February 2021 Warm greetings to you! We are sending our annual update with the genuine hope that you, your friends and your families are well. A wish that has taken on new significance this year. 2020 has been extremely challenging, especially so for our partners in Guatemala, who have had to deal with COVID-19 in a country of almost non-existent health services for the poor as well as two devastating hurricanes and the resulting floods and loss of crops. In March, the national government implemented a curfew, cancelled public transportation, closed schools and businesses, and severely restricted movement between communities and regions to cope with the 1st wave. All of that helped stem the advance of COVID-19 but disproportionately wreaked havoc on those working in the informal economy and subsistence agriculture. Our partners have been resourceful and determined, however, working together as communities to remain healthy and counteract the effects of the disastrous storms.
In their words, “… really, at this moment we can say that every morning that dawns we feel happy to be alive. We know that we are living through difficult times, but we have to continue each morning with optimism, a will to live.”
Figure 1 Nuevo Horizonte members making soap
Happily, with your donations, Bienestar has been able to support these efforts in very significant ways. And we have had some help! Last year Selkirk College agreed that remaining funds generated from 13 years of fund-raising by the nursing students who participated in the Guatemala practice experience should be directed to Bienestar to support ongoing collaboration with our Guatemalan partners. Bravo to all of the alumni, community benefactors, and Selkirk College for their invaluable contributions to our partnerships which continue to support health and wellness at the grassroots level.
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Bienestar Partnerships and Projects AMES (Association of Women in Solidarity) ($2,000) AMES, a women’s organization based in Guatemala City that is focused on empowerment, knowledge and skill development, and building organizational capacity with women at its heart, continues to do amazing work. The AMES team with their indefatigable director Rosita -- whose generousity, vision, and warmth know no bounds -- have used these funds to maintain their Practical Nursing Program, implementing new safety protocols in response to the pandemic. Graduating as a practical nurse signifies an invaluable opportunity for alternate employment from the exploitative clothing sweat shops that dominate the landscape.
Figure 2 Practicing suturing with piece of chicken
Figure 3 AMES students with basic food distribution in barrio outlying Guatemala City
Given that many of the students’ communities have been severely affected by the pandemic and related curfews and cancelled public transportation, AMES also provided families with much needed basic foods.
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EL ESTOR and Lote 8 ($2,000) The community of El Estor and women of Lote 8 have suffered profound health and environmental harms from Canadian Hudbay Mining over the years for which they are pursuing justice through the Canadian courts in a ground-breaking legal case that is steadily moving forward (https://rightsaction.org/hudbay-minerals-archives). They intended to use these funds to purchase young pigs for raising and re-sale through their ongoing micro-economic women’s project. However, they lost two entire crops due to the tropical storm Agatha in June, and the flooding havoc wreaked by hurricanes Eta and Iota late in the year. Consequently, they redirected the funds to basic food security and efforts to re-establish their crops for the coming season. These courageous people have been running on empty for years, but in 2020, in the words of Rights Action’s director Grahame Russell, “They were running on fumes.”
Figure 4 Aerial view of flooding of El Estor & region
Figure 5 German (driver) & others prepare food delivery for Lote 8 families post flooding
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LA ESMERALDA ($2,000) Bienestar funds were used by the local schoolteachers to purchase five new computers for the 140 elementary and secondary students attending their solar powered school. The principal stressed the incredible enthusiasm of students and teachers alike for this initiative, especially since they live in a remote community with extremely limited government support.
Figure 6 Student delight with new computers
Due to COVID, classes were offered virtually this year, but small groups of students were able to access the computers on alternate days to help with their assignments and complete their studies. Staff report that the new computers have made an enormous difference in their efforts.
NUEVO HORIZONTE As with our other partners, the pandemic has had significant health and economic impacts on the Cooperative of Nuevo Horizonte. They initially managed the 1st wave with community agreed upon implementation of 24/7 monitoring of the entrance to the cooperative, adherence with school closure and use of masks in public. Currently, the elementary and high schools are scheduled to reopen midFebruary as per Government plan, however, the members continue to exercise self-imposed restrictions on movement outside of the cooperative and ongoing mask use in public domains.
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Scholarships ($5,000) 2020 was a demanding year for students as the schools with schools closed from mid-March onward necessitating virtual school at home. Challenges included lack of personal computers, unaffordable internet through cell phones for teacher and assignment support, as well as limited space and inadequate lighting in their homes for study. Despite all of this, 8 of the 10 scholarship students still managed to successfully complete their year and progress to the next level! In their written reflections to Bienestar, rather than focus on these difficulties, they stressed how much they learned about their strengths and the value of their families and teachers in the process.
Figure 2 Figure 7 Freyli Eliezer Juarez Miranda
“I am happy to have risen to one more challenge with my family and teachers, putting everything we could into developing this new daily life in which we are making use of all of the resources that we have around us.” Yennifer Gómez Figueroa
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DIABETES PREVENTION and MANAGEMENT PROJECT ($12,800) The community diabetes prevention and management program continues to be exceptional in terms of its comprehensive approach, community engagement, and results. Additionally, it has enthusiastic support from the local diabetes health promoters and Canadian volunteers which ensures a genuine partnership that supports best clinical practices. Unfortunately, the wellness clubs and school health education program were suspended due to pandemic related restrictions. The health promoters also initially suspended the monthly check-up for blood sugar, blood pressure and foot care monitoring, as well as the exercise program, and had to temporarily shift from home support visits to phone follow-up.
Support clubs for women, children, youth, and people living with diabetes
low cost quality Meds
Primary care with internal medical speciialist & lab exam
Bi-weekly home visits
Primary School Health & Wellness education program
Exercise progam 4 x / week
blood glucose testing for gestational diabetes
However, with community support, they resumed these activities by mid-fall with an emphasis on upholding safety protocols. They also hope to offer the school health program with the resumption of classes in February.
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While the Guatemalan government did provide some emergency food aid to families with children enrolled in school, this measure did not address the food shortages of the older population, the majority of whom are involved in the diabetes program. Consequently, thanks to your donations, Bienestar was able to provide emergency healthy food supplements in June and December to 32 clients living with chronic disease. Though not ideal, all of the measures implemented by the Cooperative of Nuevo Horizonte limited the influx of Covid 19 with only one case and no transmission thus far – an incredible feat!
Figure 9 Dona Desideria
Figure 10 Melvin Contreras (son of Maria Teresa)
And once again as is the way with our partners, they saw the proverbial rainbow in the clouds noting that with the reduction in income, they also saw a dramatic reduction in the purchases of soft drinks and processed foods at the local women’s store. Despite the stresses of the pandemic and limited movement outside of the home during lockdown, blood sugar results for the majority of clients living with diabetes are as good if not better than the previous year!
Figure 11 People living with diabetes group
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A very heartfelt thank you to our partners north and south: Nelson United Church for their steadfast support, and the community members, teachers, and health workers whose dedication, inexhaustible enthusiasm and belief in the value of working together and supporting each other make all of this possible. Bienestar especially wants to recognize the enormous work done by the Women’s Group in Nuevo Horizonte – Leaving Footprints -- who voluntarily monitor and manage the student scholarship project year after year.
Your hard – earned dollars at work A huge thank you to everyone who has contributed to Bienestar this year. Remember that all contributions receive tax-receipts, and that 100% of your donations go to the projects!
Remember … this is what your donations can do! $60
•Weekly attendance for one child or person living with diabetes (PLWD) at the health and wellness clubs for one year •Basic oral diabetes medications for one person for one year
$75
•Annual medical check-up and lab exams for one person living with $100 diabetes $300 $500
•Basic Insulin treatment for one person for one year •Student scholarship for uniforms, school supplies, extracurricular activities, and hot meal
•Annual Part-time salary for one diabetes health promoter $1,620 (12 hr/wk. @ $2.80/hr)
To make a donation, go to
www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/m/38293/donation
If you wish to contact us or learn more about the projects, check out http://www.bienestarcanada.ca
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We leave you with a beautiful image of the setting sun in Nuevo Horizonte shot last month while the folks were out for a walk with the exercise program. Enjoy it and know we are delighted to work with you on these worthy endeavors, invite your responses and impressions, and look forward to making 2021 a year of renewed solidarity. Sincerely (from the Bienestar Board),
Alyssa Franklin Monika Nowatschin
Joe Woodward Mary Ann Morris
Mike Chapman Cheralynne Kennedy
Teeka Ferguson
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