Charlas

New Dawn is a Guatemalan NGO focused on community development in San Andres Itzapa, Chimaltenango since 1989. They promote health, education and the strengthening of indigenous leaders in the community. They provide learning support and a feeding programme for children and young adults at their school based in the director’s own home.

Their vision is to facilitate self-sufficiency within poorer families and allow them to empower themselves to change their quality of life through education. They also seek to preserve and strengthen the cultural identity of the indigenous Mayan people.

Come and see the show and learn more about this project and the Mayan culture!

Tejidos Cotzal is a group of 42 Mayan women from San Juan Cotzal, Quiche, who are all passionate weavers. Cotzal was hit by the civil war worse than any other place in Guatemala and left so many families without fathers, brothers or husbands. The women had to take the initiative and unite to guarantee the survival of their families. They support each other and try to send their children to school by weaving.

In this presentation they will share how the cooperative works, the eco-tours, and show you the special weaving technique of their beautiful products.

Sue Patterson, a retired US Foreign Service officer, lives in Antigua, Guatemala. She  is a former US Consul General in Guatemala and has served in Chile, Iran  and Italy. She is also the founder of WINGS, a non-profit dedicated to reproductive health and family planning. Sue is the recipient of numerous awards for her work, most recently the 2003 Sargent Shriver Award for Outstanding  Humanitarian Service from the National Peace Corps Association of America.

ARCAS: Rescuing Guatemalan Wildlife

The Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Association (ARCAS) is the leading advocate for the rights of wild animals in Guatemala.  In the Department of Peten, it manages one of the largest and most success wildlife rescue centers in the world, receiving 300-600 animals of 40+ species per year, the majority confiscated from wildlife traffickers.

Since the establishment of the Rescue Center in Peten, ARCAS has branched out into other very necessary activities including environmental education, protected areas management, marine turtle conservation, sustainable community development, ecotourism and reforestation. ARCAS’s three main project sites are: the Guatemala City area, the remote northern department of Petén, and the Hawaii area of the southern Pacific Coast.