nebaj communities, guatemala

NEBAJ COMMUNITIES, GUATEMALA
YEAR-END PROGRESS REPORT
FOR THE PERIOD APRIL 2015 to SEPTEMBER 2015
Prepared by
Food for the Hungry (FH) Guatemala & Food for the Hungry (FH) Canada
Submitted to
Atlantic Community Church
Executive Summary
The communities of Xonca, Rio Azul, and Villa Hortencia II (VHII)
continue to work toward their vision of a transformed community.
Much of Food for the Hungry’s (FH) activity this year has been a
continuation of programs aimed at improving the wellbeing of
families, especially children. With chronic malnutrition a national
issue in Guatemala, many of FH Guatemala’s programs provide
knowledge and improved financial resources to families to better
provide for their children’s nutritional needs and ability to grow
and learn.
NATIONAL OFFICE
TF
#1-31741 Peardonville Road, Abbotsford, BC V2T 1L2
800 667 0605 TEL 604 853 4262 FAX 604 853 4332
IMED WAREHOUSE
1225 Avenue W South, Saskatoon, SK S7M 5W7
TEL 306 374 6776 FAX 306 374 6771
www.fhcanada.org
Activities
EDUCATION
A number of teams from the Canadian church partners visited the
communities this year. The children look forward to these visits with
a great deal of anticipation because it gives them an opportunity to
prepare a special presentation of songs and dances and to share what
they are learning. These visits really achieve so much; but foremostly
they strengthen friendships between the children in the Child Focused
Community Transformation (CFCT) program and the churches that
support them. The visits also give the sponsored children’s parents
and Canadian partners an opportunity to see the children’s progress
and witness their infectious joy.
Hands To Work (also known as “The Scholar Club”), met three times
in each community in the past six months. Hands To Work began
operation upon the realization that many of the children entering
primary school had not had the opportunity to develop key fine
motor skills at home—such as holding and directing pencils—
required to succeed in their first year of school. Since these children
lack access to pre-school and school supplies in their own homes, or
have parents who themselves cannot read or write, this program fills
the need to prepare young children to perform well from the start.
There is a total of 82 children in the communities of Xonca, Rio Azul,
and VHII participating in this program.
In the last six months, the teachers in the Nebaj communities
continued to teach the children principles and values lessons; the
focus during this time has been on responsibility and stewardship.
The teachers hoped to ensure that every child understands that God
has given each of them a responsibility to develop and care for the
world around them, that he has equipped each of them with special
gifts that allow them to accomplish this responsibility, and that they
should live a life of hope and action motivated by this truth.
The principles and values lessons also include practical health lessons
with an emphasis on the biblical reasoning behind taking good care
of our own health and the health of our community. Three sessions
were dedicated to dental-washing with follow up in subsequent
sessions dedicated to other topics to ensure the children maintain the
habit. All the elementary children participated in the sessions, and a
toothbrush kit was supplied to each child.
Teachers in each community organized cultural and artistic events. These events encourage and promote classes
in drawing, singing, speech, and various sports, allowing the children to participate according to their interests.
The initiative provides an opportunity for each child to identify and build on their individual gifts outside of
regular academic curriculum and an opportunity for teachers to note each child’s abilities and encourage them
to excel. FH staff help teachers plan these events and provide some prizes for the children who finish in first
place in their category.
The school breakfast program and home visits also continued throughout the year. Over 680 elementary
students participated in the breakfast program, and Lead Mothers visited almost 200 families to follow up to on
specific cases.
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HEALTH
The Cascade Group Leader Mothers continue to share information
within their “Circle of Neighbours,” passing on knowledge they learned
in training sessions. They have been focusing on spreading information
regarding the importance of prenatal care, exclusive breastfeeding,
complete nutrition, and the importance of attending growth monitoring
sessions for young children.
The group of Leader Mothers for Rio Azul meet on a Wednesday
morning to review lessons on clean water preparation and storage.
They will take these lessons to their own small groups of mothers.
Their work has seen encouraging results. It is estimated that of the 46
mothers in the three communities who currently have children under the
age of six months, 97% are practicing exclusive breastfeeding. About 70%
of the 535 children under the age of five are regularly showing adequate
evidence of growth indicating that malnutrition is being kept at bay.
The period from April to September often shows a drop in this number
as it is more difficult to keep children healthy during the rainy season.
Nonetheless, malnutrition is being combatted.
Currently about 90% of the families in Xonca, Rio Azul, and VHII are
included in a “Circle of Neighbours,” and about 85% regularly attend the
circle meetings. The goal is to eventually reach 100% of the families; the
current focus is on families that have children under five years old, then
on families with school-aged children, and then on families without
school-aged children.
Growth and weight monitoring is an effective way to keep track of the
health in Nebaj’s communities, and allows Health Promoters the chance
to coach many mothers on healthy nutrition and household practices.
Training for Leader Mothers is scheduled to take place once every month,
but they meet twice some months so that FH staff can check-in with the
Leader Mothers on their progress with their circle groups. In the past three
months, these extra sessions also gave FH staff the opportunity to focus
on personal development topics. FH staff spoke with the women about
why they were elected to be Leader Mothers; they talked about the value
of women and about the importance of respecting and taking care of
themselves, and inspiring the women in their circles to do the same.
One of the initiatives to help families better nourish their children is the
establishment of family gardens. There are five specially trained volunteer
agricultural promoters who hold training sessions with the Leader
Mothers; they teach how to build and care for family gardens and how
to develop organic fertilizer. During the first season families planted
broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, and kale, and during the second season they
planted beans and potatoes to rotate the crops. 74 family gardens have
been established in the three communities - 25 in Xonca, 29 in Rio Azul,
and 20 in VHII. This is a great start, but it only accounts for 20-25% of
the families in these communities. Plans for next fiscal year include the
continuation of the promotion of this essential nutrion-building tool.
Kitchen gardens, a variety of fruit and veggies seeds, purification filters
and cleanwater - simple enough things that are all making a huge
impact on families’ overall health.
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LIVELIHOODS
Agricultural promoters also work with community farmers,
teaching them how to develop step and terrace agriculture,
assisting them in farming on steep slopes, and giving them
tips on how to take advantage of climate changes and how
to develop organic fertilizer. Follow up visits ensure that the
knowledge is properly applied to achieve positive results.
FH conducted Savings and Loans Group training throughout
the year; they held 78 training sessions in total across the three
communities. The training included sessions on leadership,
building an action plan, managing accounting records, group
values (empathy, trust, honesty), problem solving within
a group, managing loans and repayments, strengthening
social capital, and investing for income generation. One new
savings group has started this year in VHII.
Savings and Loans Groups have even strengthened the
work of the mothers in the community, some of whom have
begun to develop small businesses with the financial support
and encouragement of their Savings and Loans group. These
small business endeavours include baking bread to sell, raising barnyard
fowl, and specialized needlework (making traditional skirts, blouses, purses,
etc.). Being able to contribute to their families’ income is a great boost to the
mothers’ self-esteem, and it has the added benefit of giving them a voice in
making family financial decisions.
Community
Group Name
#
Members
GTQ
CAD
# loans
given
in
past 6
months
GTQ
CAD
Rio Azul
Las rosas
12
7,417
1,277
46
31,400
5,405
Rio Azul
Las margaritas
unidas
12
5,347
920
25
14,449
2,487
Rio Azul
Mujeres de
Agua Azul
10
3,117
537
49
5,985
1,030
Xonca
Ixiles women
18
4,872
839
86
30,925
5,323
VH II
Las Palmeras
10
2,965
510
23
4,250
732
VH II
Las Azucenas
12
4,164
717
41
11,380
1,959
74
27,882
4,800
270
98,389
16,937
TOTALS
Savings to
date
Value of loans
given in past 6
months
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LEADERSHIP TRAINING & DISASTER RISK
REDUCTION
FH staff continue to hold leadership training sessions within the communities.
During the last six months, the leadership training has included strategies for
developing priorities as a group, problem solving, and planning and implementing
their respective community transformation plans. Working through the new
Child Focused Community Transformation (CFCT) leadership curriculum has
been especially beneficial as it emphasizes the importance of service and biblical
worldview in leadership.
Community leaders in Villa Hortencia II gather bi-monthly to discuss
and receive values training on how to be a better leader.
There have been several more workshops for church leaders in all three communities
in the past six months. The CFCT curriculum for church leaders includes lessons in
holistic ministry, loving your neighbor, biblical reconciliation, kingdom building,
and the church in action.
Growing AWANA’s childrens clubs for all three communities is also being pursued,
to give even more children an encouraging environment to learn new skills, have
fun, and learn more about the Bible. Training in how to present and lead AWANA
curriculum was held for 36 volunteer teachers in the past six months.
Alex, FH Facilitator for Xonca, shares a lesson on service as the core
role for any leader.
Alex reviews the basic relationships that make up all of life - relationship with
God, others, oneself, and creation - and how service interacts with them all.
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COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHT
A Clean Start For
Elena’s Family
The remote community of Villa Hortencia II lies approximately 24
kilometers from the regional capital city of San Juan Cotzal. It is
an adventurous 24 kilometres into a village tucked away between
large green mountains and deep valleys, accessible only via dirt
roads that require a 4x4 vehicle or motorcycle to pass over. Villa
Hortencia II is home to a community of 135 families, the majority
of which are farmers; they speak the Ixil language, Quíché, and
Spanish.
In 2008 Food for the Hungry started its activities with the churches,
families, leaders, and children of the community with the purpose
of introducing concepts and resources that support a thorough
transformation for everyone in the community. In Villa Hortencia
II, improving the nutrition for children was a priority. Around the
middle of this year, FH began a selection process in the community,
identifying mothers with children under five years of age who were
at risk, and offering these mothers care and coaching via a Leader
Mother.
Elena Bernal de la Cruz is one of these mothers. Doña Elena did
her best to boil water to sterilize it before using it for drinking or
cooking. She would boil it and then store it, but it took a great deal
of time and fuel. And despite her most careful efforts, her children
often had diarrhea and upset stomachs because of the unsanitary
water - which only made things worse as they then lacked an
appetite and were not eating properly.
Along with personal visits from caring health volunteers, she
received a water purification filter. A simple table-top system of
buckets and nozzles. It changed everything.
Doña Elena is incredibly thankful for the filter. It provides a steady
supply of clean, safe water for her family. She loves knowing that
her children can stop for a drink when they are playing without her
having to worry about the effects of a quick drink. She says that she has seen the difference
in her daughter’s health, especially. When she takes her daughter to growth promotion
sessions now, she is growing well. Now during follow-up visits from the Leader Mother,
she is encouraged by how happy her Leader Mother is to see her children flourishing and
congratulates her on how well she cares for her daughter. Part of her daughter’s increasing
health is, of course, nutritional, but Doña Elena knows that part of it is also thanks to water
that doesn’t cause nausea and stomach pain.
Doña Elena is dedicated to taking good care of her children, and she extends her thanks to
FH and all the community partners for helping her in this important and often challenging
task. “Thank you for thinking about me,” she says. “I thank God for touching your heart and
for blessing me, my family, and the other families in the community.”
Thank You
A huge thank you to all the churches and individuals who have partnered with the communities of Xonca, Rio Azul, and
VHII. Exciting things are happening for the families in these communities, and your prayer and financial support are greatly
appreciated.
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