Seniors’ final projects show readiness to serve communities

Posted on September 27, 2011 by admin

Being able to pass final exams isn’t enough to graduate from Ak’ Tenamit. 12th grade students have to prove that they can put their classroom learning into practice and they have been doing just that over the past few months.   Students worked in small groups to plane and implement a final service project that benefited the Ak’ Tenamit community.  After creating a project budget, each group also raised all funds required to implement it.  Although these projects were carried out at Ak’ Tenamit, they serve as prototypes for future projects in their communities.

The students’ projects ranged from constructing a dry compost toilet, to creating plant nurseries, reforestation, upgrading kitchen infrastructure and improving tourism opportunities at the school.  It is encouraging to see that all groups designed their projects to reduce environmental impact and emphasized natural resource conservation.  Considering that their rural villages’ well-being is so closely linked to the environment it is critical that they learn to prioritize sustainability in project design.

For example, one group of students constructed a dry compost toilet.  Managing waste in their communities is tricky because they lack proper sewage infrastructure; contaminated water is a primary reason that the region cannot control its soaring gastrointestinal disease rates.  After investigating different types of toilets and their effects on the environment, they concluded that a dry compost toilet is the most suitable for their location.  It is simple, cost effective, and can be built with local materials.  It also does not contaminate the environment, it does not need water, and after a certain time the waste can be recycled as compost for the agricultural area.

Well done, seniors, and good luck as you prepare for graduation in November!

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Zoila wants every girl to know she is valuable

Posted on September 1, 2011 by admin

Zoila Esmeralda Catun rebelled against her father and cultural tradition to fulfill her dream to study.  At the age of 12, her father wanted her to marry an 18-year-old man, but she refused. He told her there was no money for her to study and insisted that she marry another man. When she heard about Ak’ Tenamit, Zoila borrowed money and traveled approximately 200 miles from her home in Alta Verapaz to the Moran Center alone.  She seldom returned home and worked at Ak’ Tenamit’s restaurant/practical classrooms during vacations to repay the money and support her tuition.

Zoila admits that she was very shy when she arrived because she had been taught that as a girl her voice didn’t matter.  “Here they encouraged me to speak in class and I learned that I am valuable, that I can do anything I set my mind to.  Anything.  Now I want to make sure every woman and girl knows that they are capable!”

As her self-confidence grew, Zoila became a member of several student councils at the school, and her own experiences inspired her to become actively involved with our We Must Educate the Girls program.  Zoila graduated from the Moran Center last fall with a diploma in Rural Community Development and says, “I feel so happy to have achieved my dream and reached a place that hardly anyone else reaches.”

In the future, Zoila hopes to receive a university degree and is passionate pursuing about a career that will allow her to empower indigenous women to stand up for their rights and earn a decent living.  She is currently working as a girls’ residential counselor at the Moran Center and as a program coordinator with the We Must Educate the Girls program to gain experience coordinating girls’ empowerment activities and to have the opportunity to attend leadership trainings related to women’s rights.

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Volunteer’s experience on International Indigenous Peoples’ Day

Posted on August 17, 2011 by admin

Last week was one of celebration, marked by the International and National Day of Indigenous Peoples (Día Nacional e Internacional de los Pueblos Indígenas).  Bianca Gras, a volunteer with Ak’ Tenamit’s We Must Educate the Girls program, attended the many events that took place and shares her experience with us.

“Here at the project students, community members, and workers celebrated by participating in traditional Mayan ceremonies, cultural activities, and dancing the Baile del Venado.  As a volunteer and essentially an outsider, it was extremely rewarding and I feel so honored to have been a part of it.  The most moving ceremony that I participated in was one in which spiritual guides and elders led the community in a consecration of site I.  Although the ceremony was in Q’eqchi which meant I didn’t understand a word, the sense of solidarity and spirituality of the people was so empowering that at that moment I truly felt a part of the community.  The most impressionable moment for me in the ceremony was when everyone we prayed to the four cardinal directions, to the sky, and to the earth simultaneously— out loud, in whispers, or in silence and it would last for about 2-3 minutes and then everyone would cease to talk.  The sense of community emanating from that space is one that I seldom experience in the United States.

Students perform the Dance of the Deer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The week was also filled with performances of the famous Baile del Venado (Dance of the Deer), a traditional Mayan dance that tells the story of two hunters (a man and a woman) who kill a deer without asking Mother Nature’s permission and the animals of the jungle seek retribution by sacrificing a dog in return.  The dance is about four hours long and is performed by boys from the school dressed in colorful and beautifully adorned costumes.  It serves as a test of their endurance and a sign of their cultural pride.”

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The votes are in for the new indigenous Board of Directors

Posted on August 4, 2011 by admin

Congratulations to Ak’ Tenamit’s newly elected Board of Directors!  The new Board is a strong mix of experienced professionals and young leaders who are eager to inspire change and they have committed to serve for 3 years.  Let’s meet the new Board:

  • 100% indigenous (decisions by the people and for the people!)
  • 50% women/50% men
  • Average age of members is 23
  • 100% representative of the villages they serve

We would like to give special recognition to Sasha Romero, who is the first member of the Garifuna community to be elected to the Board.  The Garifuna is an indigenous group unrelated to the Maya who live along Guatemala’s Caribbean coast. There is a large Garifuna community in Livingston, the town where several of Ak’ Tenamit’s practical classrooms are located, and we are pleased that this group has a voice on the Board.

How are Board members elected you ask?  Good question.  The Board is elected by the General Assembly.  The General Assembly is composed of representatives from the 30 villages Ak’ Tenamit serves.  Each village that contributes basics grains or manual labor to Ak’ Tenamit’s operations is eligible to select one man and one woman to represent their village in Ak’ Tenamit’s General Assembly.  This process ensures regular, local participation in our decision making.  The Board regularly monitors programming and spending and oversees budgetary and strategic planning.

(Pictured L to R)

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President – Lola Cabnal
Vice President – Lucas Che Ical
Secretary – Sara Bo Che
Treasurer – Eduardo Choc Maas
Vocal I – Mirza Shol Cucul
Vocal II – Mateo Chub Caal
Vocal III – Rolando Chun Xol
Vocal IV – Zulma Chen
Vocal V – Sasha Romero

OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE
Adan Tec Caal – President
Saqueo Ak Cuz – Secretary
Mirza Chub Choc – Vocal I

 

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