Saint Andrew Events

Rich or poor?

On our recent mission trip, we were installing solar power in homes of families that could not afford to be connected to their local electrical grid.  Obviously, when electric power is available to some but not others, there is a problem of equity and justice.  As we worked with these families, a frequent question they had was how a young person might get into the U.S. in order to find a job. Typically, they thought a young person could work for four or five years in the U. S. and make enough money to return to Guatemala and be able to enjoy a much more affluent lifestyle, perhaps even be able to build a house. The lack of income to families in Mayan communities in Guatemala is a major problem.

Several organizations (including PCUSA mission projects) work in Guatemala to help farmers and craftspeople earn more income.  Farming coops are one way of helping farmers by allowing them to not just produce the raw materials of agriculture but to process their crops into a commercial product and possibly even sell directly to consumers.

But the question of rich or poor is not just about money. Poverty is about the lack of opportunity and the lack of power. What we saw in Tzampoj was a very active community organization that effectively advocated for their members. When the community could not get the local, private utility company to lower their electrical rates, the community reached out to partners in the U.S. to explore solar power alternatives. This is a not a powerless community.  There are cultural factors in Guatemala working against them, but the people have found power in their local organization.

And the community also has great natural resources.  Even as young Guatemalans were questioning us about working in the U.S., some of our workers near retirement age were wondering how they might be able to move to Guatemala. The climate is great – rarely over 90 degrees or below 50 degrees, depending on the altitude. Even the simplest homes were surrounded by fruit trees – banana, mango, papaya, citrus – and most people had their own coffee bushes. Guatemala is a beautiful country.

Perhaps the greatest resource was the strength of the families of the people we worked among.  Multigenerational families living near each other was the norm. On every site we visited, people of all ages and abilities were present and engaged in the life of the community.

The village of Tzampoj does indeed lack economic power, but the strength of the community is a resource that will help them to overcome some of their greatest obstacles.