A Blessed Region Receives More Blessings

When we asked farmer, human rights activity and interpreter Nery Brito how he would describe the Ixil region in Guatemala, he said, “Blessed. It is rich in vegetation, diverse and fertile.” Nery is part of a CWS-supported food security and nutrition program, in which he focuses on working with indigenous populations to conserve both their resources and traditions. He told us, “I like working with Mother Earth. My hobby is looking at the mountains, seeing how wonderful our world is.”

Nery stated that the program has helped reduce malnutrition in children and families, recover ancestral knowledge, encourage the use of organic fertilizers, engage in sustainable cultivation and preserve traditional recipes. Along with his team, Nery visits the families in the area on a regular basis to discover how they are doing and to bring them supplies. He said, “I feel that in addition to bringing supplies, we offer psychosocial support. People feel listened to, and learn to have a balanced diet and are happy.”

“Through the program,” Nery explained, “many families received livestock such as pigs, chickens and sheep. When these animals reproduce, they are distributed to other families so that they can also participate in breeding and sales. In our most recent delivery, we distributed 50 piglets to two communities.”

In this new year, we will continue to work with these families by providing on-farm training and increasing access to seeds for growing nutritious and marketable vegetable crops. We are excited to see all of the ways that these communities will continue to thrive.

We are thankful to the Conference of Evangelical Churches in Guatemala (CIEDEG) for their leadership of this program, We are also grateful for the generosity of Growing Hope Globally and Latter-day Saints Charities in supporting this work.