Semana de Servicio

Semana de Servicio (Service Week) is a yearly event organized by MCC Guatemala/El Salvador and the Connecting Peoples Program. It is an opportunity for youth from the two countries to come together to learn and share about the context they are living in, to put into practice the idea of Christian service, and to do something that for many of them is often not an option; leave their hometown area and travel within their own country. This year's event took place at the end of November in the San Marcos region of Guatemala. The activity focused on various issues that are affecting this part of Guatemala, among them being environmental concerns centered around the mining in this area. To read more about this issue and the impact that North American companies are having in this region, please read "The Canadian mining industry in Latin America and the Caribbean", written by Rebecca Bartel, Policy Analyst for MCC Latin America and the Caribbean at: www.mcclatinamerica.blogspot.com/2009_01_01_archive.html

What follows is a brief summery of the event from the perspective of Jordan Penner, an MCC Worker serving in Altaverapaz, and Estefania Martinez, one of the youth that attended from El Salvador.

Written by Jorden Penner:

"Around fifty young people from various areas in El Salvador and Guatemala united in San Marcos (northwest Guatemala, near the Mexican border) to take part in the annual MCC Week of Service event. The youth, despite many hours of travel, were in high spirits as they took advantage of this unique opportunity to meet so many students of the same age group from different parts of El Salvador and Guatemala. Suffice it to say that comical differences and playful chiding were constant companions for the youth as they went about getting to know one another. While good company kept spirits high, the students kept a rapid fire schedule that included nature hikes, discussions, tree planting, presentations on threats to the environment in Guatemala, and a day and a night with a small, isolated community devastated by Hurricane Stan that receives MCC support for community development. In the community, the students helped in various small projects such as well digging and field clearing. Though the students (especially the Salvadoreños) suffered through a cold night in this community in the high mountains, everyone's hearts were filled with the warmth of their hospitable reception by this small, but welcoming, community. After four days together, the students parted ways sadly, but with new found knowledge about one another and the environmental challenges Guatemala faces in the future...and the desire to confront these challenges."

Written by Estefania Martínez, Iglesia Evangélica Menonita El Salvador, Metapán, El Salvador:

"Around 40 youth from El Salvador and Guatemala met up on Wednesday, November 19, 2008 to set out on our trip to San Marcos, Guatemala and then later on to the village of La Vega del Volcán, Tacaná, located near the Guatemala and Mexico border.

While in San Marcos, we were given a mini-workshop about mining, in which we learned that to make just one gold ring, massive amounts of earth need to be removed, along with lots of water and cyanide, to be able to separate the metal from the rocks as well, as well as removing all the trees and upper layers of soil to reach the part that contains the desired metal/s. Thursday in the morning, we left for La Vega del Volcán, an indigenous community that was hit hard by hurricane Stan, leaving in its’ wake many dead, along with families without homes. When we arrived, they gave us a tour of the area, all the while explaining to us how the destruction occurred. In the afternoon, we divided up into 3 work groups; some of us helped make a garden for an older person, another group dug a hole about 3 meters deep to be used in conjunction with an out-house, while the other group constructed a rock wall to prevent the river from flooding in the future. Then at night, we all sang and played with kids from the community for a while, before meeting up in the church to share with each other things about our countries. For example, us Salvadorians sang “El Sombrero Azul,” while some from Guatemala said the prayer to the Guatemalan flag and those from Lake Atitlan sang “Yo Tengo un Amigo que Me Ama” (I Have a Friend that Loves Me) in “Quiche”, their native language. Later on, families in the community opened up their homes to us to spend the night with them. I am personally very grateful to the family that hosted me, as even though they are of very simple means, they were a great example of what survival means to those of us that are used to having everything. My particular family even has to cross 2 rivers to get to their home.

The following day we headed by foot to a small community called Las Nuevas Maravillas where we celebrated Thanksgiving and then planted 8 little pine trees to help us remember how important the environment is in our lives."