eddie Branchaud to be the most comfortable couch in the world. I agree, but that’s not why I sat there for so long last Saturday. This couch rests ten feet away from the shore of Lake Atitlan, giving its occupants miles of glassy water, three volcanoes, endless sky and multi-colored clouds to ponder. In the midst of all that is happening down here, all the exciting but exhausting adventures we’re having, the endlessly stimulating but circular conversations about development and microfinance, I desperately needed a day to sort out my thoughts. So I take back the assertion that I was doing absolutely nothing- I really spent six hours attempting the impossible task of making sense of this place.

Oxlajuj B'atz
If I had seven years, or ten, or fifty, Guatemala would continue to surprise me. My aunt, (of a connection too complicated to mention here,) came to Panajachel about 30 years ago and never left. That seems to be the trend here- people come from America, Europe Asia to travel or work with an NGO, and unexpectedly fall in love. Not necessarily with one person. I have fallen fast and hard for everything about this country: the tenacity and drive that women we work with demonstrate by commuting two hours both ways to a more than 9 to 5 job; the energy of grassroots change evident in a newly-stamped Wesleyan sticker on a local restaurant window; the respect that locals and expats alike have for one another and for the beautiful place they live in. Guatemala stuns me, enraptures me, intimidates me, and amazes me at the same time. Deciding on one emotion at any moment is a difficult task, and this weekend I finally had time to allow myself to think about the roots of all these feelings.

When I think about why I admire the women we work with so much, a couple moments from the past two weeks come to mind. First a little bit about how OB’s work: the staff includes four community facilitators and two interns, all of whom are indigenous women and speak Spanish and either Kakchiquel or Tzu’tujil. Most of them have earned or are working towards degrees in social work, and are incredibly innovative and dedicated. They each are responsible to facilitate OB’s work with a number of our 20 communities, designing and teaching workshops about business, health, art, and democracy. Last week we accompanied one facilitator Letty and an intern Veronica to three different communities. The visit was supposed to be a follow-up on a medicinal plant workshop Letty had taught the women last month, but when we arrived in one community we discovered the women had not prepared their gardens for planting like they were supposed to. Letty is an educated young women with a complex, high-paying job; but the goal of that day was to get the plants in the ground, so Letty spent six hours in the hot sun, wearing her long traditional wipil, digging up stones and tilling soil. There is nothing she wouldn’t do to help the women in her communities, as every facilitator here would do for theirs.

OB Blog

Veronica preparing a garden

Sometime in the midst of planting six gardens a day Letty still found time to coordinate interviews between Nikki and me and the women, and to sit down with us to translate between Spanish and Kakchiquel. The facilitators here have all taken our project seriously, and have gone out of their way to help us in any way they can. Whether through bonding in the gardens or laughing over chile rellenos at a staff lunch, Nikki and I have somehow ceased to be the foreign interns and have become part of the team. We were invited to sit in on their meeting to develop the next workshop, the goal of which will be to teach the women artisans about the importance of a catalog. Growing up in the Western commercial culture, Nikki and I have more knowledge about what makes a good catalog and how to design one. Knowing this, the facilitators integrated us into the workshop, asking our opinions, listening to our answers. We gave them the help that we could, and in turn they showed us the process they go through every time they develop a workshop.

OB Blog

Letty translating in an interview

Helping out in a developing country is a difficult balance of giving enough and yet not imposing lofty ideas that fall apart on the ground. OB’s mission is not to hand indigenous women a better life, but to give them the tools necessary to make it themselves. Nikki and I and Ramona and Andrea have valuable skills that we can teach our community facilitators; but they themselves are the heart of OB, and they carry energy that makes the organization successful. In the catalog meeting it was clear that Lucia, the field supervisor, has not only had years upon years of experience teaching indigenous women about new concepts and but is also extremely good at it. Nikki and I might know how to design a catalog, but Lucia knows exactly how to explain things in terms the indigenous women, who have never seen or heard of a catalog before, can understand. In that meeting I glimpsed the energy of grassroots change that subtely drives Pana forward, embodied in the beautiful women like Lucia and Letty that we are fortunate enough to work with every day.

Sometime during those six hours of reflection, sitting on the most comfortable couch looking out at the most spectacular view in the world, I realized that the key to developing Guatemala is not to get a thousand or even a million volunteer workers to come build hospitals and schools. As Lucia always says, the change must come from within. If I can pass on the skills I learned in 14 years of schooling in the US to young women like Letty, it can only help her mission of educating the women in her communities. But she will be the one they will lean on when they emotional or financial support, and she will change Guatemala one community at a time in a way an outsider cannot.

Darcy Andrews, 2011 Nest/Oxlajuj B’atz’ Summer Fell0w

Build a Nest, OB Blog

Patience, Flexibility, and Preparation

Posted on June 17, 2011 by OB Volunteer Leave a comment

Patience, flexibility, and preparation – in my two weeks working with Nest and Oxlajuj B’atz’ so far this summer, these are a few things that I’ve learned are always critical when working with any NGO. To gather the information for a production guide, look book, and marketing collateral for Nest and Oxlajuj B’atz’, Darcy and I are hoping to visit each of the 20 artisan communities that OB works with – but scheduling these visits has been much harder than we anticipated.

OB visits each community no more than once per month, and the artisans in each community have so many other obligations that scheduling extra time to meet with Darcy and I has been extremely difficult. The language barrier adds another layer of difficulty to our projects, as most of the women speak predominantly their indigenous languages and very little Spanish. This means that in order to conduct our interviews, we will usually need help with translation from one of the community facilitators, assuming that they have time or are not working on another project. Moreover, we were warned that even when we are able to arrange interviews with the women, we may not be able to obtain all of the answers that we want, as the women work with so many different organizations and NGOs that identifying their relationship with one specific group – like Nest or OB – could be difficult.

So Darcy and I have been patient. Though we had originally hoped to begin our community visits at the end of last week, we have instead spent the past week honing our interview questions, compiling background information, and working on various other projects for Nest and OB, as we wait for our visits to be arranged. Yesterday morning, however, as two women from the San Juan la Laguna cooperative came in to the office for a meeting, we found ourselves scrambling to gather our materials for interviews that we had definitely not anticipated conducting.

These first interviews were a definite learning experience for both of us. Though the women were open to talking with us about their lives and their products, both expressed concern that they wouldn’t be able to answer the questions correctly, and were shy and quiet with their responses. And while both women did speak Spanish, their command of the language was somewhat limited, making it difficult for Darcy and I to understand some of their answers. Finally, we realized that while many of our questions made sense on paper, they were more difficult to comprehend when asked out loud in an interview setting, and their answers to the questions didn’t always yield the type of information we were expecting. After we thanked the women for their time, Darcy and I spent the rest of the afternoon poring over our questionnaires, asking ourselves which questions we could remove, what questions we were leaving out, and what modifications we could make to the questions to make them easier to understand, less formal, and more conducive to conversation and open answers.

Now, though we still haven’t officially scheduled any of our community visits, Darcy and I know to be ready and prepared for anything, on any given day, at any time. Though two months initially felt like a long time to finish all of the projects in our work plan, we’ve realized that amidst all of the daily interruptions, changes in plans, and day-to-day complications of working with an NGO like Oxlajuj B’atz’, patience, flexibility, and preparation are going to be critical in accomplishing all that we are hoping to do, and that inevitably, things won’t always go exactly as we have planned.

-Nikki Brand, 2011 Nest/Oxlajuj B’atz’ Summer Fell0w

Build a Nest, Guatemala, OB Blog, Panajachel, Solola , , ,

Working through the construction

Posted on June 10, 2011 by OB Volunteer Leave a comment

The Casa Kakchiquel is under construction. The sounds of drills and hammers mix with the roar of tuc-tucs driving by outside, giving one a sense of continuous motion, continuous improvement. Sitting in the shared common room in the middle of the house, where Nikki and I have set up camp, I can see wood planks being put together outside one by one, and I see every OB employee pass by on their way to and from the communities. Sometimes Oxlajuj B’atz seems to embody the space we are located in; the organization is still in the process of constructing itself, continuously moving forward with the implementation of every grass-root project that will hopefully contribute to our overall goals of development. However unlike the Casa Kakchiquel, our construction will not be completed in a couple months, or even a couple of years. Our mission will not be complete until the women’s cooperatives are self-sufficient and the education we are teaching them is self-perpetuating, but even then the women themselves will hopefully continue to evolve. For the past couple weeks I have become familiar with all of the different building blocks that make up Oxlajuj B’atz and looking for ways to continue developing them.

For example, the women recently started a new project along with Minneapolis artisan Mary Anne Wise where they were taught the art of rug-hooking, a skill previously foreign to them. By giving the women this skill not only are they receiving a new outlet for creativity, but they are also now able to increase the diversity of their projects and compete in a wider range of markets. Mary Anne Wise is holding an artisan show in Minneapolis in September, and invited two women, Rosa and Yolanda, as well as their mentor Lucia to join her. When I heard the news from Andrea that they all received visas, which for indigenous women in Guatemala can be a great challenge, I was extremely happy for them. However I did not fully feel the importance of this development until the next morning at our first staff meeting, when Lucia announced that she will officially be going to the United States for the first time in her life.

OB Photo

Darcy, Lucia, Nikki, Nancy, Andrea

Watching Lucia struggle to get the words out, I had to bite back tears. Numerous times she almost became overwhelmed by the intense emotion she clearly felt. She kept saying that she could not find a name for the emotion she was feeling, but that she felt extremely happy and extremely sad at the same time. Lucia was overjoyed because she has wanted to go to the United States ever since she was a girl, but in the midst of such an accomplishment she was crying for all “los mojados,” the Guatemalans that have suffered and died while trying to cross the border. She could not simply move forward on such a big step without reflecting on the miles that this country still needs to go so that people will not have to die while trying to attain a better life, a reminder for me of the humbling amount of work still to do here. Every aspect of our development goals at OB, including health improvement, business development, and women empowerment may be achieved for the 20 women’s cooperatives we work with because of the projects we are working on now. That is a great feeling- however it is not nearly enough. I might not be around in 5, 50, or 100 years to continue developing this community. But the young women we work with will hopefully be, as Andrea says, “the new face of Guatemala,” and the responsibility will be theirs to take what they have learned from Oxlajuj B’atz and apply it to even larger communities, maybe one day to the whole country. Only then will Lucia truly be able to be happy for achieving her life goals, without crying for those left behind.

- Darcy Andrews, 2011 Nest/Oxlajuj B’atz’ Summer Fell0w

Build a Nest, Guatemala, OB Blog

Yolanda and Rosa, Part 1: From volunteer Diane Dreyfus

Posted on June 3, 2011 by OB Volunteer Leave a comment

The following is taken from a series of blog posts from OB volunteer Diane Dreyfus, who is donating her time teaching English to two selected members, Yolanda Calgua and Rosa F. Garcia, who will travel to the U.S. in September for a rug-hooking exhibition. Read along below and follow their journey preparing for their trip on Diane’s blog, Dragoness’ Utterances, here.

Yolanda Calgua and Rosa F. Garcia are K’iche speaking Mayans. They have been selected to appear in a show called “Mary Anne Wise and Friends” opening in Minnesota’s Anderson Center.

I had volunteered with Oxlajuj B’atz’ (an educational foundation) and was delighted to learn that one of my jobs would be to teach these ladies the basics of N. American cocktail chatter.

But, wait, wait, first, they must learn to say “Hello.”

With lessons spread over 2-3 months, for Yo-Ro “success” would be if they are able to navigate public spaces, greet people and minimally discuss their work and families… Much of this instruction is done through ROTE memorization and DRILLING phrases from musicals like: “Hi my name is Rosa, what’s yours?” and “This rug is ‘Lovely absolutely Lovely.’” Read on here.

OB Blog

Xeabaj II: From Madeline Kreider Carlson

Posted on June 3, 2011 by OB Volunteer Leave a comment

The following is one in a series of posts from 2010-2011 Watson Fellow Madeline Kreider Carlson, who worked with Oxlajuj B’atz’ on an asset-mapping project in Xeabaj II. You may read her entire blog, Wanderlust: A Watson Year, here.

A couple entries ago, I mentioned that I’m working on an asset mapping project for OB. I’m still living in Panajachel, but I’ve been traveling to Xeabaj II every week to work on this project, which is part of OB’s integrative development strategy for this group. So far I’ve interviewed seven of the fourteen women in the group, using a survey that I developed that includes questions about their hopes and goals for the future, their assessment of their own skills and interests, and thoughts about the community in general. The goal, eventually, is to bolster their sense of empowerment as a group, clarify their priorities, and help them find the path toward economic independence. Read on here.

OB Blog