Introduction (Brenda Metzler)��

							                  Delegation from Needham Congregational Church
                                To Santa María Tzejá
                                           February 16-27, 2011 – Trip Report
                                                               Brenda Metzler
                        In collaboration with Co-Leader Tina Scharback and other delegates

Delegates: Noah Baker, Hannah Clifford, Andrew Cullen, Jen Cusack, Val Kistler, Susan McNeice, Brenda
Metzler, Scott and Joene Pike, Tina Scharback, Emily Verschoor-Kirss, and Ben Wildman. Ali Durbin and
Randall Shea served as interpreters.
Note: Since many delegates contributed to this report, each section indicates the writer’s name in
parentheses.
Table of Contents
 Introduction (Brenda Metzler)................................................................................................................. 2
 From Needham to Guatemala City (Brenda Metzler) ........................................................................... 3
 ‘Coyuntura’ (Briefing) (Susan McNeice) ............................................................................................... 3
 Visit to “Only A Child” (Andrew Cullen)............................................................................................... 4
 Supreme Court Appeal (Susan McNeice) .............................................................................................. 5
 Museum Exhibit: “Why We Are the Way We Are” (Noah Baker) ..................................................... 5
 Meeting with University Students (Tina Scharback) ............................................................................. 6
 Off to Cobán (Brenda Metzler) ................................................................................................................ 7
 Dinner with High School Students in Cobán (Emily Verschoor-Kirss)................................................ 7
 On the Road to Santa María Tzejá (Brenda Metzler) ........................................................................... 8
 Visit to Federation of Cooperatives of the Ixcán (Susan McNeice) ..................................................... 8
 Arrival and Welcome in the Village (Brenda Metzler) .......................................................................... 9
 Meeting(s) with the Improvement Committee (Brenda Metzler) ......................................................... 9
 Commemorative Mass (Brenda Metzler) .............................................................................................. 11
 Welcoming Celebration (‘Bienvenida’) (Brenda Metzler) .................................................................. 11
 Church Attendance and Partner-Family Letter Distribution (Brenda Metzler) .............................. 11
 Meeting with Scholarship Students Studying in Playa Grande (Jen Cusack) ................................... 12
 Meeting with COCODE (Brenda Metzler) ........................................................................................... 13
 Meeting with Potable Water Committee (Brenda Metzler) ................................................................ 14
 EDUCATION IN THE VILLAGE ...................................................................................................... 15
    Meeting with Primary School Teachers (Noah Baker) ................................................................... 15
    Meeting with the Básico (Middle School) (Hannah Clifford) ......................................................... 16
    Meeting with the Computer Committee (Jen Cusack) ................................................................... 18
    Meeting with the Library Committee (Jen Cusack) ....................................................................... 19
    Meeting with AESMAC (Brenda Metzler and Ben Wildman) ......................................................... 20
    Meeting with the High School Project Committee (Brenda Metzler) ............................................ 22
    Meeting with the Scholarship Committee (Brenda Metzler) .......................................................... 23
 DELEGATION PARTICIPATION IN THE BASICO ..................................................................... 25
    Teaching Art Classes (Noah Baker) ................................................................................................ 25
    Theater Workshop (Hannah Clifford and Emily Verschoor-Kirss) ................................................. 26
    Teaching English Classes (Hannah Clifford) ................................................................................... 26
 Trip to the Waterfall (Emily Verschoor-Kirss) .................................................................................... 26
 Playing with the Children (Ben Wildman) ........................................................................................... 27
 The ‘Parcela’ Trip (Andrew Cullen and Ben Wildman) ....................................................................... 27
 Meeting with the Survivors (Tina Scharback) ...................................................................................... 28


                       Needham Congregational Church Delegation to SMT – February 2011                                                    1
  Meeting with the Women’s Union (Val Kistler) .................................................................................. 29
  Meeting with the Widow’s Group (Val Kistler) .................................................................................. 31
  Meeting with the Church Committee (Brenda Metzler)...................................................................... 32
  HEALTH IN THE VILLAGE ............................................................................................................. 33
    Meeting with the Health Promoters and Health Committee (Tina Scharback) ............................ 33
    Eye Care in Santa María Tzejá (Scott Pike) ................................................................................... 35
  Meeting Our Partner Family for the First Time (Jen Cusack) .......................................................... 35
  Home Visits and Meals with Families (Val Kistler, Jen Cusack, Ben Wildman, Susan McNeice ) ... 36
  The ‘Despedida’ (Farewell Party) (Brenda Metzler) ........................................................................... 37
  Return to Guatemala City and Trip to Antigua (Brenda Metzler) .................................................... 37
  Home to Boston (Brenda Metzler) ......................................................................................................... 38
  APPENDICES ....................................................................................................................................... 39
    TRIP EVALUATION (Tina Scharback) .......................................................................................... 39
    Training Sessions ...............................................................................................................................39
    Guatemala City ..................................................................................................................................39
    Cobán ..................................................................................................................................................40
    Santa María Tzejá .............................................................................................................................40
    Travelers’ Actions Upon Return (Brenda Metzler)..........................................................................41
    ACTA .................................................................................................................................................. 42


Introduction (Brenda Metzler)
This delegation to Guatemala featured a wealth of new experiences for our group of 12 travelers that
included seven adults and five youth. Although we found it challenging to keep up with the pace of activities
in Guatemala City, there is nothing we would have chosen to leave out. A highlight was the unique
opportunity we had to witness the quest for justice by attending a court case heard before Guatemala’s
Supreme Court. Before even a word was spoken, the setting was compelling: a group of indigenous
survivors of the violence of the 1980’s filing into an austere but elegant hall, with suited lawyers, robed
judges, and the U.S. ambassador in attendance. We hoped that our presence in some small way would serve
to support the victims in their pursuit of justice long denied.
Our time that followed in Santa María Tzejá was productive and enjoyable, no doubt facilitated by the good
organization and hard work of the Improvement Committee. Despite the every increasing number of
meetings to attend, I personally found myself less stressed than usual and was able to enjoy many moments
of sharing and laughter. The young people contributed by making up our complicated daily meals and
meetings schedule, engaging families at meals, and participating in the schools -- teaching art, theatre skills,
and English. Everyone in the group participated in and contributed to meetings with the many village
committees, although we occasionally wished for a stronger youth presence. As usual, conversations with
families in their homes offered some of the most special and personal moments.
Over the course of our six-day stay, we observed a number of changes in the village. The most noticeable
one is the arrival of electricity as of last August. Its usage by individual families varies considerably. Some
homes have just a single light bulb, while others have a refrigerator, blender, and television. At the
community level, electricity serves to reduce the cost of running the computer center. It also allows students
and teachers to study into the night. The town center also has lighting, and one entrepreneur has even opened
an Internet café!
We observed and heard about other projects. The community is working to complete a new library, despite
funding limitations and challenges by ‘mother nature’. They continue to work toward making potable water
a reality. Impressively, the Community Development Council (COCODE) has compiled a list of priority
projects, supported by the infusion of ideas, energy, and knowledge from the many high school and/or
university-educated young people who are now participating widely in the community. We viewed a



                        Needham Congregational Church Delegation to SMT – February 2011                                                               2
presentation for a high school planned for the village, with blueprints prepared by SMT architect Nazario
Gutiérrez.
Beyond the increasing admiration I feel with each delegation for the remarkable efforts in education and its
impact in Santa María Tzejá and the region, what really grabbed me this trip was a new sense of hope and
excitement about the possibilities for our partnership. This feeling arose from a number of special moments
of sharing and candor with villagers. A common thread in several of these exchanges was the presence of
Hugo Quinilla, who serves on the Improvement Committee and is also Director of the Middle School
(Básico). At one meeting Hugo and others were very interested to learn from Tina about the roots of our
partnership, which grew out of our church’s consideration of the ‘sanctuary’ issue nearly 25 years ago.
There was also a moving exchange during the last meeting with the Improvement Committee. Hugo
essentially observed that in order for a long-time relationship, such as ours, to continue to thrive and remain
fresh, it requires that we work together very intentionally to improve and renew it. Clearly he is looking
forward to that.
It is through dialogue like this that our partnership will continue to evolve, engage and transform people on
both sides, and reinvigorate itself, as we work to live out our faith in our respective communities and in the
world at large.

From Needham to Guatemala City (Brenda Metzler)
Following a lovely send-off at the Clifford’s Tuesday evening, complete with homemade desserts, our
delegation met at Tina’s at 3:30 am for our drive to the airport. Never had a delegation been more on time or
seemed more ‘together’, so we were feeling very confident as we drove to the airport. Unfortunately upon
arrival, Tina realized that she didn’t have her passport, so all manner of consternation ensued. However,
with some pretty heroic efforts on everyone’s part plus a bit of good luck, we managed to make our flight
with the delegation intact. As Tina and I collapsed into our seats on the plane, we vowed never to leave for
the airport again without a passport check!
Our flights to Guatemala City were uneventful, and we proceeded to collect our bags and clear customs. We
exchanged most of our money at a bank inside the airport at Q7.68 to the dollar, although the teller ran out of
cash shortly before we were done. Ali and her children were waiting for us at the curb, with Chely holding a
colorful welcome sign that she had made for us. With considerable effort, the van driver and our youth
loaded most of our luggage on top of the van, and we piled inside for the ride to the Spring Hotel.

‘Coyuntura’ (Briefing) (Susan McNeice)
After settling in at the hotel, we gathered downstairs at 5:30 pm for our ‘coyuntura’, an overview of the
current state of Guatemala. The speaker was Regina Pérez, a journalist from Santa María Tzejá (SMT) who
studied at the University of San Carlos. Regina has completed her coursework and only has to complete her
thesis to graduate. She works for a small, “alternative” news agency that gathers news from various social
organizations and publishes at www.cerigua.org. Her special interest is acts of aggression against journalists.
This is an election year, and the 27 Guatemalan political parties are preparing their candidates. Although it is
technically illegal to begin campaigning, several candidates are featured on billboards. On our subsequent
trip to Cobán we saw lots of red paint (symbol of the Patriots’ Party) with candidates’ names written in white
on telephone poles, trees and rocks. Apparently there is a lot of money available for the campaigns, although
no one is certain of its source.
As always, the key issue in the election is the relentless violence in the country; 6,000 people are murdered
each year. Human rights groups have suffered 300 acts of aggression including 8 murders, and two political
figures have been killed. In the last 4-6 years the violence has increased. The current president, Alvaro
Colóm, cannot run again so his wife is running in his place. The private sector despises her and uses their
considerable influence over print media (Prensa Libre, Siglo 21) to discredit her and her husband. They have
the mistaken view that the president and his wife are leftists since they have sponsored social programs. TV
and radio tend to side with the president and offer publicity disguised as news. While Colóm promised to use


                 Needham Congregational Church Delegation to SMT – February 2011                       3
intelligence to combat violence, another candidate, Otto Perez Molina (Patriot Party), vows to use the “heavy
hand” of the military. Molina is purported to be linked to violence and disappearances during the war,
although this does not seem to be affecting his candidacy. He is among the front runners. Another candidate,
Suri Rios, is the daughter of former president Rios Montt, who is also suspected of links to violent acts.
Four years ago, the elections went well except for some ballots that were burned in rural areas. It is unclear
whether international observers will be present for the coming election. There is concern that organized
crime and narco-trafficking could infiltrate the process. In the Ixcán, ever since the URNG party lost four
years ago, there have been divisions among the political parties and they have not yet united behind a
particular candidate.
A group from the Ixcán sent a delegate to hold a press conference protesting the re-opening of the military
base at Playa Grande as a violation of the peace accords. Colóm claims that the remilitarization is necessary
due to increased narco-trafficking in the area. A U.N. study estimated that 90% of drugs entering the US
come through Central America, with El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala being particularly attractive
targets. Landing strips are being built in the Petén, and it is rumored that the small Cobán airport is held by
drug interests.
Presumably the government is trying to follow the Mexican model of fighting drug trafficking – deploying
more police and military – but many civilians have died as a result in Mexico. Legalization of drugs would
be an alternative, but it wouldn’t work if Mexico and the U.S didn’t join in doing it also.
Scott said he had heard that the violence is worse now than during the internal armed conflict of the 1980’s
but that it’s ‘different’. Regina said that previously the State was largely responsible for the violence, but
now it’s not clear who is doing it.
The battle against impunity continues with many high and low points. CICIG, the UN-created International
Commission against Impunity in Guatemala, found that several government officials were involved in extra-
judicial killings, including the Ministers of the Interior, Penitentiary and Police. CICIG’s biggest concern is
that the infiltration of government by crime goes so high that very few cases even go to trial. In fact only 2%
of crimes make it to trial and sentencing. However, an effort is being made to raise the salaries and improve
the training of public prosecutors; and a new Attorney General, Claudia Paz, is an advocate for human rights
groups. Meanwhile, the justice system has had Q400 million ($52 million) cut from its budget. The
Commission (CICIG) is scheduled to leave Guatemala in 2013.
All in all, Guatemala has a long way to go, but there are many good people working hard and bravely to see
that progress is made. It is an inspiration to see these people in action.
After the ‘coyuntura’ we invited Regina to join us for our group dinner, prepared by the Spring Hotel. Ali’s
family also joined us and we enjoyed a good and plentiful meal in a relaxed atmosphere.

Visit to “Only A Child” (Andrew Cullen)
Following breakfast the next morning, we were picked up by van and had the privilege to visit the residence
and workshop of ‘Only a Child.’ Only a Child is a foundation started by George Leger where older street
children are given the opportunity to leave the streets and are taught the trade of wood carving. They make
ornate boxes and then sell them. The majority of the money goes to pay for the young men’s room and board
and to let them continue their education, but they also get some spending money from the funds they earn
making and selling the boxes. We learned that these boxes are even sold nearby, so here’s my little sales
pitch: At the ‘Clever Hand” in Wellesley and at ‘Five Crows’ in Natick, one would be able to purchase these
boxes, and this would help fund the kids at ‘Only a Child.’ After visiting their residence, we were able to
visit their new workshop, which has much better ventilation than their previous one, so the workers don't
have to inhale the sawdust and the finishing coating for the boxes. The workshop is also in a much safer area
of town. This was an incredible opportunity because we got to see so much of ‘Only a Child’, getting to meet
the young adults who are finding new purpose in their lives. And several of them are even going on to
college.


                 Needham Congregational Church Delegation to SMT – February 2011                        4
Supreme Court Appeal (Susan McNeice)
After leaving ‘Only A Child’, our van took us to Guatemala’s Supreme Court. Here we had a chance to see
the Guatemalan justice system at work when we attended a court appeal for former military commissioner
Felipe Cusanero Coj, who was convicted of “disappearing” 6 people from the town of Choatalúm during the
internal armed conflict. The courtroom was a “Who’s Who” of human rights workers, with representatives
from CALDH (Center for Human Rights Legal Action), FAMDEGUA (Families of the Detained and
Disappeared of Guatemala), and several other prominent groups. We saw several lawyers that we knew from
past visits to Needham. Before the proceedings began, our large group drew the attention of the US
Ambassador, Stephen McFarland, and his political-section officer Steve Steger, who came over and
introduced themselves. They were curious about who we were and how we happened to be there. Speaking
with Brenda, the Ambassador said he had been following this case of ‘forced disappearance’ for quite a
while, since it was important. At the same time he said the U.S. couldn’t be seen as interfering with another
country’s justice system. He acknowledged that it is a difficult balancing act between pursuing/achieving
justice and moving toward reconciliation. At the request of the political attaché, we provided the church’s
website address before the proceedings began.
As the Public Prosecutor rose to speak, a large group of people filed into the courtroom dressed in the
indigenous clothing of their area. These were the people of Choatalúm, who had lost so many family
members during the years of war and violence. Although the defendant was prosecuted for six ‘forced
disappearances’, countless others occurred. The most moving part of the proceedings was when an
indigenous witness who had lost a relative got up and emotionally appealed for justice. He also said that he
would ask for the defendant to go free immediately, if only he would tell him what happened to his relative.
The pain is in the not knowing and not being able to properly bury a family member’s remains.
An interesting note is that Needhamite Amanda Kistler accompanied these very villagers during the original
case, and her mother Val was with us to hear the appeal! Later that day we were elated to find out that the
appeal by the convicted defendant was denied, so he will remain in jail for a long, long time. Kudos to Ali
for arranging for us to attend these proceedings.

Museum Exhibit: “Why We Are the Way We Are” (Noah Baker)
Thursday afternoon, following a delicious lunch at Chikach, a solidarity restaurant recommended by Ali, we
headed to the Train Museum for a guided tour of a temporary exhibit that dealt with Guatemalan identity and
the diverse culture of the people. We had a tour guide who spoke English, and she told us that knowing the
history of all of the different groups in Guatemala makes us able to create informed opinions instead of pre-
judging or discriminating (which is illegal in Guatemala but has contributed to social conflict over many
years).
The exhibit, entitled “Why We Are the Way We Are”, opened with lots of photos and displays of
Guatemalan faces, with text that explained all the different racial and ethnic identities that are part of modern
Guatemala. Because of this diversity, it’s especially important that Guatemalans find ways to respect each
other’s culture and religion--something that hasn’t been easy in the past, but which may be getting better.
The exhibit included several displays about the indigenous people of the country and their impact on
Guatemalan society. It also traced the history of the word “Ladino” (of mixed Spanish and indigenous
heritage) and what it means to be Ladino today.
Finally, near the end of our tour of the exhibit, our tour guide talked about the Civil War (the Violence or
‘internal armed conflict’) of the 1980’s. She said, in passing, that the indigenous people supported the
guerillas. Brenda was bothered by this as an over-simplification that might seem to justify the army’s
targeting and destroying a civilian population, so she shared our experience with Santa María Tzejá to get the
guide to rethink her words. Brenda said that, although many may have supported the ideals of the guerilla
movement, they were often caught in the middle and manipulated by both the army and the guerillas. The
tour guide was an educated young person and she seemed to be open to the ‘challenge’. We thanked her for



                 Needham Congregational Church Delegation to SMT – February 2011                        5
the tour and made a donation to the museum. Then we returned to the hotel to relax prior to the arrival of the
university students for a discussion and dinner.

Meeting with University Students (Tina Scharback)
Only three university students were able to join us on Thursday night. The number of university students is
lower now than in the past. Many have graduated already. We welcomed each other and then did
introductions. All delegation members were present: Susan, Joene, Val, Scott, Jen, Brenda, Noah, Emily,
Andrew, Ben, Hannah & Tina, with Ali as interpreter. The university students present were:
Nelly Canil, the mother of two children (ages 6 and 3), is a 5th grade teacher. She is studying business
economics but has had to take a break from her studies. Addressing the new travelers from our group, she
hoped they feel welcome here. She said they will definitely feel better when they get to SMT.
Adelina Canil is in her 5th semester studying pedagogy for teaching in high school.
César Canil finished his law school classes and is a consultant for CALDH (the Center for Human Rights’
Legal Action), which is supporting the genocide case. They are investigating and seeking to gather evidence
by going out into the communities. Others there are working on legal issues.
Noah asked about the main areas of focus for CALDH. César said those would be legal, youth, and
indigenous peoples. The legal area includes doing investigations and working with legal notifications that
come from judges. The lawyers then determine how best to bring them to court. There are also lawyers from
an outside legal association that supports the work of CALDH. They are all working hard on the genocide
case.
César then reported that the general assembly of ASEMAC (the Association of Students’ and Professionals
from Santa María Tzejá and Surrounding Communities) named a 3-person committee of Edwin Canil,
Juvencio Chom and Ana López to develop a Strategic Plan. They have identified 5 basic topics to work on
to generate different projects that outside groups might want to fund. The following topics were approved on
12/27/10:
        1. Education and history
        2. Health
        3. Local economic development
        4. Environmental issues, including global warming
        5. Institutional strengthening
We learned that UNIFEM, a branch of the United Nations that deals with women’s issues, contacted Ana
Lopez and suggested that they come up with a project for institutional strengthening that would involve
women. AESMAC liked that it would be leading a gender-related project and that it would also bring more
awareness of AESMAC in the region. Three women were asked to present a proposal to UNIFEM: Agusta
Pérez, Rosaura Canil, and Yolanda Canil. UNIFEM liked the proposal and agreed to finance most of the
project and/or to find outside funding for it. UNIFEM’s main criteria focused on working to empower
women during this election year.
The team of three women sat down to devise their own project around this issue. Then they came up with a
name that was not too political, “The Need for Full Citizenship and Participation of Women in the Ixcán.”
They will hold workshops for women on their rights and teach them not just to vote, but to make proposals to
different candidates. A coordinator would dialogue with women in 20 communities to document the interests
and needs of women in the Ixcán region and present those to the candidates who are running for election.
They would ask for the candidates’ positions on issues and let other communities know of how the
candidates think about different issues. The next step would be to bring the candidates together to debate and
have them sign a document pledging their commitment on these issues if they are elected. If any candidate
won’t sign on, that information would be publicized. This would be used as political weight. Scott asked how
the 20 communities will be identified. César said the coordinator will select communities that are far away
from voting stations.

                 Needham Congregational Church Delegation to SMT – February 2011                     6
As of 1944 women have the right to vote in Guatemala, but there are obstacles that make it hard for women
in the Ixcán to vote. For example, they may live far from voting stations, their husbands may not want them
to go out to vote, and they have children, housework, and animals to attend to. So the proposal includes
providing transportation to the women, providing mobile childcare facilities at the voting stations, letting
women who are using childcare to go to the head of the voting line, and having women monitor the voting
process to avoid intimidation.
Jen asked if voting by women was higher in the capital than in the Ixcán. Nelly said the difference is that
women’s work in the city is more productive work whereas women’s work in rural areas, like the Ixcán, is
more reproductive work. “We have to take care of our work in both places. But the media here (in the city)
motivates us to vote and analyze the situation more.” César reiterated that there are so many obstacles in the
Ixcán such as poor roads, foul weather, women working all day long, and men working in the fields. In the
city, the voting centers are close by and the husband is more likely to stay home and take care of the children
while his wife votes.
Val said that the U.S. has voting booths in rural areas, and Nelly said that changes are coming to rural areas
in Guatemala as well. More communities have voting booths now, and SMT voters don’t have to go into
Cantabal. César said that Santa María Tzejá demanded the voting booths about 4 years ago. The voting age
is 18 years old.
Brenda asked about the status of seeking an executive director of AESMAC. César said that since they have
not been able to get funding for that position, they have decided that when there is a funded project to work
on, the project director could also serve as the executive director of AESMAC, receiving a salary from the
project funds. César’s understanding is that Clark is interested in supporting the directorship financially if
possible. Brenda said that others in Needham are also interested in supporting this position, so ‘keep us in
mind.” She asked if they had someone in mind for the position. César said that he and Edwin have thought
about this a lot. ASEMAC members do not want to take on political work. They would look at outside
candidates to hire. Ana Lopez cannot do it because she is a public employee. They are looking for funding
from the United Nations for education. Nelly said they would like monies for a new curriculum for
elementary education.
At this moment our pizza arrived, so we spent the rest of the evening in the courtyard chatting and getting to
know each other. It was a nice introduction to our partnership for the first- time travelers. After taking a
group photo, we sent the students home by cab and all headed for bed. We were all very tired.

Off to Cobán (Brenda Metzler)
The next morning we enjoyed our last breakfast at the cozy cafeteria in our hotel before finishing packing for
Cobán. Our treasurers Ben and Andrew had estimated the group money we would need until we returned
from SMT, so we left the rest, plus our extra personal money, in a lock box at the hotel. Usually we also
stash our passports there and just carry copies for this portion of the trip. However, since there was the
possibility that we might be stopped by authorities along the way, due to increased police/military presence
in the Cobán area, we brought our passports along. Future delegations could arrange via Edwin to get
notarized copies of their passports once in Guatemala. Then the actual passports could be left at the hotel.
Our group had anticipated a 9:00 am meeting with members of the Historical Memory Initiative regarding
natural resource issues, but they called to say they were running more than an hour late. Given that we had
to leave for Cobán around 11:00 am, we decided it was best to cancel the meeting. Although we were
disappointed, we were able to get on the road earlier than planned and got into Cobán in time to check out
the market and relax, after checking into the Monja Blanca.

Dinner with High School Students in Cobán (Emily Verschoor-Kirss)
We continued the tradition of inviting locally-studying youth from Santa María Tzeja to join us for dinner in
Cobán. They arrived at the Monja Blanca Hotel just after dark, and we walked about 10 minutes to the
restaurant together. There were more students than we expected, but it was a lively bunch and included some


                 Needham Congregational Church Delegation to SMT – February 2011                       7
people who had special connections with the delegation. Besides the six high schoolers, there were
additionally two students studying medicine at the university. Once we got to the restaurant, the students and
the Needham youth gravitated toward one end of the table and began to talk to each other. The youth held
their own very well, using what limited Spanish they knew at that point in the trip. The youth taught each
other English and Spanish words, and discussed everything from movies and music to education. During the
meal, Andrew became quite the laughing stock when he innocently doused his tortilla in very spicy hot
sauce. Upon reassuring our Guatemalan friends that he was “a man” and could handle it, he ate the tortilla,
and his face scrunched up in pain. While everyone laughed, the game grew more extreme until almost
everyone was involved. After the meal, we took lots of photos of the youth with the students, arranged taxis
for them, and then walked back to the hotel.
This dinner was really a highlight of my trip. It was incredible to have the opportunity to interact with
students who are my age but have such a different educational experience. All of us were laughing and had a
great time together, and it was really special to share that despite the language barrier. Laughter is universal.

On the Road to Santa María Tzejá (Brenda Metzler)
At 7:00 the next morning our bags stood ready for loading into the vans, and we gathered for a hearty,
family-style breakfast. This breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast and jam, orange juice, coffee, cut-up
pineapple, papaya, cantaloupe, bananas and watermelon is a major reason for our return each year to the
Monja Blanca. It is a feast that fortifies us for the 5-6 hour trip to Santa María Tzejá. Edgar and the other
driver arrived a bit late, but made do with the breakfast leftovers and got everything packed up in the vans.
Ben and Andrew paid the bill, including about Q100 extra for the owner, Doña Estela, to distribute as a tip to
the staff. She was very happy with that.

Over the course of the trip we noted that the highway extended further than before, and huge graders and big
piles of gravel were very evident. This is part of a huge regional plan to improve infrastructure and provide
commercial access via a corridor that will run from Mexico, through Guatemala, and into Panama. As we
rode, we enjoyed the changing scenery, if not always the winding and hilly roads. After about 4 hours we
arrived at the fruit quarantine station, where inspectors checked the vans for any disallowed fruit. Then we
were off to the food processing facility that Santa María Tzejá operates with two other village cooperatives.

Visit to Federation of Cooperatives of the Ixcán (Susan McNeice)
As we arrived at the Federation of Cooperatives of the Ixcán, we were met by manager Florencia Lux. She
explained that the complex is owned by the Federation and includes the tree nursery, pig and chicken farm,
processing plant, dorms for workers, offices and an eating area. Currently they are not processing hearts of
palm partly because: 1) they still have unsold product from last year; and 2) they cannot process during
March – May because the product is too fibrous during that time. Therefore this year they are processing
new products: pineapple rings, mango, and pineapple jam. We were able to sample these and they were
delicious. Florencia says that the most difficult task for them is the commercialization of their products. They
do not sell processed items locally but are able to sell them to solidarity groups for sale at various events and
to restaurants. So far they are not exporting.
We toured the nursery which includes trees for forestation as well as orange, lemon, avocado, and cacao
plants. Although their prices are marginally higher than the competition (the municipality has a nursery and
there are also 2 privately owned), it is not enough of a difference to matter. They also have a vegetable
garden with cilantro and cucumbers and will have more when the season is right. Additionally, they have a
lime grove and they plan to harvest and sell some limes. When asked, they admitted that they do use some
pesticides.
We toured the pig pens and saw enormous pigs and their piglets. They have 15 pigs that they breed and when
the piglets reach 15-20 lbs. they sell them.




                 Needham Congregational Church Delegation to SMT – February 2011                        8
Every year there is progress and expansion, and if only the commercialization piece would come together,
they would be on their way to a profitable venture.

Arrival and Welcome in the Village (Brenda Metzler)
Everyone was anxious to finally get to Santa María Tzejá, so it was good to be only about 40 minutes away.
Our entry into the village was more low-key than usual, and we drove up to the guesthouse without any
fanfare. But soon the Básico (middle school) students and a number of adults gathered to welcome us in the
shade of the pharmacy. One of the students addressed us first, followed by Paulina Panjoj, President of the
Improvement Committee, who welcomed us on behalf of the entire community. It is always good to ‘be
back’ and to feel the warmth of friends who are truly glad to see us. We unloaded the luggage, figured out
room assignments, and then headed to a delicious communal lunch.

Meeting(s) with the Improvement Committee (Brenda Metzler)
Following lunch we met with the Improvement Committee:
        Paulina Panjoj – President, and Representative to COCODE
        Estela García Hernández – Vice President
        Florinda Ralios – Treasurer
        Hugo Quinilla – Secretary
        Abel Bolaños Reyes – Member-at-Large
After introductions we covered a few logistics. Paulina said that the committee had decided to hire a young
woman to watch over our guest quarters, do a little cleaning, and provide us with cool drinks in the
afternoon. On previous trips the task of watching our quarters had been done by someone fulfilling their
‘faena’ or required community service. Paula informed us that only one of the two showers was working and
that one of the bathroom keys was lost, so only one bathroom could be locked. We asked about the earlier-
than-usual breakfast hour (6:30 am pick-up) and were told that the committee thought it would give us more
time for a good visit with the host families. We asked that the delegation’s rubber boots be delivered to the
guesthouse so that we could see if we were missing any sizes prior to the ‘parcela’ trip. We also asked if the
water at the big waterfall was deep enough for the youth to jump from, and we arranged to get Hannah’s
family onto the meals/family visit schedule.
Then we asked for the committee’s report on expenditures by the various committees since the last
delegation. We were surprised to learn that they hadn’t been finalized, since we have communicated how
important it is to have this available for our first meeting, in order to make the rest of the week go smoothly.
We reiterated the importance of this, and Hugo agreed to adjourn the meeting and get us the figures by the
evening, which he did. One of the good things about this new committee was that it has three members with
computer literacy, so the responsibilities are more evenly shared. We learned over the course of our stay that
Hugo is very adept at managing and presenting the financial information by computer.
At our second meeting on Wednesday afternoon, the committee reported that the Needham wire transfer of
$5,600 equaled Q43,361.25 at an exchange rate of Q7.74 to the dollar. Subtracting the Q774.00 ($100)
designated for the Básico toward the purchase of a marimba, the committee received Q42,587.25 to
distribute for village projects. The committee had some difficulty accessing the money, since the bank
insisted that the new committee had not yet registered the new signers on the account, but after several trips,
the bank acknowledged its error.
The committee then shared with us its intended allocation of the funds. This committee clearly was very
thoughtful in considering each committee’s request, keeping in mind such factors as its relative importance
among village priorities, any prior balance in the account, etc. For the first time ever, the committee even
assigned funds to several committees that didn’t submit a proposal. They said they had thought about it and
realized that the committee would have a need. I asked whether that might not make some committees be
less attentive to submitting proposals if they think the Improvement Committee is going to take them into
account anyway. They were mindful of this. They commented that some of the committee reports they


                 Needham Congregational Church Delegation to SMT – February 2011                       9
receive are poorly done, so they proposed to hold a reporting/accounting workshop for the presidents and
treasurers of each committee. We thought this was a great idea, and the committee will ask for a small fund
to accomplish this. They made some pretty bold but considered decisions to give no funding to some
proposals and explained their reasons to us. It was clear that the committee was really trying to think of the
community’s priorities, even when the decisions might not be popular. We found this committee to be
proactive and intent on making the best possible use of Needham funding.
When I asked about an allocation that seemed inadequate relative to one committee’s proposal, it led us to
discover that the Improvement Committee did not have copies of the proposals, so they were making their
decisions largely on the basis of each committee’s report. Since I had copies of the proposals, I shared the
one in question, and with the detailed information it contained, the committee decided to award the
committee some additional funds by reducing another committee’s allocation. Whatever the reason for this
glitch, it’s imperative that the Improvement Committee have its own copy, since they make the decisions and
we only receive the proposals for informational purposes. Perhaps when delegation leaders are handed the
proposals, they should confirm that the Improvement Committee has retained copies.
Our last meeting with the Improvement Committee was Thursday afternoon prior to a celebratory group meal
and the send-off celebration. First we dealt with paying the delegation’s expenses for our visit. Our young
people had tallied up our meal expenses over the course of the week, which matched up with the committee’s
accounting. However, the committee was a little hesitant in presenting some additional expenses, which also
took us a bit by surprise. We hadn’t considered the expense of the person the committee had hired to watch
over the guesthouse and do light cleaning, so that tab (Q375) caught us off guard. Additionally the expense
(Q825) for the two group meals (with a number of SMT folks present), while apparently reflecting the ‘real
cost’ of feeding the combined group, was far more than the usual cost of Q10 per Needham. In retrospect we
should have brought up any questions we had on the spot, but we didn’t know quite what to say or how each
of us felt, so we let it go. Part of the awkwardness was that we knew our group funds were tighter than
usual, so we were not prepared for expenses that were higher than past years. It would have been good to
simply remind the committee of how things had been done in the past and ask them to explain their thinking
in arranging things differently. Not having done this, I will e-mail Hugo so that we can clarify this for future
delegations.
Hugo then said the committee would like to share some thoughts, which led to an unusually open exchange
that was moving and memorable to all. He began by reflecting on his service on various committees in SMT,
acknowledging the richness of experience and the ideas he has gotten from his fellow committee members.
He had clearly come to appreciate the unique background and contributions of each Improvement Committee
member, noting that three of them had had a chance to get an education and that two had more experience in
the fields and at home. He added, “We have demanded things of ourselves as a group. Our work is done by
and for every one of us.” Hugo also acknowledged that, by serving the community in three different
capacities (the Improvement Committee, the Church Committee, and the Básico), he had numerous
opportunities to meet with the delegation, and he was grateful for these. Other committee members shared
brief comments in appreciation of the delegation. Abel said “Thank you for your visits, and thank you for
the risk you take to come. You leave behind many memories.”
Hugo then admitted to not quite knowing how to phrase his next thought. Finally he observed that long-time
friendships can lose vitality over time and fall into old patterns, so he feels it is important that together we
find ways to improve and deepen our relationship. He thinks this can come about by having more discussion
within our own communities and between our two communities. “We need to consider how we can best
work together, relate to each other, and renew and improve our relationship.” He added, “There is no model
or methodology for how to build a relationship like ours, so the work is up to us. If this friendship were to
come to an end, I don’t think we are ready for that.” He then acknowledged several good conversations he
had had with me, which made him feel that we understand each other. He also really appreciated Tina’s
sharing about how the partnership came about in the Needham church.




                 Needham Congregational Church Delegation to SMT – February 2011                      10
I was very moved by Hugo’s remarks and responded that I thought his comments had opened a door for
deepening our relationship and for working toward one of our goals of making it a partnership between
equals. Tina added that she has been coming since 1988. “Coming down year after year, I met people who
knew how to run meetings and lead, even though they lacked formal education. Younger people with more
education are now stepping up to make their contributions, but I will never forget how much their parents
have contributed.” Hugo agreed. Tina acknowledged the growth on both sides of the partnership over the
years. She said that young people learn so much from the experience. “The future is our youth; that’s where
the hope lies. Being here is an experience that touches the hearts of all who come.”
It was a real privilege to have been part of this unusually open and heartfelt exchange. The conversation was
so unscripted and involved elements of risk and trust on both sides. I give Hugo a lot of credit for reaching
out. Perhaps it stemmed partly from the small ways in which Tina and I shared details of the life of the
partnership, thereby imparting meaning and communicating trust. As our meeting concluded and we
gathered to take a group photo, I found myself hoping that this would be the first of many such exchanges.

Commemorative Mass (Brenda Metzler)
After our initial meeting with the Improvement Committee the day we arrived, the delegation was invited to
attend a mass in commemoration of the victims of the violence. Padre Hipolito had come from Playa Grande
for the occasion. Several survivors of the violence shared some of the history relative to SMT, amid the
military’s ‘scorched earth’ campaign against the Mayan population. We were grateful that Ali was able to
whisper a translation to those who didn’t speak Spanish. The speakers also mentioned the increasing
militarization of the area, supposedly to counter drug trafficking, but which they view as intended to protect
companies that want to extract mineral wealth from the region. Another survivor said that 52 people from
SMT had died during the violence or as a result of illnesses they contracted in the jungle, as they hid out
from the army. He said, “Many people say ‘it’s over and done, so why do we keep talking about it’? But I
say it’s important to remember the history so that we are not destined to repeat it.”
Padre Hipolito then added his comments, followed by the formal elements of the mass. We always feel
privileged to attend this commemoration, and we admire the community’s effort to honor the victims and to
keep this history alive among the younger generation.

Welcoming Celebration (‘Bienvenida’) (Brenda Metzler)
It worked well that we had asked the Improvement Committee to not schedule dinner for us the day we
arrived. With our afternoon arrival, the communal lunch, meeting with the Improvement Committee, and the
commemoration mass took up all our time prior to the ‘bienvenida’ or welcoming party at the cooperative
building. Even at that, the whole village was gathered and the music had been playing for a while by the
time we arrived. We made our way to the front, where seats had been saved for us, and were warmly
welcomed by several community representatives. Then we were treated to some wonderful entertainment by
students from the Básico (middle school). The most memorable acts were an elaborate skit, with the actors
in ghostly face paint, and some amazing stilt dancers on what must have been at least five-foot stilts. We all
gasped as one of them lost his balance and crashed to the floor, but he managed (through a combination of
strength, flexibility, and determination) to pull himself back up and continue dancing. Then the delegation
was invited to take the stage. I shared greetings and good wishes on behalf of the Needham church and the
many previous travelers, and then the travelers introduced themselves. There was audible appreciation for
those who tried to speak in Spanish. The evening ended with music and lively dancing by villagers and
delegation members.

Church Attendance and Partner-Family Letter Distribution (Brenda Metzler)
The next morning, following breakfast, we headed to the church for the usual Sunday-morning ‘celebration’
run by the catechists, which includes energetic singing with guitar accompaniment. The villagers know that
partner-family letters from Needham are distributed after the service, so we had a pretty good crowd of men,
women, and children in attendance by the end. Our youth joined some of the adults up front to help


                 Needham Congregational Church Delegation to SMT – February 2011                    11
distribute the letters. It is always fun to see the pleasure of the recipients in picking up their letters. Young
children often come forward to pick up their family’s letter, their broad smiles revealing their excitement.
Since the day was so fully scheduled, Tina and I had to move on to the next meeting long before the letters
were all passed out. It felt good when the other adults and youth of the group offered to complete the letter
distribution, shooing us off to our next commitment.

Meeting with Scholarship Students Studying in Playa Grande (Jen Cusack)
On Sunday we had the opportunity to meet with high school students who are living and studying in nearby
Playa Grande/Cantabal on Needham scholarships. They were home for the weekend. In attendance were:
        Margarita Pérez Hernández
        Zeyneda Rosmery Quinilla Pérez
        Otto Denis Cano Montenegro
        Santos Gabriel Panjoj Vicente
        Lupita Castro Vásquez
Two members of the Scholarship Committee (C.H.E.) were also present: Francisco Quinilla Taperia,
previous President of the Scholarship Committee and father of Zeyneda; and Felipe Canil, the current
Treasurer.
We asked the students to talk about their adjustment to high school, the experience overall, and whether they
felt they were well-prepared for high school. Here are some of their comments:
Margarita: 11th grade, studying accounting: She is noticing a difference in the work load between 10th and
11th grades--more work, but she feels like she knows more than last year and can handle it. In accounting,
they have frequent group projects. In her pre-seminar class she has to define her goals for the future. She is
also required to do an internship with a company. Last year she commuted daily, but this year she’s renting a
room.
Zeyneda: 10th grade, studying natural resources management: She is the first girl in the Natural Resource
Management program in Playa Grande. She feels that the Basico prepared her well for her studies in high
school. She stays at her father’s house in Playa Grande during the week and comes home on the weekends.
One of her brothers, Lisandro, is also studying there. This is the first year for both of them. She does her own
cooking there and feels that she’s managing well.
Otto: 10th grade, studying accounting: He mentioned having 13 different classes over the course of a school
year. He feels that he was well-prepared. He rents a room in Playa Grande and returns to SMT most
weekends, unless he has too much work. He’s making new friends and feels comfortable at the high school.
Santos: 11th grade, studying university prep with specialization in computers: ‘University prep’ is a 2-year
program, so this is his final year. He and his classmates are teaching computer skills to primary school
students. He feels like he’s learning a lot--including from this teaching of younger kids. He has a major
“seminar project” with four components: a life project; a nation project; a research project; and an action
project. This represents lots of work. He’d like to go to university, but he has a brother in 9th grade, about to
enter high school. He can’t imagine that his family could afford both. If he could go to university, he’d study
systems engineering. If he could find work, he would like to stay in SMT. As a student he lives in Playa
Grande with a family from SMT and eats with them as well.
Lupita: 12th grade, studying accounting: This is her final year. She would like to go to university in
Guatemala City next year to study business administration, so she might postpone her year of community
service. She feels like her high school teachers have been good and that she’s worked hard. She felt like it
was a big difference between the Básico (middle school) and the high school in terms of work load. She’s
beginning her “life project”--like Santos. She’s a little worried about the project--which includes telling your
own life story and conducting a community survey among other activities--because her teacher has told them



                 Needham Congregational Church Delegation to SMT – February 2011                         12
that it’s a very high-stakes project in order to graduate. She felt that the high school doesn’t really tell
students much about future jobs, and she knows she’ll have to do that research and learning on her own.
Brenda clarified for the students the various sources of Needham high school scholarships. Some are fully
funded by individual donors ($1,200/year); others are funded in part by smaller individual donations; and
others are funded in whole or in part by endowment funds or fundraising done by the Guatemala Partnership
Committee of the Needham church

Meeting with COCODE (Brenda Metzler)
Sunday afternoon we met with COCODE, the Community Development Council, which is made up of the
presidents of each of the committees in the village. According to Juan Tomás Pérez, president of COCODE,
Santa María Tzejá has 20 organizations represented on COCODE, so development priorities emerge from a
lot of diverse opinions and dialogue. Representatives and their groups were:
        José Quixán Pérez, Potable Water Committee
        Emilia Raymunda, Women’s Union
        Cristobalina Quinilla, Widow’s Committee
        Silverio Mejía, Primary School
        Bartolo Tomás, Parent’s Committee of the Básico
        Paulina Panjoj Pérez, Improvement Committee
        Domingo Pastor Miranda, Event (Celebration) Committee
        Nazario Gutiérrez, Computer Committee, Secretary of COCODE
        Juan Tomás Pérez, COCODE President
        Juan Lux, Auxiliary Mayor
        Terezo Urizar Natareno, Mayor’s Committee
        Silvano Canil, Forestry Association
        Pedro Us, Library Committee
        Gaspar Quino Juarcas, Vice President, High School Project Committee
Juan Tomás shared the highlight that some students have graduated and are beginning to be integrated into
the committees, so professionals are increasingly contributing their expertise and becoming involved.
“Together we have learned a lot from our parents and they from us. Together we are moving forward. We
rely on professionals to come up with projects we can pursue and seeking funding for.” In early 2011 the
new committee members have been coming up with their goals, which are submitted to COCODE. Then the
next two to three years will involve developing goals for others to carry forward.
COCODE’s goals are 3 projects:
    1. To get a building or office that could accommodate meetings of groups like COCODE. They would
       like to have regular office hours.
    2. To build a new primary school.
    3. To get potable water. Ten related projects by the government have not brought them potable water.
       COCODE has an alternative idea -- that it may be possible to bring water from the Zorec(?) River,
       near the Cerro Cantil, to the water tank in SMT. So they want to do a study of the water quality.
Nazario, Secretary of COCODE, said that the various committees have a total of 16 short-term, medium-
term, and long-term projects that will be the groundwork for the future. The problem is financing, but
COCODE plans to knock on doors to get it. Nazario noted that the municipal Development Council
sponsored no projects in the region for 2011.
Although the community projects have not all been agreed on, tentatively they are:
        1.      Classroom for the Básico (medium-term)
        2.      Ecotourism site at Cerro Cantil – funding from foundation
        3.      Administrative offices (short-term)
        4.      Alternative to potable water location (short-term)

                 Needham Congregational Church Delegation to SMT – February 2011                       13
        5.       New primary school (short-term)
        6.       Urban planning for cemetery
        7.       Solid waste disposal (short-term)
        8.       Community market (medium-term)
        9.       Urban planning for central area of community
        10.      Parish house (long-term)
        11.      Central park (long-term)
        12.      Urbanization of streets (long-term)
        13.      Road from SMT and Santo Tomás (long-term)
        14.      Waste water treatment plan (medium-term)
        15.      Recreational area (long-term)
        16.      Plan to mitigate climate change (long-term)
COCODE plans to approve the short-term projects this year and get started. The high school project has
separate funding, but it is still a priority. Nazario said that the list is still in process, and some projects may
change from short-term to medium-term, etc. He mentioned that each committee has its own internal
projects, but that these are ones that benefit the entire community. It was mentioned that Water for People
has given funds for potable water projects and for water treatment.
José Quixán reported on the status of the current water project. In 2009 the village finished laying the
internal piping and in 2010 they built the water tank. A company will come to measure the distance from the
water source to SMT.
I asked the status of the village’s efforts to get title to their communal land. Silvano Canil said their forestry
association had met with the government land fund and were advised that landholders could no longer be
granted communal lands. So the community attempted to form an association, and each landholder would
name someone to be a member of the association. With some legal advice from the Guillermo Toriello
Foundation, a draft of the by-laws and Board of Directors of the association was prepared, then approved by
the village General Assembly and sent to the Land Fund in the capital. On January 18th the Land Fund sent
a technician to validate the boundaries of the communal land areas and will make a ruling. If it is approved,
then the association will be the proprietor (owner) of SMT communal lands. The Guillermo Toriello
Foundation is trying to protect green spaces or reserve areas, so it is helping communities to apply for this
type of arrangement. The by-laws specify how the village is to manage the land. For example, they cannot
sell off the land for logging purposes. Silvano said “we’re all feeling the effects of global warming. People
here are realizing that we can’t be cutting down trees; we are already seeing our water drying up.”
Our delegation was impressed by all the planning and vision that was at work among the various committees
of COCODE.

Meeting with Potable Water Committee (Brenda Metzler)
Thursday we met with the following members of the Potable Water Committee:
        José Quixán Pérez, President
        Tereso Urizar Natareno, Treasurer
        Jesús Ortiz, Member-at-Large #2
        Salvador Castro, Member-at-Large #3
Three members who could not be present were: Nicolás Noriega Morales, Vice President; Daniel Orlando
Reyes, Secretary; and Arnoldo Cano, Member-at-Large #1.
This project to supply potable water for 18 communities has been in the making for many years. It was
abandoned for a while and has started up again recently with a new company. The piping work from
neighboring Dolores to SMT still needs to be done, plus the piping that has already been laid (from the
source) must be inspected to see if it has degraded over time and needs to be repaired. Each community has
sent 5 members to the water source, about 60 km away near San Antonio Tzejá, to clear space around the


                  Needham Congregational Church Delegation to SMT – February 2011                          14
pipeline, so that new topographical measurements can be done. It was decided that each participating family
would contribute 30 days of free labor to the external piping work.
The system will work via gravity, since the source is a natural spring. A formation has been built to catch the
water and channel it directly into the water pipe, so the water never touches the ground. The water at the
source has already passed tests for water quality.
The piping system within SMT has been completed, so each home that is participating family has a faucet.
Families have to pay for the piping to their homes from the spigot at the road abutting their property. Out of
over 200 families in SMT, about 171 families and community buildings are participating. Families that
didn’t sign up will have a chance to join later by paying a fee. The community has provided 100% of the
labor to build the holder for the water tank in SMT, carrying rocks and sand for cement along small paths,
since the tank will be 250 meters uphill from the road.
Jen asked if the project is a government or private project. It is a government project, based on a loan from
the IDB (Inter-American Development Bank), being done through a private contractor. The community pays
indirectly for the project through its taxes.
Although the municipal government wanted to be in charge of the water system, each of the 18 communities
formed it is own legalized water association and pays taxes into a central association to cover piping repairs
to the main conduit. This will hopefully provide better management and accountability than through the
municipal government.
The initial cost per family will be Q25 per month for a trial period.
The external piping will be overseen by the same company that did the internal piping in SMT. When we
asked how long it might take until potable water actually arrives, they said there is a plan for the project to be
completed in 8 months (and the government has said it’s a priority). However, since they have been waiting
for 12 years, folks aren’t holding their breath.

EDUCATION IN THE VILLAGE

Meeting with Primary School Teachers (Noah Baker)
Monday afternoon we met with the primary school teachers and the parents’ association members, including
the Principal (and father of Básico Director Hugo Quinilla) Valentin Quinilla, who also teaches 5th grade.
Others present were:
        Enma Reyes, 4th grade (21 students)
        Marcelino Pérez, 3rd grade (26 students)
        Magdalena Us Chajal, 2nd grade (32 students)
        María Hernández Us, 1st grade
        Bertilia Canil Mendoza, Kindergarten (34 students)
        Silverio Mejía, Parents’ Oversight Committee
        Tomás Castro Tol, Parents’ Oversight Committee
        Romero Pérez Hernández – Parents’ Oversight Committee for Kindergarten
        Isabel Osorio, Parents’ Oversight Committee for Kindergarten
        Lucía Us, another primary teacher, arrived later.
Enrollment figures for this year are:
        Kindergarten -- 35 (19 boys, 16 girls)
        Grade 1 -- 30 (15 boys, 15 girls)
        Grade 2 – 32 (16 boys, 16 girls)
        Grade 3 -- 26 (15 boys, 11 girls)
        Grade 4 – 41, in two sections (21 boys, 20 girls)
        Grade 5 – 44, in 2 sections (27 boys, 17 girls)


                 Needham Congregational Church Delegation to SMT – February 2011                        15
        Grade 6 -- 41 (21 boys, 20 girls)
        Total: 214 (plus 35 in kindergarten).
Valentín said that the numbers may be lower in the lower grades because families are getting smaller (though
they haven’t researched this), but he believes that all children in the village are going to school.
Brenda congratulated the teachers who have recently graduated from the PEM program, the 3.5-year
university program, which gives them a ‘profesorado’ degree with credentials to teach at the middle-school
level. María, one of the students in the licensure program, explained that many of them have continued on
toward a 6-year program that will give them their ‘licenciatura’ degree. She said they all needed to continue
their education in order to “keep up with the times” and with developments in the subjects they teach. She
said, “We are not doing this for ourselves, but rather for our students.” Another teacher mentioned that by
continuing his own education, he is a positive role model for his students. María hopes to finish her classes
for the ‘licenciatura’ by November 2011 and hopes to complete her thesis to graduate with her 6-year
university degree by December 2012. Other teachers studying in this 6-year program are: Enma Reyes,
Marcelino Pérez, Bertilia Canil, Chavelo Cux, Vilma Gutiérrez Osorio, and Juana Pérez Gómez.
Marcelino mentioned that they’re trying to put K’iche’ into practice more in the classroom. This led to a
discussion of “rescuing” ‘K’iche’ as a language and the different resources they’re using. The teachers tell
the kids it’s important not to lose K’iche’ in order to preserve their cultural identity. Valentín noted that
Mayan languages were denigrated for years, and it was required to speak Spanish. He remembers being
laughed at for speaking K’iche’ in school. He mentioned that as teachers they have to raise the parents’
consciousness about K’iche’—that it’s worthy of their children’s time, both in the classroom and at home.
Valentín also noted how thankful they are for the solidarity and financial support that Needham has given
unconditionally for years. He contrasted this support with the process he has to go through to get funding
from the government. The paperwork, delays and levels of bureaucracy make it very frustrating. This time-
consuming process really isn’t worth it for the amount of funding the government provides, especially when
Valentín has to miss teaching time to get it. Annually they receive about Q40 (about $5) per student.
Randall, who was translating, added that classroom space is a challenge, since one of the two school
buildings is too rundown to be safe for holding classes. The Parents’ Committee has submitted a proposal to
the government for a new school but has gotten no response. So the parents are thinking of asking parents to
make contributions to add classrooms, one at a time.
Lucía told about using a reading program called Education for Life, a two-year program which includes
textbooks. It’s successful in some ways, but the funding ended last year so it’s a problem now because the
textbooks cost Q100 each. The textbooks have a lot of focus on Mayan culture and values, which the
teachers like. Another program through PRODESA called “Schools for Life” has promised books for Grades
2-6. Magdalena recently received some texts in K’iche’ for her 2nd-grade students.
Lucía summarized the greatest challenges for the primary school:
       Putting what is taught into context for the kids and making it relevant
       Not all textbooks work for the kids in the village—they need learning materials that are more
        relevant to their region.
       Materials for teaching Mayan language are not adequate. The teachers are using their education
        workbooks (from their university studies) as the basis for teaching K’iche’ and may be able to
        formalize a curriculum as part of their continuing university work.
This meeting was informative about the current condition of education in the village and how it’s funded. It
was less about presenting plans for the future. At the end of the meeting, we distributed lots of school
supplies donated by the Needham church school youth. The principal especially liked the finger puppets!

Meeting with the Básico (Middle School) (Hannah Clifford)
At the Basico Meeting we started out first by introducing the staff and their responsibilities:


                 Needham Congregational Church Delegation to SMT – February 2011                      16
        Hugo Quinilla – Director of the Básico
        María Caal – Secretary for the Básico
        Randall Shea – Helps with Básico fundraising/financing
        Adelina Chom – teaches Math (7th grade) and Theater (7th-9th grade)
        Oliverio Us – Phys. Ed. (7th, 8th), Dance (7th,8th, 9th)
        José Manuel Tebalan – Industrial Arts, Music, Phys. Ed.
        Abelardo Ramiro Canil – Physics (9th)
        Nazario Ralios Larios – Accounting (7th-9th), Music (7th)
        Hector Tiu – Natural Sciences (8th)
        María Elena Tojín Pérez – Math (8th, 9th), Home Econ. (9th)
        Juana Pérez Gómez, Student Counselor
Members of the PTA and members of the Student Council also attended:
        José Humberto – Student Council Rep
        Henri Giovani Tojín – Student Council Rep
        Mercedes ?, Student Council Representative
        Joselito Noriega – President, 9th-grade class
        Bartolo Tomás Pérez – President, Parents’ Association
        Eduardo Hernández – Vice President, Parents’ Association
        Victor Tebalán – President, Parents’ Oversight Committee
        Justo Pastor Zacarias – Member, Parents’ Oversight Committee
        Miguel Panjoj – Member, Parents’ Oversight Committee
Starting out the meeting, the math teacher María Elena talked about her experiences in her math class. She
talked about how she is learning along with her students and how math can be tricky for some of the
students. She tells them that memorizing tables is less important than learning to carry out math operations.
There is a mixture of students who ask for help and do their homework, and others who don't do work at all.
Kids can come to her house for help outside of school (mainly on Saturdays and Sundays). She wishes that
more students would take advantage of her help outside the classroom. She is trying a new idea of making a
list of students who need help in math and telling them to come for help. If they do not come after class or to
her house for help, she will contact their parents.
Then Hector, who teaches natural sciences, talked about his classes. He described what they are learning in
the classroom (how things were and how they are now, species extinction, environmental problems). He
plans on using more videos and having guest speakers come and talk to the class. He also wants the class to
visit places in the community (the farmlands, the jungle) to increase their environmental awareness. They
have talked about the increasing production of African palm for bio-fuel by international companies, which
is driving people off their land and is also hard on the soil.
José spoke of teaching industrial arts, where the students learn about making things out of various materials.
Right now they are working on technical drawing. Students also study music, mostly guitar, but they also are
learning piano for the first time, on a keyboard. We mentioned that students from our church are
contributing toward the purchase of a marimba for the Básico. Oliverio spoke about dance and creative
movement. Some of the students are shy, but Oliverio wants to animate them and teach them to appreciate
their cultural heritage. He will be teaching them the ‘baile de convite’ for SMT’s Founders’ Day celebration
in May. Juana, as a student counselor, does not teach classes but supports students with their questions and
problems. She tries to help them find their own voice, encouraging them to analyze their situation and come
up with their own conclusions. One of her favorite sayings is: “Learning for life is not a question of
repeating a word, but rather saying your own word.” She likes that students are speaking up more this year.
Joselito, president of the 9th grade class, also talked to us. He wanted us to know that he appreciates the
support we have given the Básico and he hopes we continue to support them. He does hope the school could
get more scissors, glue, and a three-hole punch since they only have a small amount of school supplies. They



                 Needham Congregational Church Delegation to SMT – February 2011                     17
also would like a chess set and other sporting balls. This year the students hope to do a small forestry project
to encourage reforestation and generate some income through the sale of trees..
We learned that four Básico teachers decided not to teach this year: Bertilia Canil, Chabelo Cux, María
Hernández, and Vilma Gutiérrez, but they may be back next year. Three teachers were not present at the
meeting: Lucia Us, Enma Reyes, and Saul.
Victor Tebalan, legal representative of the Parents’ Committee, told us that each member serves for two
years. Hugo mentioned that the Básico participates in the Mayan Alliance for Popular Education. Their
participation lets them search for external funding for the school. Since the Básico receives some
government funding, it is only allowed to charge students a monthly tuition of Q20 ((less then $3), and
parents pay Q20 per month/student to the Parents’ Association. There is a small scholarship fund available
for students whose parents are unable to pay. Four students were supported last year, and so far two students
are being supported this year.
Enrollment figures for the Básico in 2011 are:
        7th grade, Section A- 24 students ( 16 boys, 8 girls; and 13 are from neighboring Santa María
        Dolores (SMD)
        7th grade, Section B- 25 students ( 15 boys,10 girls)
        8th grade, Section A- 21 students ( 12 boys, 9 girls)
        8th grade, Section B- 22 students ( 14 boys, 8 girls)
        9th grade - 24 students ( 8 boys 16 girls and 1 is from SMD)
At the end of the meeting we presented the teachers with some school supplies and sports balls that we had
brought for their students.

Meeting with the Computer Committee (Jen Cusack)
Monday afternoon we visited the Computer Center and sat down with the following members of the
Computer Committee and staff:
        Nazario Gutiérrez Osorio -- President, Computer Comm. (1st year)
        Santa Ralios -- Vice President (2nd year)
        Lucia Us Chaja l-- Secretary
        Martina Quinilla – Member-at-Large
        Abelardo Canil – Teacher, Computer Center (in 3rd year)
        Javier Urizar-- Teacher and Director, Computer Center
Nazario told us about usage and funding of the Computer Center. All Básico students pay a fee to use the
center as part of their studies. They’ve seen a drop-off in use by students from Santa María Dolores in the
past year, because that village now has its own computer center. They’ve also seen a drop in primary
students’ use of the center, probably because of their increase in fees.
Last year, Jeff Taylor cut back on his long-generous financial support for the center, a trend which will
continue in 2012, so the committee increased fees to make up the shortfall. They explained the issue to
parents who voted to approve the increase. Parents feel that the computer center is a very important asset to
the community since it gives their children access to technology, in addition to being a government-
mandated part of the Básico curriculum. Initially the center didn’t charge fees, but then the committee
decided that it was important for parents to pay something for this--to be invested in it. Adults benefit from
the center too; two adults are taking courses there now.
Registration fees for 2011: Básico students: Q35 (previously Q8); Primary students: Q15 (previously Q8).
Monthly usage fees for 2011: Básico students: Q25 (previously Q5); Primary students: Q10 (previously Q5).
Randall Shea, Coordinator of the Básico, is looking for funding through his donor network so that they don’t
have to keep increasing the fees to cover their costs. The middle school (Básico) is helping with the


                 Needham Congregational Church Delegation to SMT – February 2011                      18
Computer Center tuition fees for two students who might otherwise have dropped out of school because they
couldn’t afford them.
Electricity has meant a big reduction in the energy-related expenses for the center. Since electricity arrived
last August, their biggest electrical bill was Q600 a month, versus Q1,500 for diesel every 20 days to run the
generator. The arrival of electricity also means that the computer center has a competitor: an internet cafe has
opened in the village, offering computer use at Q5/hour.
Javier explained that the biggest challenge facing the computer center is internet capacity, which stands at
1250 megabytes/day. Right now, Randall Shea’s home and the middle school offices all run off the same
server as the computer center. With this much volume on a satellite connection, service is very slow. They
estimate that they could address this problem with an investment of Q5,000 to Q9,000 for an internal server,
which would allow them to monitor/limit usage and prevent downloading of videos. As for the equipment at
the center, through funds from Jeff Taylor and increased user fees, they have replaced all but 8 of the original
monitors and have replaced 6 complete computers. Through increased use fees they have also purchased a
new satellite dish. In addition to the capacity/service issue, Nazario acknowledged the importance of figuring
out how to sustain the computer center financially.
We ended the meeting with a tour and saw two new features of the center: a projector to help with teaching
and a separate office for the staff.

Meeting with the Library Committee (Jen Cusack)
Monday afternoon we also met with the Library Committee. In attendance were:
        Pedro Us--President
        Venturo Bolaños Reyes—Member-at-Large
        Luciano Herrera--Treasurer
        Carlos Juárez Juárez--Vice President
These are newly elected committee members, so they’re still learning their responsibilities. The librarian,
Lucia Toj Botón, is also new--she’s a newly-graduated teacher who is running the library this year as her
community service commitment. The librarian gets a stipend of Q700 a month, approximately $90. The
committee is very happy with the library and feels that it is providing an excellent service to the community.
The committee feels that the library should and does serve everyone in the village: the smaller children read
the books at the library and do homework; older children and adults check books out; and students from
Santa María Dolores who study at the SMT Basico also use it. The librarian and committee use a refurbished
computer (donated last year by Needham) for inventory and reports.
The library is open Tues, Wed. Thurs., Sat., and Sun. from 8-12 and 1-5. On Mondays and Fridays, a literacy
specialist uses the space for classes.
New library construction: The old library is located in a borrowed building and is not a very secure space.
Plus the community wants a larger space for gathering and studying, as well as more storage for books. The
construction is a huge undertaking, and both the fundraising and the work itself are carrying over from the
previous committee to this one. Construction is expensive and difficult in the rain. A wall that collapsed due
to a mudslide has to be repaired before they can move forward. They made a decision to wait until the dry
season (March/April/May) to continue the construction. Pedro Us, a mason, estimates that it will cost
Q10,000 to fix the wall. They have only Q2,000 left at this point.
It may cost an additional Q30,000 to Q40,000 to finish the project as they envision it. The previous
committee’s funding won’t cover this, so they plan to approach Randall Shea for help, since he has been able
to find funding in the past. They have some tables, chairs and shelving, but they may seek funding for
additional furniture as well (specifically, they’d like wooden tables instead of the plastic ones they have).
They’d like to paint the building and add a wooden, rather than tin, roof. The committee hopes that
considerable progress will be made by August.



                 Needham Congregational Church Delegation to SMT – February 2011                      19
They and the librarian were very pleased with the books we donated. The librarian later told us that she’d
love to get some books on musical instruments, music in general, and instructional books for learning how to
play various instruments. She’d also like some books on anatomy. The committee added that they appreciate
our friendship and the contact.

Meeting with AESMAC (Brenda Metzler and Ben Wildman)
Following breakfast on Sunday we met with the following members of AESMAC, the Association of
Students and Professionals of Santa María Tzejá and Surrounding Communities):
        Benjamín Pérez – President, Legal Representative of AESMAC
        Vilma Gutiérrez Osorio
        Rolanda García – Secretary; also serves on Communications Comm.
        Hermelinda de la Cruz Hernández – Treasurer
        Carmelina Pérez, Board member; also serves on Scholarship Comm.
        Paulina Panjoj Pérez – serves on Scholarship Comm.
        Estela Elvira Hernández García
        Raúl Castro
        Rogelio Hernández – finishing practical thesis for univ. degree in zootechnology
        Hector Tiu – working as teacher in the Básico
After introductions Benjamín mentioned two agenda items -- a discussion of the website issue and
Needham’s vision of scholarships. We started with the website topic. Brenda Metzler and Ben Wildman
have each written up notes from this conversation, which follow:
Brenda: Benjamín Pérez acknowledged the importance of communication, noting that pre-Internet it used to
be very hard to communicate. The idea of a website falls within the Communications Commission of
AESMAC (the other three commissions being Health and Environment, Education, and Sports). Two SMT
women (Rolanda García and Regina Pérez), who studied communications at the university, and one man
(Santiago Botón) who studied journalism could help facilitate the project.
Rolanda, one of the communications graduates, had recently sent Brenda a proposal by e-mail, but it hadn’t
arrived before the delegation left. Rolanda said that AESMAC had created a website in 2008 for Santa María
Tzejá. Due to lack of funding, it is currently inactive, although the web page still exists. AESMAC is
willing to collaborate with Needham and reactivate the website, designing another section that could be used
to facilitate communication with Needham. The proposal, which has been approved by AESMAC, envisions
Needham and AESMAC each contributing time and financial resources to the effort. AESMAC would
contribute $5,000 in resources, including a computer ($625); two videocameras ($2,875); and human
resources for filming, editing, posting, etc. ($1,500). Needham is asked to contribute $1,300 to cover:
internet service ($60/year); two digital cameras ($500); stipend for website updater ($600); and video camera
cassette tapes ($135).
Rolanda said it is important to define the objectives of a website in order to get the type of communication
we want. A main goal is to allow SMT folks to see our community, and vice versa. She acknowledged that
many Needham folks can’t visit SMT, nor can SMT folks visit Needham. In her opinion, a main reason that
our partnership has lasted is the fact that people come to the village. We agreed. So words and pictures are
important in trying to ‘connect’ people who haven’t had the experience of visiting SMT.
Raúl, who lives with his wife in the U.S., was visiting SMT and offered his unique perspective. A website
would benefit folks from SMT who are in the U.S., since they could keep up with activities and people in
their home community.
Ben (from the Needham delegation) said that security could be a challenge if we are looking for a free
website. Bandwidth capacity could also be a limiting factor. Now that SMT has an internet café, if everyone
were to have their own membership, usage would add up to way more than the 96 hours/year anticipated in
the SMT proposal. Rolanda commented that all organizations in Guatemala work on the internet. Most of


                Needham Congregational Church Delegation to SMT – February 2011                    20
them use a social versus business website. AESMAC has put up a lot of information and video on their
website and haven’t run out of capacity yet.
The question arose as to whether we would want a public page or one with limited (password-protected)
access. Ben suggested that we could start with a public page, since that is relatively easy, and then try to
explore more options if that doesn’t serve every need. We would need to discuss what type of information to
put on the website. It was asked if there would be a monthly cost of a password-protected website. Would
one have to pay for a domain name to continue to have such a site? Rolanda said they had thought about
buying a domain name.
We gave AESMAC a copy of the Needham draft website proposal that Ali had translated into Spanish. Tina
said that there are obviously many questions, including cost, to be addressed in pursuing development of a
website. She emphasized that it will be a slow process. Rolanda agreed that we should start with what we
can do – a public page.
Ben Wildman: From his more technical perspective, Ben contributed the following comments and
understanding of the discussion: “Regarding the proposal of a joint website between Needham and SMT, the
delegation came down with a draft plan for how we envisioned a website, and aimed to find out what
AESMAC was looking to achieve on their end. The delegation’s 3 stated goals were to: 1) involve the
Needham community in the Guatemala project, 2) facilitate communication between SMT and Needham;
and 3) raise awareness of social and political issues.
We discovered that AESMAC already had a website running for SMT, but that they had no money to pay
people to update it. Effectively, what they were asking was for funds to continue the operation of their
existing website for the time being and then move on to developing a more advanced site at a later date.
Regardless, when we discussed the concept of a more advanced website, a number of issues sprang up. The
first and most important was internet security. Especially considering the generally sensitive nature of
identity, AESMAC wanted to be sure that whatever information they put online was either relatively neutral
or absolutely confidential.
Their current website setup is on a free site server called “blogspot.com.” Blogspot.com is much like
freewebs.com, photobucket.com, or any other easy-to-register-for-free online community. Security is low,
but the power of the site is equally low, making it impossible to have any features that would really be a
concern for security anyway. Purchasing a domain name was discussed, and AESMAC was interested, but
the speed with which such a change can happen is limited. If a full website with a forum and other features
were to be designed, a number of things could happen. First, there is the issue of confidentiality. It is
relatively simple to set up a forum where users register for the site and must be approved by an administrator
before full access to site material is available. However, this seemingly small step would be quite large,
considering the limited bandwidth with which SMT has to work. Furthermore, were the site not user-account
based, there was the issue of getting approval from members of the community to use pictures, video, or text
information about them in such a public fashion.
Secondly, and perhaps the most glaring issue with the website plan, is the limitation of bandwidth.
Developing and uploading the website is one thing, but to allow the SMT community to use it regularly as a
means of communicating with Needham and/or SMT staying up to date on issues in their area would require
far more bandwidth than they currently have. Simply put, AESMAC was interested in the project, but
neither side is quite prepared to move forward until a more balanced plan can be formulated.”
The conversation with AESMAC then turned to the topic of Needham funding for scholarships and
education. AESMAC has observed that a large percentage of Needham funds for SMT go to support
education, and it recognizes that this requires us to do a lot of fundraising. So AESMAC is interested in
knowing what is our vision for scholarship and education funding? “What are your goals?” “Are we
fulfilling your expectations?” “What is your vision for 20 years from now?” These questions apparently
stem from AESMAC’s concern about some differences between itself and the village Scholarship Committee
(CHE). Each organization has its own scholarship criteria and commitments. Benjamín pointed out that
with the CHE, the members are parents of the scholarship students, whereas with AESMAC, the members

                 Needham Congregational Church Delegation to SMT – February 2011                    21
are the scholarship students themselves. AESMAC feels that there is a lack of continuity and long-term
commitment with the CHE, since once the students’ financial commitment is repaid, parents drop off the
CHE and any relationship essentially ceases.
Tina pursued these observations by turning the question back to them: “What is your vision?” Benjamín
replied: “We believe that education leads people to achieving development. We believe that youth need to
have a community vision, and many of them do. Many students continue to be involved with AESMAC
after their commitment is repaid because AESMAC has the philosophy that students need to contribute
beyond the financial payback. They have a responsibility to contribute to the community.” He added, “We
highly value our community organizations -- women, the cooperative, our schools, the church, etc. These
organizations don’t end, and we must support them. People need to learn to act together and to have goals.”
Rolanda added that some students who have received scholarships through the CHE would like to pay their
5%-of-salary contribution to AESMAC, but that CHE pressures them to pay it to the CHE. She reiterated
that AESMAC wants students to have a community-wide vision beyond the financial commitment.
Benjamín asked about the hopes Needham has for its graduates. Tina replied that education is very
important. Brenda added that in Needham the idea is that education opens doors. We said that beyond this, it
is up to the village to determine its own goals and vision for education. Clearly AESMAC was seeking some
input on a subject of concern to them, but we didn’t feel it was our place to take sides, but rather to
encourage dialogue among the two groups. Benjamín appreciated our position and concluded that maybe
they needed to seek a closer working relationship with the CHE.
We then learned that AESMAC is sponsoring 4 high school students. Rosa Isabel Quixán Solis received an
80% scholarship and just graduated as a secretary. Mariano Cifuentes is in his second year, studying natural
resources. He apparently was able to overcome some early difficulties and succeeded in passing his first
year. AESMAC has sponsored two new students in 2011, with 50% support each: Andrés Pacheco de la
Cruz; and Roberto Cuc Cuc(?), who notably is from another community (Machaquilá).
There are a total of 14 graduates who have paid or are paying AESMAC their ‘aporte’ (5% of their salaries).
The breakdown by year is: 9 in 2009, 4 in 2010, and 5 in 2011. This has enabled AESMAC to award the
four high school scholarships.
Randall suggested that perhaps Needham might want to consider giving a portion of its scholarship funds for
a student with different criteria than the largely grades-based criteria that the CHE uses.
As usual this was a very interesting meeting, and we left once again impressed with the thoughtfulness and
broad vision of these young professionals.

Meeting with the High School Project Committee (Brenda Metzler)
On Wednesday we met with two of the five members of this committee: Randall Shea, President of the
Committee, representing the Parents of the Primary School; and Emiliano Panjoj, representing AESMAC.
Emiliano noted the committee had invited two professionals who have contributed greatly to the project:
Aurelio Canil Botón (civil engineer); and Nazario Gutiérrez (architect).
Randall first thanked the delegation for Needham’s support of $3,000 in both 2010 and 2011. The funds are
being used to do studies and prepare blueprints. It is the hope that funding will be easier to come by for the
building phase. He noted that Nazario has been employed as a designer and planner of the project; and
Aurelio worked on doing the studies for the project until July 2010.
Nazario gave a powerpoint presentation of the preliminary studies for the high school construction project.
A technical study followed the market study. The land sites chosen have not been purchased yet, but the
committee is looking at two pieces of land. One is owned by the cooperative and is heavily forested, so is
appropriate for the programmed curriculum; and the other is owned by Juan Lux and will be a good site for
the buildings, since the trees have been cut. Aurelio prepared the topographical map, and Nazario did the
design around these real pieces of land, so this should make cost estimates realistic and the construction


                 Needham Congregational Church Delegation to SMT – February 2011                     22
easier. The cooperative’s land is a partial ‘parcela’ and Juan Lux’ land is a full ‘parcela’, for a total of about
18 ‘manzanas’ or 15 acres. The cost of the land would be about Q180,000 (approx. $23,000).
Aurelio commented that the price of the land is only one factor. Others that make it an excellent piece of
land are its water sources, gradient, and forest. Nazario said the land is almost a square. Juan Lux’ land is to
the south of the cooperative’s land and abuts it. He said the services to be provided are: education,
recreation, a university extension, dormitories for both a high school and a university extension program, and
a commercial area for students.
The high school portion will have 16 classrooms, a computer center, a library, and boarding facilities. Some
of these will be shared with the university extension that will have 6 classrooms. The high school facility
will be 19,845 square meters, and the university extension will be 2,892 square meters. The treatment plant
will be 2,500 square meters. It will be 200 meters from the Pajuil River. Nazario’s presentation included
some of the 56 architectural blueprints for the buildings, etc. Maximum enrollment for the high school will
be 480 students, with dormitory capacity for 128 men and 96 women. Maximum enrollment for the
university extension will be 180 students, with boarding capacity for 36 men and 24 women.
Based on the market study, the careers to be offered are:
        1.       High School degree in Renewable Natural Resources
        2.       College Prep in Forestry Studies
        3.       College Prep in Agricultural Production
On the first floor, the high school will have administrative offices, 3 virtual classrooms, and 3 labs (for
chemistry, biology, and soils and water). The second floor will have 9 classrooms for theory and practice,
for a 270-student capacity). The third floor will have 7 classrooms and a lab for drawing and topography.
The roof contains a proposal for a garden. The classrooms will have natural lighting and ventilation.
The design for the university extension is similar but less dense since it will have fewer students.
Classrooms will accommodate up to 30 students, and there will be labs and a multi-use meeting room with a
capacity for 120 students, which will serve both the high school and university extension. Bamboo will be
used to support the structure. A library will have areas for individuals and small groups, with internet access
on the second floor and a reading area. Nazario has envisioned using a lot of ramps to provide accessibility.
A commercial area will have 2 shops, 4 cafeterias, 2 internet cafés, and 2 bookstores. A recreation area will
contain a soccer field, volleyball and basketball courts. There will be sidewalks for pedestrians and bikes.
Randall has an architect contact in Ann Arbor, Michigan who is reviewing the blueprints free of charge. His
specialty is environmentally-friendly design, which he suggests will open up fundraising opportunities. In
response to a question by Tina, Nazario said he is also consulting with his professors and fellow architects in
Sololá and Huehuetenango.
Aurelio said the project has two stages: the pre-project phase and the project phase. “We’re in the
preliminary stage now, which is done by professionals who carry out the studies. These studies constitute
about 30-35% of the cost of the studies, with the detailed design costing around 65%. In the preliminary
studies phase, cost is estimated by square meter. They will decide on what kind of materials to use in order to
determine an estimated cost. The plan is to build in stages, since not all the classrooms or dorms will be
needed in the first year.” Lastly we learned that Nazario spent 5 months preparing the blueprints, for which
he charged a ‘solidarity price’ of $4,500.
We congratulated the committee members and employees for their incredibly hard and impressive work and
hoped that this ambitious plan could someday become a reality.

Meeting with the Scholarship Committee (Brenda Metzler)
Thursday morning we met with the Scholarship Committee (CHE). Present were:
        Eduardo Hernández Gutiérrez – President and Legal Representative


                 Needham Congregational Church Delegation to SMT – February 2011                         23
        Francisco Mejía Larios – Vice President (1st year)
        María Senovia Reyes – Secretary (1st year)
        Felipe Canil Lares – Treasurer (3rd year)
        Miguel Panjoj Quino – Member-at-Large #1 (2nd year)
        Francisco Tiu Lopez – Member-at-Large #2 (1st year)
        Martina Quinilla Taperio – Member-at-Large #3 (2nd year)
        Santos Quinilla – Accountant (3rd year)
Eduardo asked Santos to speak to the first two points on the agenda: the financial report and the financial
reserve fund. Santos passed out copies of the 2010 financial report and explained that he does quarterly
reports and sends them to Needham/Brenda by e-mail. First he said that Rogelio Hernández, the Needham-
sponsored university student who has finished his coursework, had left Q6,650 of his funds unspent. Rogelio
asked that these funds NOT be deposited into his account because the mini- and full practicum that he would
be doing paid a small stipend, so he didn’t want to be ‘double dipping’, which we thought was quite
laudable. These funds now form part of the financial reserve fund.
The graduating high school students all received their full scholarship amounts in 2010, and all other high
school students likewise received their full scholarships, with the exception of Elias Danilo Noriega Morales
who was ill and quit his studies in his first year (2010), leaving a balance of Q5,685 of his original Q9,685
for the year. The unused funds between Rogelio and Elias Danilo totaled Q12,335. Combining these
balances with other balances left over from unspent publicity, legal, and administrative funds (Q1103.77); a
small balance from 2009 (Q2,038.40); the ‘reserve fund’ of unspent scholarship monies (Q23,860); and
Q5,603.59 in interest earned on time-deposits, produced a 2010 year-end balance of Q44,940.76.
The Scholarship Committee decided to use Q44,744 of this balance as follows:
Each of the 16 Needham scholarship students received a supplement to their scholarship amount of Q334, for
a total of Q5,344. Two additional students (beyond the five new students that Needham committed to
funding as of 2011) were awarded scholarships and also began their studies in 2011. One is: Karla Lucía
Canil Hernández (replacing Elias Danilo), costing Q9,850 for 2011. (Her 1012 year will be funded by the
reserve left from Danilo’s unused 2nd year, and 2013 will be paid by Needham (i.e. 3rd year for the original
recipient, Elias Danilo). Lastly, a total of Q29,550 (Q9,850 per year) has been set aside to fund the 3-year
scholarship for the other new student, Edy Noel Bolaños Castro.
The Scholarship Committee reported that the wire transfer of scholarship monies for 2011, received last
August, totaled Q181,389.30 (exchange rate of Q7.93). Adding to this the year-end 2010 balance, produced
a beginning balance for 2011 of Q226,330.06. The 2011 budget allocates this balance as follows:
        Q        167,450.00      (17 High School Scholarships @ Q9,850 each)
        Q          5,343.30      (Administrative expenses)
        Q          9,850.00      (Reserve funds for 2012 for Karla Canil Hernández)
        Q          9,850.00      (Reserve funds for 2012 for Edy Noel Bolaños Castro)
        Q          9,850.00      (Reserve funds for 2013 for Edy Noel Bolaños Castro)
        Q         23,790.00      (Reserve for New University Scholarship for 2012)
        Q            196.76      (Reserve at Year-End 2011)
        Q        226,330.06      TOTAL
We complimented the committee on its excellent report, prepared in fastidious detail by the accountant
Santos, noting that it is a great service to both our communities to have such clarity and transparency.
The committee then brought us to date on current Needham-sponsored students and their studies. Three
second-year students in Renewable Natural Resources transferred to the Maya Technical Institute in
Uspantán this year because it has better computer and lab equipment than the school in Playa Grande.
Although Uspantán is further away, the tuition is less (Q115/month versus Q200/month in Playa). Rubén
Toj Contreras changed his course of study after his first year (2009) and is pursuing a 3-year high school
degree. He and CHE agreed to split his third year of funding between his last two years (2011 and 2012).


                 Needham Congregational Church Delegation to SMT – February 2011                     24
Seven Needham-sponsored high school students graduated in 2010, and all high school students successfully
completed the year. The high school graduates are: Dalila de la Cruz Hernández, Roselia Castro Pachceo,
Naivi Yaneth Bolaños Castro, Lucía Guadalupe Toj Botón, Vilma Maribel Pérez, Lourdes Us Tiño, and
Amelia Rosaura Canil (2-year program). Val suggested that maybe these graduates could be recognized in a
Needham church service, and Randall suggested it would be nice to have photos to accompany them.
Each CHE member serves two years on the committee, with the exception of Felipe Canil. Francisco Tiu
explained that Felipe is very good at the Treasurer’s function and was willing to serve a third year if he could
receive a small stipend. Eduardo added that the treasurer’s job is hard and that not many people have the
skills to do the job well, so the CHE voted to approve a Q2,500 stipend for him for 2011. I commented that
this decision clearly reflects the committee’s confidence in him. The stipend will be paid from the interest
earned on time deposits (like certificates of deposit). In response to a question, Felipe said that CHE’s funds
are in one of the most financially-solid banks in Guatemala. The larger the CD, the better the interest rate. A
6-month CD of Q40,000 and up currently earns in the range of 3.5-4% interest.
We asked about CHE’s progress in getting scholarship applicants for the new university scholarship from
Needham. Since the scholarship money arrived in August 2010, there wasn’t time to get a good response
from applicants before the start of the 2011 school year. Manolo Canil Cu applied for the scholarship but he
hadn’t yet taken his university entrance exams. Manolo subsequently gained entrance at the University of
San Carlos, but the committee doesn’t have his documents. Meanwhile Amelia Rosaura Canil (Felipe’s
daughter) also applied for the scholarship (in January), but was late, due to a university strike that postponed
the entrance exam until February. Both candidates are now enrolled and studying at the university.
The committee to date hasn’t decided whether to give the scholarship to one of these candidates or to wait to
get more candidates. I asked if there were particular criteria for the scholarship. Felipe said that the
committee had thought it would be good for the scholarship to be in a field of study that would be useful in
SMT or the Ixcán region. He said the committee has discussed this from time to time with AESMAC and
Randall, and the fields that come up include pedagogy, dentistry, and veterinary medicine. The general
feeling is that students should be allowed to choose their course of study. So they are not advertising the
scholarship as being for a specific field of study. Their hope is that they will get several applicants who are
interested in a ‘needed’ field and then evaluate them. They are hopeful that the scholarship will be awarded
to begin in 2012.
Eduardo thanked us for our solidarity and for our visits. He is glad that we are supporting their children’s
education, both at the Básico and high school levels, but he also appreciates being able to talk with us
directly. Francisco added that he is thankful for the spirit that is guiding our goodwill and solidarity. He
thanks all our church members for that and hopes that God will watch over us so that we arrive safely in our
community. He finished by saying “Someday we will know God in his kingdom. We are all children of
God, and we’re of the same blood.”

DELEGATION PARTICIPATION IN THE BASICO

Teaching Art Classes (Noah Baker)
I taught two separate art classes – the first one in the primary school (5th grade) in Valentin’s class. The
second I taught as a workshop during non-school hours, which was open to all Básico (middle school)
students and had a surprisingly good attendance. I did two sample drawings, one in charcoal and one in
pastel, both of which I brought to the classes as demo’s. The materials I brought were two sets of pencils of
varying weights, charcoal, and black paper with colored pastels. The black paper seemed especially foreign
and interesting to the kids, and some of them really excelled. Many copied things out of their books, or from
cartoons they had pictures of.
I went around to each table and would sometimes draw something for the students so that they would be
inspired, or propose that they complete my drawing (if they were struggling for ideas). I had Susan and
Emily with me to translate for the first class, but the students didn’t mind talking among themselves, and by


                 Needham Congregational Church Delegation to SMT – February 2011                       25
the second time my Spanish was good enough to answer any questions they had or point out which materials
they wanted. When we were done, we left one set of each material with the classes to continue to use. The
kids really seemed to enjoy working with someone who knew how to use these materials, since they saw my
work first. I got a lot out of this class in seeing beginning artists flourish creatively, as well as having fun
with the kids.

Theater Workshop (Hannah Clifford and Emily Verschoor-Kirss)
We led a theater workshop in two sessions for members of the Básico during the week in SMT. It was a
learning experience for both of us, as Emily spoke some Spanish, and Hannah was less comfortable.
However, there wasn’t a translator available, so the two of us went alone to the old church, where the class
was held, to teach by ourselves, since all of the adults were busy in various meetings. It was fun for
everyone (or so we hoped…it was fun for us), as we taught the class some theater and acting games and
activities. The first session was harder, although Emily’s Spanish explanation was clearer. After that, the
teacher was able to help explain the activities a little bit more after she was assured we would be repeating
the session the next day. The first class was pretty timid, but the second was a bit more energetic and eager
to participate. Some of their favorites included ‘Pictionary’ and ‘Indian Chief’, which were both easy to
explain and understand. We had prepared some ideas for subjects of these games, and were surprised as to
how difficult some of them are. We tried to pick obscure animals, but some of the more common animals
were more difficult to draw.
Overall, we agreed that the classes were a success and a good learning experience. It is really true that
actions and theater are universal things, because human emotions are universal. Since we tried to pick some
games that didn’t use words, we also managed to eliminate the language barrier and were surprised at how
much language wasn’t a factor in the workshop.

Teaching English Classes (Hannah Clifford)
When we were in the village we had the opportunity to teach two classes of English to the (Básico) middle
school students. The first class that we taught was one of the higher grades. The teacher wanted us to work
on adjectives and nouns with the students. In Spanish the noun comes before the adjective, so it would sound
something like "car green" instead of "green car". The students often have trouble remembering this rule in
English so we did different exercises to help them work on this. We wrote down different adjectives and
nouns on the chalkboard and then had the students make sentences using the words. After they made
sentences we had them read them aloud to the class. Once the students got more comfortable with these
nouns and adjectives, we tried putting in verbs too. They had a more difficult time with these sentences since
they had only started learning about different verbs.
The next class we led was a lower-level class than the first one we taught. The teacher said they had just
started learning the days of the week and the months of the year and wanted us to go over that with them. We
started out by writing one day at a time, in random order. We had them say it in English and then spell it out
loud in English. The students then put the days of the week in the right order and read them aloud. We did
the same exercise with the days on the month. We then finished the class with quickly going over colors with
them. During both classes we made sure to repeat the words in English back to them, since the teachers
wanted the kids to hear how the words were pronounced by English speakers.

Trip to the Waterfall (Emily Verschoor-Kirss)
On Sunday, the first full day in the village, it was particularly hot. The youth were eager to visit the waterfall
after hearing Ben and Andrew’s enticing stories about it. We walked down the hill from the guesthouse and
started down the road in the general direction of the waterfall until we passed some children and asked if they
would lead us. They agreed and we headed off on about a 20-minute walk through lots of mud and a cow
pasture. The small kids were jumping on the rocks and avoided all of the mud, despite the fact that they were
wearing Crocs. They were thoroughly amused to watch the “gringos” struggle immensely through the mud.



                 Needham Congregational Church Delegation to SMT – February 2011                        26
Once we got to the waterfall, we waded in and waited for the OK to jump from the top. After a small village
boy launched himself off at least three times, Andrew was the next brave soul. Shortly after that, every other
youth member of the delegation had a turn.
During the rest of the village stay, we went to the waterfall almost every day. It was quite refreshing. Even
the mud started to decrease as the week went on. On the last day, we visited the small waterfall, and were
accompanied by many village children who enjoyed having their picture taken.

Playing with the Children (Ben Wildman)
Often a highlight of spending time in Santa María Tzejá is seeing the youth of the village during down time
throughout the day. Seeing as the guest house is right on the “strip mall” – as the town’s main row of
shops/stalls is affectionately dubbed – there are plenty of kids in and out of the area all day. Each delegation
brings down a variety of trinkets and toys as a way of entertaining the kids who may have never seen any of
the fun gadgets otherwise. On this trip, the two highlights were bubbles and water balloons. Bubbles hold a
special place in the hearts of people everywhere. The first time I saw bubbles as a kid was a glorious
experience. The kids in SMT rarely get to experience such a taken-for-granted toy. Masses of kids
congregated outside the guest house waiting for a stream of bubbles to chase and pop, or to get under and
blow up to see how long they could make it last. One kid actually made his bubble last almost all the way
down the length of the strip mall before a cheeky friend leaped up and popped it.
Similarly, water balloons were a great experience. They were first introduced when Noah and Andrew
decided to play catch, taking a step back after each successful catch. Eventually, the balloon would either
pop in one of their hands or platter on the ground if they missed. The kids loved watching this game, but
were tentative to get in the wet zone. Finally, the Needham youth got restless and began throwing balloons at
each other (Surprise? Not really.). This the SMT youth jumped in on right away. Hannah and Emily began
cranking out water balloons from the sink in the guest house and divvying them out to the kids, who then
chased us around. Perhaps the best moment took place almost 20 minutes after the game seemed to have
ended. Hannah came outside the guest house for some reason, and 2 kids hanging out outside revealed that
they had been concealing a balloon behind their backs. Needless to say the rest is history. The most
fascinating thing about playing with the kids was that nobody ever argued about anything. I can’t remember
the last time I saw a group of close to 10 kids with only 2 or 3 bubble bottles coexist so seamlessly. The kids
with the bubbles blew bubbles, and all the other kids got into their role as bubble destroyer or bubble savior.
Not once did anyone try and take the bubbles from one another. Much the same could be said of the water
balloon experience. Good hearted carefree fun will never be easier than with simple props and a mass of
SMT children, ready to play.

The ‘Parcela’ Trip (Andrew Cullen and Ben Wildman)
Andrew: This year we had the privilege to go to the ‘parcela’ (farmlands) of Tomás Júarez Ambrosio. Our
day started out normally, walking to breakfast in our three groups, but then we all met up and headed out on
our adventure for the day. Luckily for us it hadn’t rained while we were there, so the paths for the most part
were dry as we started out. However, as we progressed the path got steadily and steadily muddier. At a few
points there were people whose boots were nearly coming off, and they would almost lose their balance; but
a few of the guys (myself included) were bouncing around helping out anyone who was about to fall. Once
we got into Tomas’s ‘parcela’, we walked around and he told us all about all of the trees, and showed us a lot
of his crops, even some cardamom plants. About half way through the journey we arrived at a bat-infested
cave where Tomas told us that he and his family had had to hide out there during the violence. He told us
that, whenever the helicopters came and the soldiers came looking for them, he and his family had to run into
the cave in order to stay alive, and they had to do that for a number of months. A few brave souls in our
delegation even ventured pretty far into the cave and took pictures of all the bats, the stalactites and the
stalagmites. After that we walked back, looking at all the trees again, and even noticing the lines of leaf-
cutter ants moving leaves. All in all, despite the occasional loss of a boot, it was an amazing day trip, and
my favorite one of our trip.


                 Needham Congregational Church Delegation to SMT – February 2011                       27
Ben: This delegation’s ‘parcela’ trip was a mercifully short walk from the village (for those of you keeping
score at home, that means shy of an hour of walking). We were guided by Tomás Ambrosio and
accompanied by Hugo Quinilla. As always, the walk out to the ‘parcela’ was incredibly muddy. Val and Tina
took turns riding the horse, while the remaining delegates attempted to bounce from dry place to dry place
without falling in. Throughout the journey, Tomás stopped and pointed out various plants of interest. The
biggest cash crop in the area right now is cardamom. We saw some absolutely enormous trees of various
sorts, and even the tracks of what Tomás informed us probably belonged to a puma. Eventually we arrived at
a big cave. In the twilight of the rainforest, Tomás told us his story of how he and his family had lived on
their ‘parcela’ when they were forced to flee the village during the genocide. For 3 months, they lived off the
land, hiding in their cave when helicopters flew over. At the end of 3 months they set out for Mexico.
Listening to this story was incredible. Talking with Tomás, one would never imagine that he had been
through so much. He was a quiet man, with an unmatchable smile. As always, this experience was a
highlight of the trip, and considerably more exciting than my previous ‘parcela’ adventure.

Meeting with the Survivors (Tina Scharback)
Tuesday afternoon we met with four members of the survivor’s group. Regrettably not everyone in our group
could attend. Some people were teaching in the schools and others were at the waterfall. Ali started the
meeting and told the survivors about the court case that we were privileged to witness in Guatemala City. It
was about an appeal made by a military commissioner who had been convicted of 6 counts of ‘forced
disappearance’ during the genocide. It was denied on appeal. That was a good victory. The survivors were
grateful for any information because most of them did not have a radio and hadn’t heard the news.
One of the speakers told us that in October of 2010, there was a gathering of everyone in all of the
communities from around the region who were involved in the genocide case. The news was good. The
lawyers compared it to crossing a river. The deepest part is in the middle where the current is the most
dangerous. The lawyers explained that we’ve crossed that part and have almost made it. We don’t know if
there are obstacles in the future, but we are on the right path. People from five departments came together
and the message was that they were not just trying to put anyone in jail, but they are going for the top
military. These people are still in power and it’s very difficult to touch them.
It was very tough in the beginning, but now our workload had decreased. It’s really up to the lawyers now.
The biggest obstacles are the military officers who are still in power in the legislative and judicial branches.
Certain candidates, given their backgrounds, should be opposed in the elections.
I asked if that has worked or if the elections were rigged. The answer was that it had worked. There was a lot
of noisy criticism about a former lawyer of Rios Montt, and he did not get into the elected post he wanted. “If
civil society stays quiet and does not help, we all lose.”
I asked if Ixcán folks vote with knowledge about the candidates. I also asked if Guatemala City and the
surrounding communities get the information to help them make an intelligent choice. One speaker said that
people involved in social organizations know enough not to put a murderer in office, if there is a choice.
Then I asked if the media gets the correct word out in all areas about the candidates. It apparently does not
get correctly reported in all areas.
Q. How has the increased military presence in the Ixcán affected their organization and have they felt
threatened? Answer: In previous years, since the 1996 Peace Accords, there were some robberies in the
communities. People would know who the person was, get him and put him in jail. But since the military
returned last year, there has been an increase of 22 murders, even one inside the military base. So bringing in
the military hasn’t brought more tranquility – quite the contrary.
Q. Has any socially conscious person been killed? The answer was no. But there has been a murder of a man
who refused to sell his cardamom company. He got drunk one night and was killed.
They say that the soldiers are here to protect us, but that is a lie. When we go to get our small monetary
incentives for sending our children to school, they hang around, as if they are helping us. Then the mayor


                 Needham Congregational Church Delegation to SMT – February 2011                        28
comes and says, “Hey ladies, how are you doing?” We say fine and he wants to get all of the credit. One
local mayor makes some women feel that it’s his business to get this money for them. But we know we are
entitled to this money. That mayor is just tipping his hat, but he’s tipping someone else’s hat.
Jen referred back to how impressive it was when the indigenous women from Choatalúm came in to the
courtroom in Guatemala City to show their support. Brenda said the woman lawyer (for the prosecution)
spoke well, as did the human rights’ lawyer. A family member who spoke wanted justice and stated it should
never happen again.
I asked if there was anything else they wanted to share with us. One person asked about the case in the Petén
of military officers who threw babies into a well during the violence. Those officers are now in the U.S. and
Canada. Ali said that those men have been picked up for lying about their past on their immigration forms.
The judge in the U.S. made a strong ruling, stating how heinous the crimes were, and sentenced one prisoner
to jail for 10 years prior to deportation.
Another survivor told us that he appreciates our willingness to accompany them. He said that if the Mayas
can stand up and be heard, then “more people in congress can help us. We have to rise up and elect more
people to congress and work for change.” He said it is sad that, although the current president, during his
campaign, said he would increase the victims’ compensation fund from Q300 million to Q400 million, there
now only Q39 million available.
Then another survivor spoke up to say that she was able to bury her father in 2000. She surprised me by
handing me a photo of her father’s remains and told us her story, which started both of us crying. She was
the oldest of her siblings, 7 years old, when her father was killed. Years later, when the forensic
anthropologists came looking to find the bodies of those who had been killed in Santa María Tzejá, she asked
around the village to see if anyone could remember where her father had been murdered. She wanted to give
him a proper burial. Most people advised her to shut her mouth and not talk about it. Another family member
was of the opinion that their father was buried now and he should stay resting wherever he was and not be
disturbed. The speaker was so sad because an earthmover had come in to construct the road where she
thought he might be buried, so she might not be able to find him. In spite of everyone’s objections, she went
to the place where she thought he might be buried and told the forensic anthropologists to dig there. A
younger sibling, who was at our meeting, then spoke up, adding: “I was there. I saw everything -- when the
axe came down and they said they struck something. Then I saw them taking out my father’s bones.”
By now nearly all of us present were in tears. The courage this woman displayed from age 7 to the present
was remarkable. Her fortitude and single mindedness to give her fathers’ remains a proper burial were
stunning to us, given the traumatic experience of her fathers’ death when she was just 7 and the lack of
support she received to pursue finding his remains. Her testimony to us after all these years showed her grace
and empowerment and willingness to share a most intimate detail with members of our delegation. I felt so
privileged to listen to her story of courage and to know that this was because of our faith in each other and
God, that these moments have meaning and liberation for all of us.

Meeting with the Women’s Union (Val Kistler)
On Wednesday we sat down with the following members of the Women’s Union:
        Emilia Raymundo, President
        Pedro Pérez Ralios, Vice President
        Lucía Guadalupe Toj Botón, Treasurer
        María Concepción Herrera, Secretary
        Juana Tol, Member-at-Large #1
        Olivia Quinilla Pérez, Member-at-Large #2 (represented by her daughter)
There are 97 members of the Women's Union. They wanted us to know that they are really grateful to the
Needham donor who began the micro-lending project, since it has benefitted many women. The initial
donation of $1,000 (Q8,000) was followed by two subsequent donations of $500 each. When this project


                 Needham Congregational Church Delegation to SMT – February 2011                    29
started out, only 8 women could get a loan of Q1,000. With the borrowers repaying their loans each year
with 10% interest, the funds have now grown to Q30,745 so that 30 women a year can get loans of Q1,000.
Brenda said that the person who donated the seed money for the micro-lending project will be very happy to
hear that nearly four times as many women are helped by it now.
The Women’s Union just loaned money out to another group of women. They determine who will get loans
by going down the list of interested recipients, and anyone who did not get a loan last year will get one the
next year. Different members have used the loan in different ways. Some paid for their children's tuition;
others paid for animals for production. Some personal examples they shared with us:
        María Concepción: A year ago she received a Q1000 loan and bought a cow that has now had a calf.
        She paid back the loan on February 20th this year (the due date). She repaid Q1100, which includes
        the Q100 interest on the loan.
        Emilia: She got a loan last year and used the money to clear land and plant beans. She got a good
        crop and earned enough money from its sale to pay back the loan this year.
        Olivia: She has gotten a loan this year and plans to plant corn.
        Pedro: There is now a man in the Woman's Union. He has just gotten a loan and plans to buy a
        piglet, let it grow up and then sell it. He is the only man in the Women’s Union; his wife had been a
        member, but she died. The members voted to allow him to be a member in his wife's place.
        Lucía Guadalupe: She used her loan to help pay for her last year of high-school education last year.
        She was able to graduate as a teacher and is now doing her year of community service in the village
        library, receiving a stipend of Q700/month. Her husband is helping to pay back the loan as well.
The Women’s Union continues with the cattle project that was funded by the Blossom Fund in Boston some
years ago. Each woman receives a cow and then passes its offspring to another woman. They are on their
second round, so each woman has received 2 cows. Some cows have had 3 or 4 offspring.
Now that the village has electricity, the women recently obtained a new corn grinder that is electric, rather
than running on gas. This is their third corn grinder in the village; it is located far from the center of the
village and works on the same schedule as the other corn grinders. The people have to get the corn ground
early in the morning because the grinders are only open from 5:00 to 6:30 am. One operator makes Q525 a
month; the other two make Q300 (they have less business). A lot more people go to the grinder in the center
of town. The electric grinder is supposed to be faster but it seems to be the same speed.
The women also mentioned a shampoo-making project that is run by a small group of SMT women, although
this is not a Women’s Union project. It is part of a larger project in the region, operated by the Association
of Women Producers of the Ixcán.
We asked the women if they had any questions for us. They wanted to know if Needham women go to a
corn grinder every day. We said, no, we usually go to a grocery store and buy corn and other food products
there. Sometimes corn is frozen or in a can. It was interesting to realize how little the women know about
life in our country.
We asked about the effect that electricity has had on their lives. The women said they used to have to use
candles at night at the cost of Q1 per candle; now they don't have to. Electricity is cheaper than using
candles. An electric bill may be Q25 ($3.25) per month. They used to use two candles a day at a cost of Q60
a month. Many people have purchased refrigerators, blenders, and TV’s, and they pay much more -- up to
Q80-100 per month.
We asked if there are any negative effects of electricity. They said they all have to pay for community
streetlights which cost Q24 a month even if they don't want the lights. They only have to pay toward the
streetlights if they get electricity at home; it's part of the electricity bill. Most families have electricity. The
bill breaks down to Q24 per month for streetlights and Q1-3 per month for personal use. So streetlights are
much more expensive than basic home lighting.


                  Needham Congregational Church Delegation to SMT – February 2011                          30
The women asked how much we pay for electricity. This prompted a great conversation about comparative
costs for electricity, heating, etc., in Needham compared to SMT. We tried to describe how cold it gets in
Needham in order to explain why we need to pay so much for heating. The women asked if it got as cold as
it gets in SMT at night. To illustrate how very cold it gets we described how, if fingers are left uncovered in
the cold, they can freeze and fall off. The women were astonished to hear this and we all had a good laugh
because it sounded so nutty, even to us!

Meeting with the Widow’s Group (Val Kistler)
Later that day members of our delegation set up chairs in the shade of some trees to meet with the following
women from the widows’ group:
        Cristobalina Quinilla – President
        Santa Vicente
        Petrona Hernández
        María Solis
In general, the widows feel as if they're doing pretty well. There are currently 13 women in the group.
Currently they have a chicken project from funds donated by Needham via the Improvement Committee.
They thanked us for the chickens and said the chickens are doing well. They got enough money for each of
them to get chickens. The first allotment allowed them to buy the fencing for the chickens in February. In
August, when they got more funds, they divided the money and each bought their chickens. Cristobalina
said they are grateful because they are eating eggs that the chickens lay. María said that the mesh in the new
fencing is small enough to keep out wild animals (like weasels) that could get in and eat the chickens.
The widows just presented a proposal to the Improvement Committee for next August to be able to plant
about a half an acre of cardamom. They want to use the money to purchase the seeds and pay someone to
clear the land. After a plant reaches maturity in about three or four years, it will continue to produce. The
price for cardamom is down a bit from Q10 per pound to Q7 per pound. People in the community or outside
the community will buy it. The women will sell it individually, not as a group. They don't have a cardamom
dryer so they have to sell it green (for less profit). But they said if the price continues to be good, the
cooperative might purchase a cardamom dryer. Their proposal for last August was to buy corn plants. They
have to plant the corn in the ‘parcelas’ (farm plots), some of which are close by; others are farther away.
The widows mentioned that they have a new woman in the group, Lucía Lares. She is a new widow who
doesn't know how she's going to manage alone without her husband. Unfortunately she had thought our
meeting was in the morning and couldn’t return, so she missed it. One member left the Widows’ Committee
so the new person makes 13.
Brenda asked if the widows feel that their voices are being heard more now. Cristobalina said that they
generally receive more help from the Improvement Committee then they used to, but some committees (from
year to year) are much more supportive than others. María said that some men think women whose husbands
have died should just marry someone else, but “we have kids and it’s not so easy to just pick up and go with
some other man.” Jen asked if the women have adequate healthcare. Cristobalina responded that they get
help from the health post, but sometimes they have to buy medicines. If they don't have money, they try to
find out about medicinal plants that they can use.
Tina asked the women if they had any questions about what life is like for women in our country. María
asked us if women in the United States have equal rights with men. Jen replied that there is a mix in terms of
equality, especially because so many people in our country are from other countries and they bring their own
customs and traditions with them. I said that there is a fair amount of equality, but the Equal Rights
Amendment never passed. Brenda added that there has been a lot of progress in the last 35-40 years, but that
our country is about 250 years old, and women were not given the right to vote until 1920. Susan
commented that in Great Britain the fight for equal pay was led by a woman who was encouraged by her son,
who saw how hard it was for her to raise children as a widow. Equal pay laws were passed in England in the
1960s, before the US.

                 Needham Congregational Church Delegation to SMT – February 2011                      31
María said it's hard to work the fields with a machete. When she was younger, women used to work all day
for Q30 a day; then pay rose to Q35, and now it's up to Q40 a day. Men get Q52 a day. We said this unequal
pay would be grounds for a lawsuit in the US. Tina said that there is still work to do; women have to be
strong and stand up for their rights. We said that a similar situation exists in the U.S. for undocumented
immigrants who sometimes are paid poorly or not paid at all. I added that members of our church engaged in
a protest march against an employer who was not paying his workers. We added that there is a book that lists
lawyers and others who help with these issues.
The women asked if there are groups that help undocumented immigrants in the U.S. who are in jail. Tina
said “yes, and you can get someone to help you research this, especially AESMAC members.” The women
said an AESMAC member helped them write their widows’ report.
One woman then told us that her daughter had gone to the U.S., and when her baby got sick she went out to
get some medicine. Immigration agents went after her, but she ran to her house and locked herself and the
baby in the bathroom. The ICE agents eventually went away, thankfully. We commented that ICE agents
tend to be big, burly, scary-looking men and that Bill Plumley (who translates a lot of our partner-family
letters) says ICE agents are very nasty in court cases.
Overall, it was a fascinating conversation about equality and rights, particularly the similarities and
differences between our two countries.

Meeting with the Church Committee (Brenda Metzler)
Wednesday afternoon we gathered outside the church in a shady spot and met with the following members of
the Church Committee:
        Hugo Quinilla Us – Secretary
        Juana Maurilia Pérez Gómez – Treasurer
        Magdalena Us Chajal – Vice President, Representative to COCODE
        María Hernández Us – Member-at-Large #1
        Gabriel Pérez – Member-at-Large #2
        Dominga Ortiz Castro – Member-at-Large #3
Since Pedro Us, president of the committee, was absent, Hugo began the meeting. He welcomed us and
acknowledged this opportunity for sharing and exchange between one congregation and another. He and
Juana are carryovers from the previous committee, since it was decided that there would be better continuity
if they didn’t bring on a whole new committee. We agreed. Hugo said they are in a good moment because
they are still a one-church community, with only 2-3 evangelical families, so this makes for better
understanding and unity.
Hugo said the committee is looking for better infrastructure, so both the church and the village cooperative
are requesting funds from the Victims’ Compensation Commission for damage done in 1982 during the
violence, even if the amount is only symbolic. They turned in the paperwork to the commission late last year.
They would like to be able to refurbish the old church and make it a historic building and local museum.
Tina commented on the nice-looking new benches in the church, which Needham has helped to fund.
Magdalena said that 24 more benches are needed and that two village carpenters, Rubén Canil and Isabel
(Chabelo) Osorio, are working on them. Juana said it is very positive that Needham funds projects that
benefit the whole community.
In March, construction of cement steps (from the road up to the church) will be built, with funds from a
Disciples of Christ church in Indiana. A work delegation from that church will help complete the project.
We Needham folks laughed that that kind of work project was a whole lot easier to explain to people than the
broader partnership relationship we have. Hugo said that he appreciates the motives and goals of the
Needham church, since it is more than just coming down to do a project. He sees our work together as
humanitarian and unifying. He noted that their church has lots to work on, since family problems and vices
in the community, like drinking, present a challenge.

                 Needham Congregational Church Delegation to SMT – February 2011                          32
María acknowledged the financial support provided by our church. She said that it has been so helpful and
has been going on for so long. “We feel your solidarity and appreciate your caring and concern, and this lifts
our spirits.” Tina in turn thanked the community for its warmth and welcome and for ‘letting us into your
lives.’ She added that each church in the world has its problems, but working on our problems together
strengthens each community. It’s important to be honest and open in sharing our goals and problems.
Juana commented that we are united not so much by religion but more by a shared human understanding.
“When you come into our church, we feel you are our brothers and sisters. It’s a demonstration that we are
looking for the same goals, and this is a stronger force than any particular religious orientation.” She said
“the accompaniment and solidarity that Needham has provided has helped to show us the importance of unity
within a community. As a community with many distinct committees, we must be work together and look
for solutions when differences threaten to divide us. Our friendship has helped us to face any problem.”
Tina took the opportunity to share the fact that this partnership came out of an educational but difficult
process in our church of considering becoming a ‘sanctuary’ church in the mid-1980’s. Since U.S. law
doesn’t allow government authorities to come into churches to take away illegal immigrants, some people in
our church wanted to bring attention to the problems in Central America, and the U.S. role in them, by
discussing what it would mean to become a ‘sanctuary’ church. She explained that our church undertook
educational seminars and discussions over the course of a year, but in the end most people did not want to
break the law, so the proposal was voted down. But since Clark had visited SMT twice by then, he proposed
the alternative of establishing a relationship with the village, and the church voted overwhelmingly to accept
that idea. Hugo said he had never heard that history before and was very glad to know about it. I was
delighted that Tina had taken the time to share such a fundamental part of the partnership’s history, and it
made me realize that we need to find opportunities to do more of that.
As the meeting ended, we headed over to the church to enjoy the afternoon sunlight streaming in on the new
wooden benches. We took several group photos with the new benches. Remembering fondly the early years
when Needham delegations slept on the roughhewn, backless church pews, I commented that I thought it was
special that they were using those pews to make as many of the new benches as possible.

HEALTH IN THE VILLAGE

Meeting with the Health Promoters and Health Committee (Tina Scharback)
Tuesday afternoon we met with the following members of the new Health Committee:
        Pedro Chom Tum– Community Health Facilitator and eye care promoter
        Catalina Tomás Pérez
        Salvador Castro (Treasurer) was in the hospital
        Cristina Castro Osorio – representing her husband Santos (Secretary)
        Vilma Gutiérrez Osorio
        Rosa García – Member-at-Large
        Juana García Hernández – she works in the pharmacy
Delegation folks who attended were Tina, Val, Susan, Scott, Joene and Brenda, with Ali as the interpreter.
After introductions, I started off by asking Pedro how many hours he was working now and if he was getting
his full stipend. We were concerned because we had heard that his hours had been reduced. Pedro replied:
For a while last year, there was so many people in the health post that I took advantage of the situation and
went down to half time. This went on for a few months and then after graduation ceremonies my hours came
before the community for a vote because the staffing had gone down in the health post. The nurse from Santa
María Dolores went to Playa Grande on Wednesdays, took 2 days per week preparing a report and worked
one day in Santa María Dolores. In other communities when that happens, the health post is closed. But I
work those hours. The Santa María Dolores nurse is studying now, so I am covering both communities.
Patients from Dolores come here to be seen.


                 Needham Congregational Church Delegation to SMT – February 2011                     33
Pedro gave us the statistics for the year 2010: 27 babies were born, 2 elderly died and 3 were now struggling
between life and death (Cándida Reyes, Catalina Ortiz who is in Playa, and Felipe Cante, who just had an
operation). Pedro can’t do much to help them, except to refer them for help and to support their families.
"It’s out of our hands now.”
The Health Committee has 2 active health promoters, one in the pharmacy and one in the health post, 2
active midwives, an ancillary nurse who is salaried by the government, one health educator who is paid by
the government, and an eye care specialist, Felipe Panjoj, who is paid by Scott Pike’s eye care non-profit,
Enfoque Ixcán.
Here is the breakdown of births since 2006:
        2006 - 19 births          2007 - 25 births         2008 - 21 births
        2009 - 25 births          2010 - 27 births
There are 117 children under the age of 5 years old, where the health priorities are focused. At age 5 Pedro
turns them over to the teachers for preventable health care information. He immunizes them and starts them
on vitamin supplements at 5 months. He gives the mothers educational talks when they bring the babies to
him for preventative health exams.
Children get BCG to prevent tuberculosis. That is the only vaccine that is different from what we give in the
U.S. except for varicella (chicken pox) also. They do not give that in SMT or surrounding communities.
That is an immunization that has to be frozen until the time it is given. I suspect the reason for not giving that
is the lack of available freezer space and the safe transportation of it to the community. As in the U.S., some
parents do not want their children vaccinated. Pedro goes to their houses to discuss this with the parents.
Pedro does many consultations for gastrointestinal diseases, diarrhea, flu, colds, pharyngitis and pneumonia.
When Scott asked about diabetes, Pedro said there is not much information about diabetes. People ask us for
help managing it, he said. Medication for diabetes is available, but expensive. Mostly they do preventive
measures, recommending diet control and more exercise. Pedro asked about blood glucose meters for blood
sugars. He thought that if we could give them one it would be less expensive than sending blood work to a
lab. I explained that the most reliable blood sugar test for diagnosing diabetes was a test called hemoglobin
A1C. It measures the blood sugar over a 3-month period, and has to be done by a laboratory.
The census for last year was 608 males and 571 females – 1179 in the community. There was only one case
of malaria but 3 cases of dengue fever.
Pedro talked about the eye care and how happy everyone in the village is about that service. After cataract
surgery, people are able to read and write again. It makes such a difference in their lives. They did 200 eye
exams last year and gave out 200 pair of glasses. Felipe travels to other villages to see patients. They are now
taking their surgery patients to San Cristobal, which is closer than Guatemala City and also less expensive.
Felipe stays with the patients in the clinic following surgery, and the doctors go home.
Pedro said people have problems with asthma and rhinitis, which may occur with the change in weather.
Santiago Imul is having breathing problems. When people have difficulty breathing, they go to Playa Grande
to get pills or an inhaler and maybe use a hand-cranked nebulizer. Tina mentioned that now that SMT has
electricity, perhaps a nebulizer could be used in an emergency. Pedro thought that would be very helpful.
Catalina reported that the Emergency Fund had been used twice, once to help with a difficult birth (in the
hospital in Cantabal) and once in a child emergency. The Health Committee also reported that the previous
committee had used the Lynn Dame Fund to purchase a lawn mower for Q3348 and fuel for Q617. This
purchase was necessary to keep the high grass down around the health post and the pharmacy, so that snakes
would not bother people waiting to be seen. The mower is kept under lock and key in the health post. Pedro
wanted Kristen Dame to know how grateful they are for the purchases made possible through the fund:
wood for the roof, the display case in the pharmacy, and the lawn mower, for patient safety. He will submit
receipts for purchases to take back to Kristin, and he sends her the Committee’s warm greetings.



                 Needham Congregational Church Delegation to SMT – February 2011                        34
As usual, Pedro was taking very good care of his community and we were happy to see that he is now
working full time. I think the community really appreciates his efforts to keep Santa María Tzejá healthy
through education and other resources. He is very grateful for Needham’s support, which provides his full
salary from funds given to the community.

Eye Care in Santa María Tzejá (Scott Pike)
Joene and I spent most of the week working with the eye health promoters, Pedro Chom, Felipe Panjoj from
SMT and Arnulfo Mejía from Mayalán. We delivered over 300 pairs of glasses to their inventories, along
with 16 dozen bottles of eye drops (artificial tears), 65 pairs of sunglasses and 3 dozen hats.
The week before we arrived, Felipe and Arnulfo had gone to the village of Santiago Ixcán where they
checked the eyes of 44 people. Five of these people came to SMT for additional testing while we were there.
A couple of them will be referred for eye surgeries. The testing in Santiago Ixcán was an invited trip set up
by a woman from the U.S. who lives in that village.
Twelve other patients were also seen during the week, mostly from SMT, but also from other villages. As
usual, these people became teaching tools for the eye health promoters, as we continue to train new skills and
review old ones.
The patients needing surgeries are now being sent to a clinic in San Cristobal Verapaz, near Cobán. This is
run by a private Guatemalan foundation called the Alfonso Ponce Foundation. Because it is closer to the
Ixcán than the clinic we previously used in Guatemala City, and in a rural area, the people of the Ixcán are
much more willing to go there. Felipe and Arnulfo have been taking patients there 10 to 12 at a time, using
Edgar, the van driver, for transportation. An additional benefit to the new clinic is that, being a non-profit,
they charge us less for the surgeries. Now Enfoque Ixcán (our non-profit organization) can afford to send
more patients for the surgeries, and the patients are less fearful of going.
On Wednesday, Joene, Pedro, Felipe and I went to Cantabal. We visited the Ministry of Health office there
to let the doctors there know what we’re doing and to see if we can help them in any way. This year we were
pleasantly surprised to have the head doctor, Dr. Padilla, invite us to make a presentation to the Mesa de
Salud, or Board of Health. This is a group of 25 to 30 health care workers of the Ixcán who meet each month
to discuss and coordinate the health needs of the Ixcán region.
I prepared a Powerpoint presentation for Pedro and Felipe, and the following week they attended the March
meeting. I have talked with Felipe since then and he said the presentation went well and the board was very
interested and asked lots of good questions. At the end of the meeting Dr. Padilla invited Pedro and Felipe
(Enfoque Ixcán) to be regular members of the Mesa de Salud (Health Roundtable). This is a big feather in
their caps and we are quite proud.
Once again, it was a very successful trip. Joene, I and Enfoque Ixcán want to thank the Needham
Congregational Church for its continued support and willingness to allow us to be a part of the February
delegation. We are motivated by the interest and devotion we witness in our eye health promoters. With
your help and assistance we are seeing wonderful progress toward making eye care accessible to all the
people of the Ixcán. It’s a great example of what can be accomplished with a little synergy.

Meeting Our Partner Family for the First Time (Jen Cusack)
My son Noah and I were very glad to see Edubijes Cano at the door of the guesthouse one day, waiting to
take us to lunch. We had already met his daughter, María, who was helping at the guesthouse for the week.
Edubijes walked us to his home--a good distance from the guesthouse and up and down a steep hill-- all of
this right after our ‘parcela’ trip that morning! After a long walk, he and his wife Sixta welcomed us into
their comfortable home and ceremoniously turned on the only fan we saw in the village!
We were happy to see that Sixta was home and in good health. She had been in and out of the hospital in
Guatemala City over the years that we’ve been writing to them. Now she wears some very fashionable
glasses with flowers on the frames that she got from optometrist Scott Pike; they looked great. This couple


                 Needham Congregational Church Delegation to SMT – February 2011                       35
has 10 adult children and many grandchildren. We noted where everyone was and what they were doing for
work. Edubijes was very pleased with Noah and his Spanish. We talked about our families and asked each
other lots of questions.
We went outside after a great lunch and looked at their garden and property. Edubijes signaled to his
nephew to come over to a coconut tree with a ladder and a machete. The nephew complied and went up the
ladder to hack away at coconuts. After a while, a bunch came falling down. Edubijes brought them over to a
stump and showed Noah how to hack off the sides and top of the coconut and create a spout for the coconut
water inside. We enjoyed this, so Edubijes decided we needed more to bring back to the guesthouse and kept
working until we had a full pitcher to bring home. We also ate some of the coconut meat. Sixta told us that
they’d make coconut ice cream with the rest of the coconut meat. All in all, it was a great visit. To me, it
felt like visiting some longtime friends of my parents’ generation -- familiar and comforting.

Home Visits and Meals with Families (Val Kistler, Jen Cusack, Ben Wildman, Susan McNeice )
Visits and meals with families in the village are always a highlight of each day, as the delegation eats with a
different family for virtually every meal. This allows us to meet with many partner families and bring back
information to share with their Needham families. At each meal we give the SMT host family a sheet with
biographical information on each of the delegation members (in Spanish). The following is just a small
sample of what we shared and learned in our visits with more than 40 families.

Sebastian Ralios Juarez and Isabela Larios (Mollerus): Family updates: Florinda lives in SMT; Roberto
is in Spain; Nasario is a teacher in the middle school; Maria is a high school graduate, working at the
cooperative. Juan Alfonso met us at the guesthouse in the morning to take us to breakfast at their home.
Micaela is a lovely 6th grader who is one of the best students in her grade, according to Randall Shea
(supervisor of the middle school). Our visit began with a walk through their beautiful garden. We were
served a yummy soup and beans for breakfast. Then Emily and Hannah joined Isabela by the stove to make
tortillas by hand--much harder than it looked! In the time it took us to make one tortilla, Isabela had made
three. But we enjoyed eating our funny-looking tortillas almost as much as hers! Isabela belongs to the
Women’s Union. She got a cow through their project (sponsored by the Blossom Fund in Boston) and the
cow had several calves. Maria studied bilingual education--Spanish and K’iche’, their native Mayan
language. She joined us for some conversation. Their family’s ‘parcela’ (farmland) is a 1.5 hour walk away--
each way! Sebastian says he’s used to this hike by now. The ‘parcela’ has no water--no brook or stream--so
he can’t have more than five cows. Last year, he harvested 500 pounds of cardamom.

Domingo Pastor Miranda and Maria Tiul (Ruetenik): They were not here in SMT in 1982 during the
violence; they were living on the south coast plantations working there. Domingo met Maria in 2002 in
another community. Domingo is a first grade teacher and the principal of his school. He teaches about 72 km
away. He leaves Santa Maria Tzeja on Monday morning and returns Friday afternoon. In the community
where Domingo teaches, they speak K’eqchi’. Children are first exposed to Spanish in the 2nd grade. He's
been taking university level courses but is taking this year off to save money.
They have three children: Johnny is in second grade. He is seven years old. Jennifer is in the first grade. Juan
is two years old. We took lots of family photos.
Isabel Osorio Ramos and Cecilia Quinilla (Oddliefson/Dunlavey): The delegation had a meal of beans,
eggs, veggies, and tortillas at the home of this family. The family members were very interested in Julia and
Ellen and their participation in the church's choir. They were also very interested in other songs Emily and
Hannah (members of the delegation) sang in Spanish. Cecilia also sings in the church's choir and will sing
this Sunday after we leave. We also spent time looking at photos of snow and each other's family.
Eduardo Hernandez and Francisca Ralios Mejia (Everts): Francisca is the sister of Domingo Ralios,
previously a health promoter, and the sister of Encarnacion, who is a law student.




                 Needham Congregational Church Delegation to SMT – February 2011                      36
Eder Darinel graduated from the Basico and is studying natural resource management on a 3-year high
school scholarship from Needham. He is in his second year. Glendy Maritza is 14 years old and in the 9th
grade. Elvia is 12 years old and in the first year of middle school (7th grade). Andres is 8; and Chaim is 3
years old, almost 4. Elson Gavino is one. They asked to have a picture taken of the family at the guesthous
Manuel Ralios Juarez and Micaela Ralios Alonzo (Suydam): Family updates: Vilma is married; Fabian is
in 7th grade; Vicente is in 6th grade; Ervin in 5th grade. Lucia led us to their home, up some steep hills and
over a stream. Manuel is experimenting with a fish pond--farming fish. He’s the only one in the village
trying this. He put 300 small fish in a small man-made pond, and so far, so good. Manuel has covered the
pond with a netting structure to keep out predators. He is lucky enough to have a spring on his property.
Juana, Manuel’s mother, was at lunch, too, and looked very nice in her traditional blouse.

The ‘Despedida’ (Farewell Party) (Brenda Metzler)
On our last night in the village we enjoyed a communal dinner at the cooperative salon with members of the
Improvement Committee. The meal was prepared by Oliverio Us, who is quite a good cook. I sat with
Paulina and Estela from the Improvement Committee, and we continued the wonderful camaraderie that had
begun earlier, when they helped me get dressed for the ‘despedida’ in the traditional colorful Mayan dress of
‘huipil’, ‘corte’, and ‘faja’ (hand-woven blouse, skirt, and belt). After dinner we all headed to the
cooperative salon where we were entertained by singing, dancing, and cute skits by students from the
primary school. Various community members also spoke in appreciation of our visit. When our turn came,
our group took the stage and performed a version of “Let There Be Peace on Earth”, including an original
verse written in Spanish by Emily!
        ‘Gracias por la amistad, y risas de su pueblo.
        Damos nuestros corazones para crear un mundo con paz.
        La amistad es tan fuerte, es algo especial.
        Sígamos las visitas muchos anos más.’
        ‘Thank you for your friendship and your community’s laughter.
        We give our hearts to create a world with peace.
        Our friendship is so strong; it is truly special.
        May our visits continue for many more years.’
This performance was well received, but the real highlight followed -- a duet performed by Hannah and
Emily that almost immediately brought the ever-present undercurrent of kids’ chatter to near-total silence
and appreciation. It was such a treat for everyone! Then each of us shared a few thoughts about our visit,
many in Spanish, as Randall tried to act both as videographer and translator! Then the ACTA was read and
signed by the Improvement Committee members and the delegation. Folks lingered a while over music and
conversation before retiring to the guesthouse to pack and head to bed.

Return to Guatemala City and Trip to Antigua (Brenda Metzler)
The next morning our group was up and packed early on, and we loaded our luggage and ourselves into the
vans with minimal delay. Several villagers came by to wish us a safe trip home. We had purchased snacks
and rolls for breakfast, but we stopped briefly at Edgar’s mother’s roadside store along the way. The drive to
Cobán only had one minor challenge. When we came to a bridge that was undergoing repair, we were forced
to drive through the shallow river to cross it. One van got stuck, spinning its wheels on new rock that hadn’t
yet settled into the riverbed, so we had to be pulled out by a construction vehicle. This was accompanied by
some amusement at our predicament, speculation as to the best way to get us out, and a broken rope that
wasn’t up to the towing task. But eventually we emerged to cheers by all.
In Cobán we stopped for lunch at ‘La Estancia Real’, enjoying its lovely outdoor setting and good food. Then
we got back on the road, stopping just once to get the mandatory ice cream at Rey Sol before arriving in
Guatemala City around 6:00 pm. After showering and a brief rest, we ordered pizza and gathered on the
second floor landing of the hotel to relax while we ate it. Then we retired to Tina’s room to have the trip

                 Needham Congregational Church Delegation to SMT – February 2011                    37
evaluation session. While most things had gone well on the trip, an area that could be improved upon is
defining expectations even more clearly for both adults and youth.
The next morning the van driver that Ali had arranged picked us up for our trip to Antigua. Less than an
hour later we had arrived at the lovely central plaza, and we agreed to meet the driver after dinner for the
return trip. We split up into small groups and headed off to shop and explore, after setting a time and place to
meet for lunch for those interested. The group funds had pretty much run out, so we had each just received
Q100 to cover the two remaining meals for the day. By dinnertime some folks had run out of money, but
those who had extra bailed out the few who were destitute! Ali had recommended an organic and solidarity-
type restaurant that was pretty close to the square, so we walked there for dinner. It was a great choice.
Then we headed back to Guatemala City to pack away all our purchases and clothes for our departure the
next morning.

Home to Boston (Brenda Metzler)
Our van driver picked us up at 4:45 am and drove us to the airport. Our check-in was easy, so we had time to
search out breakfast and browse the stores for any last-minute purchases. On the two flights home we passed
the time by chatting, napping, and reading, while also confirming our Reportback and Trip Report
assignments. By the time we reached Boston, we were more than ready for the warm welcome by family and
friends. After picking up our luggage, we headed over to Jen and Noah’s house for a ‘welcome-back’
potluck dinner. Here we shared ‘hot-off-the-trail’ stories and impressions with family and friends whose
support, on so many levels, made it possible for us to have this remarkable experience.




                 Needham Congregational Church Delegation to SMT – February 2011                      38
                                              APPENDICES

TRIP EVALUATION (Tina Scharback)
We always ask for participants’ feedback at the end of our trip. We simply record people’s comments for
future reflection, rather than discussing their merits.

Training Sessions
Positives:
   Good snacks.
   Good timing – earlier in the day.
   Lots of important information covered.
   Kay, Clark and Edwin’s participation.
   Packing list.
   Tell travelers that SMT decides how to spend funds sent by Needham.
Negatives:
   Some things were repetitive – like security info. and what to be careful about.
   End on time more often.
   More emphasis on physical preparedness for the trip.
   Going through history of village was too long. Talked about it too long.
   Not knowing what was going to happen created anxiety before the trip. There was not enough time to
   prepare for the trip and that made some people nervous. Maybe going through the itinerary and talking
   about a typical trip of the day would be helpful.
   There was so much paranoia about having a safe trip. But if we let up on that, maybe we wouldn’t be as
   prepared.
   Need clearer expectations of what meetings to attend.
   Focus more on what’s happened.
   Choose one meeting per day and ask people what their expectations are.
   Set expectations for delegates and a requirement (re: attending meetings?).

Guatemala City
Positives:
   Hotel Spring - front desk people at the hotel
   Visit to ‘Only A Child’ – George Leger
   Attending court case at the Supreme Court
   Interactive museum exhibit: “Why we are the way we are.”
   Dinner at the hotel Wednesday night when we arrived.
   Remembered when Ali did a match-up game in past trip at a restaurant.
   We were teamed up with ASEMAC students. It was a fun, light way to get started. Also good to have
   some focus to get started.
Negatives:
   Guatemala City is not a place to relax. I enjoyed it, but I did not like not knowing what we were going to
   do here.
   Set objectives – what should we get out of it.
   Wanted more students at ASEMAC meeting in hotel.
   Didn’t know about ASEMAC Meeting or Coyuntura. Didn’t know speaker was a journalist. Didn’t know
   the purpose of the meeting.
   Turn ASEMAC meeting into a social mingling.
   I didn’t know what the topic was.
   Youth did not participate. Too in depth.


                Needham Congregational Church Delegation to SMT – February 2011                    39
    For new people who had minimal understanding, it needed to be clearer.
    Wanted more time in the city to look around. Going on a tour would be a good idea.
    Wanted more experience on the streets to walk around.

Cobán
Positives:
   Hostal Monja Blanca
   Dinner with lots of students – laughing.
   Driver was good – room in the back of van.
   Knowing that we could tell a family in SMT that we had dinner with their son/daughter in Cobán.
   Great family breakfast.
   Youth were separated and we didn’t keep adults up at night.
   Going to pharmacy, buying bread and going to a few stores.
   Did not mind the other (less good) van and seats. Good driver.
Negatives:
   Drive was too long.
   Make sure vans were equal. Redo them (reassign people) at lunch.
   Hard to be a vegetarian.
   Having to stay in assigned vans. All adults were talking/youth felt left out.

Santa María Tzejá
Positives:
   Awesome! Had more free time.
   Little kids and throwing water balloons.
   Family meals were nice. Meeting with a different family at every meal.
   It meant a lot to see your partner family.
   Our ‘welcome’ was nice. It was less fanfare than in the past and made the veteran travelers feel more
   comfortable.
   Meal cards – Val did a great job getting them ready.
   Note writing on the cards was good.
   Translators were an important part of the trip.
   Ali’s translation, especially at commemorative mass.
   Brenda’s translation. She loves to help people connect to people.
   Every member of the group made an effort to converse with the family.
   Coordination was good.
   Young people did the scheduling.
   There is nothing better than a SMT smile.
   Noah’s art classes were great.
   Heather and Emily’s song at the Despedida.
   The youth who did the preparation for school classes were great.
   Emily’s song for us to sing at the Despedida.
   María’s presence at guesthouse – appreciated her work.
   Individual kindness of people in the village. The food.
   Val was touched when her partner family gave her an embroidered cloth.
   Finding out how that my partner family mom could speak Spanish.
   ‘Parcela’ trip and horse.
   Randall as a translator.
   Youth always gave a helping hand to older women on the trip.
   Ben and Andrew did a good job being treasurers.
   Jen was a good time keeper.



                Needham Congregational Church Delegation to SMT – February 2011                    40
Negatives:
   Walking (lots).
   English classes were hard. It was horrible not knowing what to do. We should meet with the English
   teacher first and drop in for observation first also. Do the colors, days of the week and numbers.
   Need to be more organized about teaching. Did not know that art classes were not carried on. We need to
   take the initiative in the middle of the week.
   Young adults didn’t know how to make out the schedule and others complained. Need to make names
   big and use the whole paper. Give a sample from previous years.
   Dietary restrictions were awkward. Have translator tell family you are vegetarian.
   Remember you are part of a group and when the lights are out, everyone is supposed to be quiet. The
   walls are paper-thin.
   Appreciate women’s part of conversations at meals. Translators should direct questions and get family
   involved at meals. Have them ask you questions.
   Let people know that they don’t have to go to all meals.
   Regarding having a guard and cleaning woman at the guesthouse: We have our own volunteer jobs that
   make us feel more like family instead of guests.
   Internet Café in SMT. – ambivalent about delegates using it.
Suggestions:
   Have Needham and SMT do something together. Start early planning it.
   Fit in ½ day at Lake Lachua – the national park.
   Schedules – set up with Hugo in advance.
   Randall is not the person to go to for making arrangements to teach in the schools.
   Be flexible about the schedule. It can change frequently.
   Reading previous trip report is a gold mine for understanding meetings.
   Bring trip report and folder of information with you.
   From Randall – put Spanish-name equivalent for delegates on ‘bio’ sheets.
   Bio sheet – make clear who am I writing it for and what is the purpose.
   Have the time keeper sit next to the translator at meetings.
   Have better attendance at meetings. Have a least one youth attend each meeting.
   Have Hugo provide a lesson plan or have youth go to school at beginning of the week to get an idea of
   what is being taught.

Travelers’ Actions Upon Return (Brenda Metzler)
Travelers committed to undertake the following actions after the trip:
Val will talk with the ministers about her idea of recognizing high school graduates from SMT during the
church service, possibly along with Needham high school graduates or the Abbott Scholars.
Andrew, Emily, Ben, Hannah, and Noah each plan to share their experience with their Spanish classes.
Emily, Ben, and Hannah hope to plan and/or participate in the Students Take Action Day at Pollard.
Brenda will try to share more information about Needham’s efforts/activities with Santa María Tzejá.
Susan will look into the possibility of outside funding for Only A Child.
Tina will try to read and respond to Rights Action.




                 Needham Congregational Church Delegation to SMT – February 2011                  41
                                                   ACTA

                  Between the Community of Santa María Tzejá, Ixcán, Quiché, Guatemala
                    and The Congregational Church of Needham, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
                                             February 2011
On On February 24, 2011 in the community of Santa María Tzejá, Ixcán, Quiché, Guatemala, the members
of the Congregational Church of Needham, Massachusetts who are present in the community dedicate
ourselves to continue in our relationship of friendship and solidarity with Santa María Tzejá.
The friendship began with a public act in August of 1987 and will continue today with the signing of this
ACTA. The purposes of this friendship include the following: mutual understanding, solidarity, peace,
mutual support, cultural exchange, the exchange of letters by families, and projects determined by, and in
benefit of, the community of Santa María Tzejá.
Representatives of the Needham church have met with: the Improvement Committee, COCODE and the
Mayor’s office, the Library Committee (Biblioteca Euskal Herria), the Computer Center Committee, the
teachers and parents’ organizations in the Primary and Básico schools, the student representatives in the
Básico, the health promoters and the Health Committee, the committee of victims of the armed conflict, the
members of AESMAC Kemb’al No’j (in Santa María Tzejá as well as in Guatemala City), the Scholarship
Committee, high school and university students (in Cobán and the Ixcán), the High School Project
Committee, the Women’s Union, the Widows’ Committee, the Church Committee, and the Potable Water
Association.
The representatives of the Needham church respect the democratic decision-making process and therefore
have understood that the Improvement Committee in its work represents the entire community.
Consequently, decisions regarding the use of funds for general projects of the community are in the hands of
the Improvement Committee.
The Needham church representatives and the Improvement Committee have reached agreement on the
following points:
A. The Church brings funds to benefit general projects of the community.
B. The Needham church sent these funds for the community by wire transfer to the bank account of the
   Improvement Committee. The wire transfer of five thousand six hundred dollars ($5,600.00), equivalent
   to forty-three thousand three hundred sixty-one and twenty-five hundredths ‘quetzales’ (Q43,361.25),
   which will be divided in the following manner:
    1. The sum of five thousand five hundred dollars ($5,500.00), equivalent to forty-two thousand five
       hundred eighty-seven and twenty-five hundredths ‘quetzales’ (Q42,587.25), is for general projects of
       the community, as designated by the Improvement Committee; and
    2. The sum of one hundred dollars ($100.00), equivalent to seven hundred seventy-four ‘quetzales’, is
       for the Básico. Said funds were donated by a Needham church member who enjoys music and are to
       be used toward the purchase of a marimba for the Básico.
C. An attached worksheet indicates the balances, expenses, amounts received, and total amounts available
   for the various community projects.
D. FUNDS FOR GENERAL PROJECTS OF THE COMMUNITY: For general projects for the
   community, the Needham church donated the amount of five thousand five hundred dollars ($5,500.00),
   equivalent to forty-two thousand five hundred eighty-seven and twenty-five hundredths ‘quetzales’
   (Q42,587.25) The Improvement Committee has designated that these funds will be utilized in the
   following manner:
    1. One thousand ‘quetzales’ (Q1,000) to the Primary School teachers for travel expenses.
    2. One thousand ‘quetzales’ (Q1,000) to the Primary School Parents’ Committee for travel expenses.

                 Needham Congregational Church Delegation to SMT – February 2011                    42
    3. One thousand ‘quetzales’ (Q1,000) to the Primary School for maintenance of equipment and
        accessories.
    4. One thousand ‘quetzales’ (Q1,000) to the Primary School for energy (electricity).
    5. One thousand ‘quetzales’ (Q1,000) to the Primary School for student materials.
    6. One thousand three hundred fifty ‘quetzales’ (Q1,350) to the Primary School for teaching materials.
    7. Two thousand ‘quetzales’ (Q2,000) to the Básico for office expenses and computer maintenance.
    8. Two thousand five hundred ‘quetzales’ (Q2,500) to the Básico for teaching materials.
    9. Five hundred ‘quetzales’ (Q500) to the Básico for sports activities
    10. One hundred eighty ‘quetzales’ (Q180) to the Library Euskal Herria for travel expenses.
    11. One hundred fifty-seven and twenty-five hundredths ‘quetzales’ (Q157.25) to the Library Euskal
        Herria for office expenses and book repair.
    12. Four thousand two hundred ‘quetzales’ (Q4,200) to the Library Euskal Herria for salary support for
        the librarian.
    13. Two thousand four hundred ‘quetzales’ (Q2,400) to the Health Committee for salary support for the
        health promoters.
    14. Ten thousand two hundred ‘quetzales’(Q10,200) to the Health Committee for the salary of the
        Community Health Facilitator.
    15. Five hundred ‘quetzales’ (Q500) to the Health Committee for emergency funds.
    16. One thousand five hundred ‘quetzales’ (Q1,500) to the Catholic Church for musical equipment.
    17. Two thousand ‘quetzales’ (Q2,000) to the Church Construction Committee for benches.
    18. One thousand ‘quetzales’ (Q1,000) to the Improvement Committee for travel expenses.
    19. One thousand ‘quetzales’ (Q1,000) to the Improvement Committee for office expenses.
    20. Three hundred ‘quetzales’ (Q300) to the Improvement Committee for a workshop on basic
        accounting.
    21. One thousand ‘quetzales’ (Q1,000) to the Mayor’s office for travel expenses.
    22. One thousand two hundred ‘quetzales’ (Q1,200) to COCODE for travel expenses and materials..
    23. One thousand ‘quetzales’ (Q1,000) to the Women’s Union for travel expenses.
    24. Two thousand six hundred ‘quetzales’ (Q2,600) to the Widows’ Group for land preparation for
        planting corn.
    25. Five hundred ‘quetzales’ (Q500) to the Sports Committee for carrying out sports activities.
    26. Five hundred ‘quetzales’ (Q500) to the Community Event Committee for a community celebration.
    27. One thousand ‘quetzales’ (Q1,000) to the Potable Water Committee for travel expenses.
E. FUNDS FOR EDUCATION: In February 2011 the Needham Church sent eleven thousand dollars
   ($11,000.00) to a bank account managed by Randall Shea to support education in Santa María Tzejá.
   These funds will be distributed in the following manner:
        1. Eight thousand dollars ($8,000.00) to pay teacher salaries in the Básico.
        2. Three thousand dollars ($3,000.00) to support the High School Project.
-
The Needham Church brought materials for the Primary School and the Básico donated by the children of the
Church, medicines and supplies for the health clinic, a variety of books for the library, sports items that were
delivered to the Improvement Committee, and toothbrushes that were donated to the schools by a dentist in
Needham.
Once more, we want to express our profound thanks to the community of Santa María Tzejá for the
hospitality and friendship that you have offered us during these days. We want to assure you that you will
continue to be present in our thoughts and prayers. We ask the God of love to accompany you in all your
efforts to improve the wellbeing of this community, and thus contribute to the construction of the Kingdom
of God.
Signed this day, February 24, 2011, in Santa María Tzejá, Ixcán, Quiché, Guatemala.
(Followed by signatures of the Improvement Committee and the Needham delegation)



                 Needham Congregational Church Delegation to SMT – February 2011                      43