Ripple Effect Program
Guatemala Trip
March 7 – 15, 2009
This is will be a “very brief” overview of the above excursion to Guatemala. Donald and Janelle White from Winnipeg who are involved in funding the Pajales School and Peter & Janet Neufeldt and Margaret and I had the good fortune of enjoying Guatemala together over these days. The Neufeldt’s and the Peters’ are part of the Rotary Club of Regina Eastview and had particular interest in visiting “our” school at El Salvador School Xolhuitz.
We had a fantastic orientation to Guatemala from our tour guide/driver/interpreter, Eduardo Hernandez, a dear friend of Alex and Gail’s and I might add, the Ripple Effect Program. From arrival on Saturday afternoon to Tuesday early afternoon we were introduced to Guatemalan and Mayan history and culture as we visited the historic City of Antigua; the market in Chichicastenango, with its adjacent Church of Santo Tomas where we witnessed the Christian faith community and the Maya Shamans practising their respective rituals in “harmony”; the tourist centre of Panajachel on the shores of Lake Atitlan, “famous for the natural reflected beauty of its three volcanoes; boating across Lake Atitlan to Santiago to appreciate more “marketing” and learn of the tragedy suffered by the people during the guerrilla wars a few short decades ago; the vegetable market in Quetzaltenango where trucks from around Central America converge to haul this produce to their own countries hundreds of miles away; and finally to Retalhuleu which served as our base for three days of school visitation. I believe this introduction to Guatemala provided an important backdrop for what we would see and experience as we visited schools around Retalhuleu and Mazatenango.
The Rotary Clubs of Retalhuleu and Mazatenango were our hosts and treated us with the greatest of warmth and appreciation. On March 10 we were guests at the regular meeting of the RC of Retalhuleu. This provided a good backdrop for what we do in the coming days and provided Canadians and Guatemalans opportunity to express our respective appreciation or the partnership developed over the past year through the coordinating effort and work of the REP in our countries. We also expressed the hope that this relationship might grow forming the basis for continuing collaboration.
The Retalhuleu Club presented us with six (6) school files they had prepared. These were schools in the area, which they deemed to be worthy of attention and should be considered for future program initiatives. A member of the club, who is an Architect, was largely responsible for preparing the content of these files, which related to structural requirements but did not contain demographic information. We visited all these schools and listened to the needs as expressed by children, parents, teachers, community leaders and, in some instances, civic officials. We also visited schools currently part of the Ripple Effect Program, namely El Salvador Xolhuitz, Caserio Guadalupe (San Filipe), and Pajales, which were managed by the RC of Retalhuleu and the Chocola school, a project managed by the RC of Mazatenango. In each instance the needs were clearly apparent although from our limited exposure there were varying degrees of urgency.
With the exception of one school, each community knew there was a delegation from Canada coming. Whether they know where Canada is, is another matter. In each instance we were welcomed with heart touching warmth. We were greeted in Xolhuitz by the school band and children waving Canadian and Guatemalan flags; in some schools we had to walk between two rows of students each line waving home made flags and shouting words of welcome; their were speeches by community leaders, parents and students alike thanking us for our interest and commitment; and as we would prepare to leave, children and parents alike would come and share an unencumbered embrace. It was like being surrounded by hundreds of grandchildren. In Xolhuitz one grade 1 student was to recite a poem. She stepped forward with microphone in hand and had her say, which we assumed was the poem. We later learned that she did not to recite the intended poem but rather chose to tell us that, “Because of you, today I learned five new words – ‘mom’, ‘dad’, and I forget the other three.” Another emotion riddled day.
One of the leaders in the Xolhuitz community spoke at length about the importance of the school and the fact that because of the Rotarians in Guatemala and Canada, their children would not be like them. They would be able to reads and write and their lives would be much enhanced. He then presented us with an official document, which gave us the authority to take pictures of their community and their children and use them for the future good of the people of Guatemala. The document contains an official seal and the signature of three people and the identified thumb-print of 12 parents in the community. A powerful testament of the community’s appreciation for good things Rotary has done.
We visited 3 more schools on our return to Guatemala City on Saturday, March 14. This was a different experience as there were virtually no children around and so it was not as easy to picture the situation as it might be on a school day.
On Saturday late afternoon we had a meeting with a group of Rotarians, the largest number were members of the Guatemala Ripple Effect Coordinating Committee. Only three of their Committee were unable to be in attendance because of other commitments. This was useful conversation as we learned something of the way in which they operate. Obviously the Retalhuleu Club should have presented the school files to their Country’s Coordinating committee, and in retrospect we should have know this from the outset. When we met with the Retalhuleu Club I asked who they related to in regard to the REP. The response was that their contacts were Alex and Gail. When I asked who it was they related to as far as the REP in Guatemala, the answer was the same – their contacts were Alex and Gail. Not a surprise to us but I think it was to Members of the Guatemalan Committee.
I apologize for the length of this paper. It was not to be so when I started. There are many stories to tell and pictures to show. However, I realize at the outset emotion is hard to convey.
Respectfully submitted
Peter