Trout and Roses

A key part of the Connecting People program is organizing local activities similar to the learning tours that many of you have participated in.  These local exchanges provide individuals from El Salvador and Guatemala the opportunity to learn about topics of interest, share ideas and experiences relevant to the work they are doing in their communities, visit new places in their own countries (as many of them have had very little opportunity to travel outside of their own communities), meet new people, and have fun.  Starting this year, we have been building a more regular budget for these activities thanks largely in part to our North American groups' willingness to use a portion of their money to fund these local learning tours.  This is the second year we have been able to organize such an event (see here to read about last year's Women in Leadership learning tour) and although small, this year's group was very motivated and excited to learn about two key topics: Trout Production and Food Security with a focus on Agroecology.  Mostly youth participants from Altaverapaz and Quiche came together for 3 days of learning about the projects in the communities of San Marcos that are working in food security programs.  In the community of La Vega del Volcan, the group participated in a workshop on trout production and visited the home of a family who is using almost 100% organic methods for their food production - a very inspiring and hopeful experience and one many North Americans could learn a lot from!  The next stop on the tour was Nuevas Maravillas where the group learned about the flower production that the co-op there continues to perfect and that has served in helping the families have a more steady income.  These experiences at times seem to be small, but the lasting impact they can have not only on the visitors but on the community leaders can not go unrecognized.  The youth from Quiche returned home with new insight and energy to try their hand at their own trout projects; those from Altaverapaz were encouraged to try knew agricultural methods and left with rose plants in hand hoping to possibly start their own small flower production.  The local leaders who shared their knowledge with the group were reaffirmed that even though the progress they have made may seem small to them, in this exchange they were seen as the experts on the topics with years of experience to share.  Although we spend a lot of time coordinating with North American groups, something that is very important, being able to focus more of our energy on providing these spaces of learning to local people is what adds even more depth  and hope to the Connecting People program.  Thank you to all who continue to make this possible!