News from
Semillas,
and Chocolá, Guatemala
(Below) The roof of the
community salon, used for community meeting, education programs and
fiestas was removed unceremoniously by Hurricane Stan a while back but
the governing municipality has finally come up with funds to repair and
restore this important meeting place. Work was going apace prior to
Christmas with the hope of reopening the building in January. Flying
buttresses were added to the exterior walls to strengthen the structure.
(Below) The volcano Fuego has a
tendency to clear its throat in the winter months. This shot shows his
fury rising from behind Mount Acatenango.
(Below) A rare snow fall hit the
tops of volcanoes all over Guatemala on the third of January and
although there was a mad rush to find gloves for snowballs, it had all
melted by mid-day.
(Below) Visible from Chocola,
Mt. Fuego was active from August through January – very active!
Fortunately, high winds aloft kept the ash at bay.
(Below) “Dr. Peter Rohloff meets
with group of visiting Canadian and US physicians at La Condessa before
heading out for field work, including at the Socorro neighborhood in
Chocola. Dr. Rohloff and Semillas are working on a plan to
establish a health care clinic in Chocola, by the end of 2008.”
(Below) “Group of volunteer
water engineering graduate students from Southern Illinois, their
engineering mentors and Anne Kramer ham it up in front of the great
Antigua fountain before heading to Chocola to assess feasibility of new
potable water system for a growing. The group is led by Russell
Rohloff, a civil engineer hailing from Vermont.”
(Below) "Suzanne and Earl of
Semillas and join Dr Rodolfo Paiz, President, and Otoniel Gamboa,
Regional Director for Alta Vera Paz, of the Presidential Commission for
Local Development at the annual Commission meeting in Guatemala City to
discuss the National Cacao Initiative.”
(Below) “Dr. Jeffrey Hurst of
the Board, Dr Paiz and Erich Eger also of and Semillas
Board, at Hershey’s facilities in Hershey Pennsylvania for meetings to
discuss the Cacao initiative in Guatemala. These were followed by
meetings in Washington DC with the Inter-American Development Bank and
the World Cacao Foundation. “
(Below) While at Hershey’s,
Erich Eger is delighted to explain the history of Cacao to two American
tourists at the Hershey’s Chocolate Center. Behind them is the
“Northernmost Cacao Tree in the Americas.”
(Below) Suzanne and Richard
Rotter, President of Pilones de Antigua, stand in an inter-cropped
stand of teak, mahogany, eucalyptus, and palo blanco situated on the
coastal plain west of Chocola. Pilones de Antigua is the largest tree
and vegetable seedling company in the country, which also manages an
extensive re-forestation program throughout the south coast. As a
part of the Semillas demonstration farm program to help Chocola area
farmers learn new “added value” methods of agriculture, we are
exploring the feasibility of intercropping with cacao, banana and
vegetable crops..
(Below) “Vera Richardson and
Corrine Willock, founders of ChocoGuateMaya, a partner of Semillas
visit the demonstration farm site with Leo Sonderegger. The
ChocoGuateMaya group is focused on developing cacao growing stock that
traces back to the genetic origins of cacao and then supplying those
strong root stocks to Maya farmers throught Guatemala.”
(Below) “Through the good
efforts of several Board members we are slowly adding to the children’s
library in the ECA building. If you have access to Spanish
language books suitable for young people, please contact board members
Jeffery Hurst or Earl de Berge and they will help make arrangements for
getting them to the community.”
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Novermber 19th 2007
Semillas Signs Convenio Marco with Guatemalan Ministry of Culture &
Sports
On November 23rd, Carlos Daniel de León, Executive Director, will sign
the Convenio Marco, on behalf of Semillas Para El Futuro. Signing this
pact confirms Semillas’ commitment to adhere to the principles and
values encompassed in the Convenio:
1. Recognition that culture includes a broad range of human activities.
2. Respect for human dignity and rights
3. Recognition of the value of language and cultural diversity in
Guatemala
4. Respect for the cultural and historical patrimony of Guatemala
5. Understanding that arts and other cultural expressions are critical
to the development of the human personality
6. Encouraging a culture of peace based on inclusivity, diversity,
multiculturalism and internationalism
7. Recognition that sports and recreation are an integral component of
human and national development.
In addition to pledging that these values will be included in their
programs, signatory organizations and groups will constitute a broad
network which can interact to enhance each others’ activities as we all
work toward a better future for all Guatemalans.
Semillas is proud to be a member of this network.
The signing ceremony will also be attended by Semillas founding members
Earl de Berge and Suzanne de Berge, and Derek Steele.
CASA DE CULTURA. The
Chocolá ECA has agreed to begin planning to refurbish the old Hotel
Chocolá (built late in the 19th century) for Casa de Cultura
and other community uses such as community events, youth programs, a
museum to celebrate the history of Chocolá, both ancient and modern,
and a children’s library. The grand old building is in serious need of
repair due to decades of deferred maintenance, but is a sound
structure. The search for funding and technical support is underway and
we encourage interested parties to contact us.
Hacienda Painted Chocolá |
Veranda of German Hotel |
Funds have been raised to
repair several of the community tractors used during harvest time. The
nearby sugar refinery, Palo Gordo, has joined the effort by
contributing the time and skills of several of its mechanics.
Tractor Chocolá |
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A plan is being completed to
build a sluice pipeline from the Coffee Beneficio to an organic
fertilizer plant following the line of an original German open canal
that was long ago abandoned. Following this old line will avoid any new
damage to the archaeology site. Semillas will provide the funding for
needed equipment while the community will provide labor and will
provide archaeological oversight. When completed, the sluice line will
also eliminate the industrial pollution of the Rio Chocolá resulting
from years of dumping waste into the river and will rid the community
and a nearby school of noxious odors and flies from the same waste
piles.
Lunch with ECA Leaders |
Team Inspects Sluide Line Path |
Board members Earl de Berge,
Derek Steele, Anne Kraemer, Suzanne de Berge, Erich Eger and Eric
Kingsbury met together in Chocola several times during August,
conferring with leaders of the ECA (Empresa Campeina Asociativa) and
the Asociacion Para Desarrollo Social y Cultural. Agreement was
reached to use and begin work on repair of the German “Hotel” to
prepare it for use as a cultural, community and museum facility and
possibly to also house a family health clinic that is in the planning
stages.
Agreement was also made to assist with the repair of tractors needed
for the coffee harvest and to assist in the construction of facilities
that will convert coffee hull waste into organic fertilizer that can be
both used by local farmers and sold. It will also clean up a pollution
site and stop dumprting of waste in the local river.
Dr. Peter Rohloff and Dr. Linda Valencia met with board members for two
days to discuss needs and initial plans for a health care clinic in
Chocola capable of providing services to local people in their native
tongues whether it be Spanish, Kakchikel or K’iché and with an emphasis
on health education, treatment and diabetics
Meetings also included: a visit to Chocola of the President of the
Presidential Commission for Local Redevelopment, Rudolfo “Fito” Paiz
and three of his top officers; meetings with Kristen
Anderson of Child Aid, a group that specializes in helping rural
communities develop libraries and library access for young people; and
the Rainforest Alliance coordinator for Guatemala, Mario Escopedo.
Analysis and papers are being developed on a variety of potential
economic and environmental initiatives to help diversify farming
practices in the region and to assess the potential for Chocola as a
historical site featuring both the Industrial Archaeology of the Old
German Chocola Finca and the Ancient Maya City of Chocola.
Meetings are in progress with top officials of the federal agency
responsible for protecting archaeological sites (IDAEH) to encourage
them to become more aware of and active in the protection of the Maya
site. The agency is hamstrung by a lack of staff and funds and
Semillas is searching for partners and strategies to help protect the
site, including the purchase of sensitive mounds in the path of
urbanization. If they can be acquired, they will be turned over
to the Federal Government of Guatemala and become a part of National
Patrimony Sites so that they can be protected in perpetuity.
A program with the world famous Museo Ixchel will be launched next year
in the local schools to help re-acquaint children with traditional
crafts of the region.
A new spirit of planning and working together
toward common goals for economic and social development and
conservation of historical assets emerged. Photos show the meeting
which was held in the old Sawmill and Taller, townspeople enjoying
historical photos of the old Beneficio; children watching the "goings
on"; four young ladies who helped host the event and a group of
citizens watching the proceedings.
