Trust and Hospitality

TRUST AND HOSPITALITY IN CHICORRAL COMMUNITY, IXTAHUACÁN, SOLOLÁ

Basis for the work of the Bio-rights Project in Guatemala.

For those who have all the basic services it may be inconceivable that there are indigenous K'iche communities in extreme poverty. My first experience in the project Bio-rights was to visit Chicorral community with a technical officer of CARE. Chicorral is the most remote community, and also the smallest in terms of population, with only 20 families, and very difficult to access. In the rainy season you have to walk for 1 hour or more to reach to the communities, depending on the physical conditions. But one forgets how tired you are once you are greeted by the gentle faces of the community that are awaiting your arrival to support them.

During our visit, a tour was held in the community, where people demonstrated the problem of landslides of which they suffer each rainy season, and to discuss the importance of being organized to cover for emergencies caused by the rains and work on mitigation measure that reduce problems caused by the heavy rain. Based on this visit, the community representatives were invited to form Local Coordinators for Disaster Risk Reduction and start the work on Risk Management by creating a map defining the hazards, vulnerabilities and capacities in the community and based on that develop a Local Response Plan.

It is interesting to work and live with the community because despite not having resources, they give everything they have to make you feel comfortable and come back to work with them. In some visits I would have to travel alone and the community leader would come down the valley, closer to my base, to ensure I could reach the community without any trouble. This preoccupation by the community leader is fulfilling for me as technical project staff, and strengthens the relation.

Gradually I, and the project, have come to earn the trust of community, which has been key to successfully work with the Bio-rights Project now. They disclosed the needs in the community, helped with translation of Quiche into Spanish and in documenting information and agreements of each visit.

The community visits are planned every 3 weeks, depending on the availability of the community members. When we visited in December 2012 for identification and prioritization of their needs and discuss their project ideas, leaders requested that the entire community should join to decide. Unfortunately it was not possible because it was harvest season for the coffee and maxán leaves grown in the community, and their main sources of household income. However, this tells me that there is a great degree of cohesion among community members, which is essential for the project objectives.

There is a strong cohesion in Chicorral community, which is an advantage in the project. When the discussions started on the priorization of DRR measures there was an atmosphere of openness and trust. With the support of a community member to take note of the suggestions, five projects were proposed for Chicorral community: 1) construction of a water tank, that will allow water distribution to families 2) expansion of the school, which in an emergency event serves as a shelter for vulnerable families, 3) small risk mitigation and reduction works around 20 homes, 4) reforestation and 5) improvement of the access road to the community. The community members committed to supply their labour for each of these projects, as well as a commitment for reforestation at the water sources and along of the creek that is a tributary of the Masá River Sub Basin, in return for the financing of these projects. Their commitments are included in contracts that are drafted.

My professional and personal commitment as Wetlands International technical staff for the Bio-rights project has grown in response to the trust, hospitality and acceptance by members of the four communities: they always offer a friendly welcome and treatment despite their difficult circumstances.