This past week we got the opportunity to stay with a family that lives in the rural countryside. Having two different home stays makes for a very diverse scope of the lives of many Guatemalans. I would say the majority of Guatemalans live in smaller communities like the one we stayed in, if not more simple/poor.
Cajolá is located in the region of Quetzaltenango just under an hour away from the main city. They are indigenous Maya Mam people so their first language is Mam but many of them also speak Spanish & very little English. About 94% of people live in poverty, 57% in extreme poverty, 66% of children are chronically malnourished, & 77% of houses are in bad condition (41% overcrowded, 49% lack portable water, 46% lack sanitary services).
This community is largely effected by migration to the United States. It not only has brought more money to the community it has completely changed the lifestyles of this small village. Many of the young men and women want so badly to go to the States for work. They do not have many opportunities in Cajolá & know that they can make a lot of money in the States for their family back at home. Usually, just young men travel to the States because it is dangerous, hard & tiring to make the long almost 40 day trek through Mexico, but a few women go too. Most boys do not want to finish school or even attempt staying in Cajolá because they know they will barely make enough to survive. All they want to do is travel to the States & make money. A lot of boys do not finish school because they end up going to the States. |
Some effects of migration:
- Many fathers aren't present in the lives of their children.
- Since most men were leaving, women had new roles in the house. The women had to find ways to fill both roles of parenting & find local forms of employment.
- Some never come home to their families because they start new lives in the States or die along the way through Mexico or while working in the States.
- Larger houses are being built in Cajolá & then sometimes left for empty because the family moves to the States or for other reasons.
- Many "American" ideas/brands/styles are being brought back to Cajolá. This is especially the case with the men- almost none of them wear traditional clothing. Their style is "all American."
- Loosing the culture & respect of being an indigenous family.
We talked with a man from Cajolá who had lived & worked in the States for about 7 years. He told us about his experience of risking his life to travel through Mexico, the working conditions & discrimination in the States & the reason why it was so important for him to come back to Cajolá. Because of him, the community & a lady from New Jersey started an organization called Grupo Cajolá. This organization is working towards the goal of keeping their people of Cajolá in Cajolá. Together they are building different projects that provide education, work, health care, etc. so men & women do not have to travel to the States to provide for their family.
We were given a tour of two of their projects; the textile shop & the childcare center. One job opportunity the women have in this community is to learn how to weave different textiles with a back strap loom or a foot loom. The women work 5 days a week to create many different products like napkins, hand towels, table clothes, bracelets, aprons, etc. which gets shipped to Morristown, NJ & United States customers can buy.
Since a lot of the women work during the day they need someone to watch their kids, so a childcare center was created. At the childcare center the teachers work with ages 2 1/2 to 5 in Spanish & Mam. They do crafts, teach letters, numbers, play dress up, teach personal hygiene, etc. It is important to them to preserve their culture too, so they do tradition Maya ceremonies & teach the kids about their roots. This center also works with moms to teach proper nutrition & care for their children. Once a month they do an activity outside of the classroom with the moms to interact with the families in a different way. | The lady that Nicole & I stayed with was a teacher here. Through Grupo Cajolá she is now able to attend University to get her teaching degree, which she is more than thrilled & grateful about. |
They also have projects like the Internet center & other business startups. Their most important project is trying to educate their people. They don't want their people to go hungry & to have opportunities for education/work. While talking with the lady that hosted us, she mentioned that there is shift in family lifestyles because more people are realizing that the more kids you have the more mouths you will have to feed & the harder it is to give the kids a good education/opportunity. This may seem like a no brainer to a lot of us but this is a big thing for this small community. Education is very important (especially considering 69% of people are illiterate) & we sometimes are guilty for taking it for granted. Education is key to helping fight hunger, providing opportunities for employment, preserving their Maya Mam culture & sharing their stories with others. Grupo Cajolá is trying (and succeeding) at providing opportunities, creating a strong community for their people & building relationships with others.
This community will always have a special place in my heart & I am very thankful for the connections I made here. This is definitely a community I can see myself visiting again & possibly staying for awhile. The eagerness & hope in these people is incredible. If you want to learn more about Cajolá here is there website, worth a look because it gives a lot more information than I did. There are also opportunities to learn more about their Maya Mam culture or donate to help keep this organization going. http://www.grupocajola.org
This community will always have a special place in my heart & I am very thankful for the connections I made here. This is definitely a community I can see myself visiting again & possibly staying for awhile. The eagerness & hope in these people is incredible. If you want to learn more about Cajolá here is there website, worth a look because it gives a lot more information than I did. There are also opportunities to learn more about their Maya Mam culture or donate to help keep this organization going. http://www.grupocajola.org