Rotary Spirit Thrives in Guatemala
By Ben Lowry
Just when we were all looking forward to abandoning Zoom meetings, this technology allowed us to experience a fascinating encounter with our speakers last Friday, who joined us live from Guatemala. In early 2021, Sarah Riggott and Megan Peabody started up a satellite club of our own Portland Club and, since then, this virtual club has worked with groups in Guatemala to begin efforts to help communities in Central America in their efforts to provide guidance and support programs focusing on childhood and women's needs.
As our host for this meeting, Sarah began with a brief background on Guatemala, the "Land of Trees", which basically has two seasons: wet and dry. Rich in Mayan history and culture, this country of over 17 million is delineated into regions from the northern plains, through the populated central highlands down to the heavily agricultural south, where sugar, bananas, and coffee dominate economic growth. With 41 volcanoes (4 active) and 21 Mayan dialects spoken, as well as Spanish and English, the country's diversity has been a huge draw for Sarah, who arrived in 2006. COVID has hit the country very hard, with school closures leaving over 100,000 children out of school since March of 2020, leading to a spike in malnutrition. And, with limited technology, many students have not been able to keep up with their virtual work and have chosen, or been forced by the economy, to go to work rather than continue with their educational efforts.
Sarah introduced Jessie Cohn, who is the Director of The Amigos of Santa Cruz, an organization that works within the seven villages of Santa Cruz. This non-governmental organization, or NGO, has 30 staff, with Jessie being the only non-Guatemalan, and their mission to help educate and empower both children and adults has touched not only the 141 K-6 grade students they work with, but also their families.
We heard next from Amanda Flayer, a co-founder of Puerta Abierta, an organization in the rural village of Santiago Atitlan, which is just across the lake from Jessie, which also works with the community in education and children's issues. Amanda described the traveling library, which has been expanded with Rotary grants, a program that allows sharing of books, along with activities based upon the topics in each book, that moves around the community and is spearheaded by local teachers. Puerta Abierta also works with older children with a mentoring program and the group has also begun a Mother's Artisan Group, which helps families earn a dignified income by creating and selling handmade products such as finger puppets and Christmas decorations. Professional development is yet another resource provided by Amanda and her staff, with workshops and educational institutions spread throughout the region.
Sarah gave a brief description of the agency she heads, Oroqom, a brand-new agency that works alongside grassroots organizations in the city of San Andres Itzapa, an agricultural area of about 25,000 people. Oroqom has provided much needed support for a local group, spearheaded by local legend Dona Elena, called AMUPAV, which was started by foreign donors back in 2018 but has since lost their original funding. Sarah and her group have jumped in to help the women's group with support, guidance and some funding, and they have sprung back to life with entrepreneurial efforts such as a foot loom project that has allowed women to begin earning income in an industry once dominated by men. The loom products, made with organic materials, are now being marketed worldwide with the help from some well-known designers.
An update on the Safe Passage Program was also provided by Patricia Barneond Alvarez de García-Tres. This group, founded by Bowdoin grad Hanley Denning in 1999, who spoke with Portland Rotary shortly before her tragic death in 2007, has been working with the "Dump Children" in Guatemala City and continues to provide amazing support. With pre-school and elementary experimental programs providing help to over 240 young students, the pandemic has forced a distance model onto the landscape, with students being provided with 15-day projects to work on at home, with a goal of in-person learning to begin again early in 2022. The middle school program, supporting 120 students, as well as the high school program, continue to work with students as they prepare for higher education as well as providing vocational training and even English lessons for those who need them. But the efforts of Safe Passage do not end with children, with the Next Step Program, The Adult Education Center, and a health and wellness program providing support for adults in the communities around Guatemala City, with many of its 1 million residents thankful for the care shown by these programs.
Katie Korsyn, who has been in Guatemala for eight years, works with the vendors in the central park of Antigua, forming a group called Suenos in 2014. With most of the vendors, who sell candy and fabrics, arriving with little education and language diversity from the hills above Antigua, Suenos provides support not only for the children of the vendors but for the vendors themselves, who sell illegally in the park and thus have to deal with many issues. The traveling library provided by Suenos has been primarily supported by Rotary Clubs, with our own club helping to raise the $4000 surplus that will allow 2022 to see a great increase in books and associated programs, including a pilot program that will work with teachers in training them to educate parents in the effort to keep kids on-track, even as COVID keeps schools closed.
It's just amazing to see how the offshoot of our own Portland Rotary Club is making a tremendous impact in Central America and it was inspiring to hear from these young women who have dedicated their lives to providing much needed support and services. And to do so during a global pandemic makes these efforts all the more impressive. We owe great thanks to Megan and Sarah for beginning this satellite club and we wish all of the programs great success as they move beyond COVID with such lofty goals in sight and attainable in the coming months.
and a 25-year career in public policy. She served as Deputy Director of the Maine State Planning Office and as a Director at the Maine Department of Marine Resources. Signature policy issues she’s worked on include fisheries, land use planning, smart growth, building and energy codes, renewable energy, energy efficiency, working waterfront access, community finance, and rural broadband. 
