Surveys

For the past couple months since I’ve been back in Guatemala, most of my work has been committed to a big grant for a government subsidiary. Felipe and I have seen work days turn into work nights writing and re-writing different sections of this complex proposal. We dedicate hours to find the best way to sell Ak’Tenamit’s alternative, vocational curriculum. We try to paint the picture of what the Río Dulce looked like twenty years ago from an education perspective. We paint the picture of what it looks like today. We draw on parallels between the Río before the days of Ak’Tenamit and the current situation in the villages of Alta Verapaz and El Petén. We make the case that the government can take a concrete step in improving the situation for indigenous communities in one of the most impoverished regions of the country.

This work is all part of something grandiose. But sometimes while sitting in front of a computer screen for hours on end and forgetting the meaning of the word weekend, I get lost. Having spent a year working at our first school involved in the day-to-day activities of the students and community members, it’s easy to forget how important a role grant writing plays in the world of development.

This past week, though, I got a chance to get back to working with the communities. Our first trip to Cancuén gave me the opportunity to meet some members of the surrounding villages of Cancuén. This trip helped to develop some of those relationships further as many of the same members were back this past week accompanied by their neighbors to meet Ak’Tenamit’s Board of Directors. Four members of the Board traveled with several other representatives of the organization to explain in more detail our plans for the area, give the villagers a chance to ask questions and fulfill one of the grant’s requirements: an environmental impact survey.

In order to show our appreciation for their taking the time to meet with us, we invited them to a bowl of sak’iq – a traditional hen soup. After listening to the Board and asking their questions, the sixty invitees sat down individually to participate in the survey. The results were overwhelmingly positive. It seems the communities took to heart what the Board had to say and were encouraged by the fact that the organization took their opinions into consideration. This, after all, is the land of empty promises. For Felipe and me, this was the first big trip out to Ak’Tenamit that we organized. It could have gone a little more smoothly, but as we drove home, he and I shared a moment of silent admiration and appreciation for the support that so many had offered that weekend. One step closer, we thought.