Always Better Together
The women in the remote Northern community of Nueva Aurora know that their differences are not as important as that which makes them stronger: their determination and unity in the face of challenges.
Most of the men work at palm oil farms in the area, so the women are in charge of everything related to keeping their households running: children, livestock, kitchen gardens, marketing. In fact, because their village is so far from the nearest community, their work at growing food is essential to the wellbeing of all. Living this way isn’t easy.
But right from the moment that World Renew began interacting with one particular group of women, they realized that they had something special going for them: teamwork.
These neighbor women were looking for opportunities to learn more about agriculture so they would be able to produce more food and improve their living conditions. When they started working and being trained together on different topics, they showed that their will to succeed was strong. Together they’ve learned a lot about growing vegetables in home kitchen gardens and starting chicken-raising groups. They recently received training in making organic fungicides and foliar fertilizers. An example of the latter is a mix of cattle manure, ash, whey, molasses and yeast that’s fermented in order to achieve good uniformity for applying to the leaves of certain plants. Making these inputs at home helps them save money by using locally-available resources.
Zoila, a women’s-group leader, said, “Our experience has been very good. They have helped us improve our gardens and income and create more food sources. We’re so grateful. We’re also very united as women in this community. We’re stronger than ever because we have been through a lot together. Even though we’ve sometimes had our differences – who hasn’t? – we’ve learned that we can have a greater impact on our outcomes if we work together. We encourage each other, and we don’t let anyone give up.”
In short, they’re committed to the development of their families and community and are an inspiration to their children and husbands. Their results are proof of their effectiveness.
Guatemala Sayaxché Program
Led by World Renew