Community Development
Catalyzing Grassroots Solutions
The communities Ak’ Tenamit serves are poor, remote – accessible only by mud tracks, or rivers – and relatively new, since most were founded in the nineteen seventies and eighties by refugees from political violence in the country’s central highlands. Most of those villages consequently lack such basic infrastructure as water systems, latrines, or electricity. Given the size of the problem, Ak’ Tenamit has taken an educational approach, training community leaders and educating young people in sustainable development and social improvement.

By coordinating the collaboration of community brigades, students, volunteers and international donors, Ak’ Tenamit has catalyzed grassroots efforts to improve village life through the adoption of sustainable agriculture, the creation of handicraft cooperatives, and the construction of water systems, improved latrines, energy efficient stoves, and communal corn mills. Such projects not only improve the life of the Q'eqchi people, they also reduce the workload of Q'eqchi women, who can thus dedicate more time to their children, community organizations, or making handicrafts, which provide desperately needed income. With the help of Ak’ Tenamit, villagers have diversified their agricultural production, adding innovations such as tilapia ponds. An important aspect of the community development program is empowerment of local leaders: through training workshops and other support, AK’ Tenamit reinforces the self-sufficiency and sustainability of community organizations, while working to increase the participation of women in the decision making process.

A recent campaign is to provide families with inexpensive (app. $50) water filters, which can save the lives of young children, who often die from waterborne intestinal parasites and bacteria. Please consider donating to this, or one of Ak’ Tenamit’s other community development initiatives.