News from
Semillas, SMPAC
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 SMPAC 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 SMPAC Board, Dr
Paiz and Erich Eger also of
SMPAC 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 |
|
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 SMPAC 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.
