Hi everyone,

How are you doing? Marine and Quentin returned to Paris at the end of the week, while Sarah and I stayed a few more days to finish our deliverables for the NGO Los Amigos de Santa Cruz. This week again, great news to share. 🙂

#The challenges of our mission

In order to better understand the challenges of the NGO Los Amigos, Estela, the director of the Women Empowerment program, suggested that we take a pick-up truck to meet different groups of women entrepreneurs living in remote communities where no tourists venture.

Our meeting with Ruth particularly struck me. She welcomed us in her kombucha workshop (a natural fermented drink). With her baby wrapped in a sheet tied around her neck, you could tell she was a hard worker. To succeed, she only needed a helping hand, with a little equipment and training. By emphasizing entrepreneurship among women, Los Amigos knows very well that this is a major lever for the economic development of the household and for gender equity.

As for our mission to improve their impact measurement process, we had 3 main objectives: 1) define a roadmap of impact KPIs to be measured; 2) implement a data collection process and create automated impact reports; 3) train the teams to use the software. Even though we have completed the first stage of the project with the launch of pilot projects, it will still take months to roll it out across all programs. The common denominator between my different assignments over the years is the teams’ initial reluctance to change. For this to work, I understood that it was necessary to involve the field teams in the discussions very early, so that they could share their opinions and, above all, see the benefits of the software. Nowadays, whether it makes sense for NGOs to implement program monitoring software is no longer a question.

#Experiences within the community of Santa Cruz:

Every morning at sunrise, we saw the few fishermen from Santa Cruz leaving in their Cayuco (canoes).

With Quentin and Sarah, we really wanted to meet them and discover their daily lives. Claudia from Los Amigos kindly helped us organize a fishing trip with 3 of the last 25 fishermen in the village. This is how I got into the canoe of Juan, a fisherman like his father before him, who introduced me to his fishing techniques.

There were several hundred fishermen a few years ago; only a few remain, as they were among the first to witness the pollution of the lake. As many locals got into the habit of dumping their trash into the lake, bacteria grew and significantly affected the size and number of fish. Juan explained to me that, selling his fish at 4 quetzales per kilo (€0.40), many fishermen were forced to change jobs. The next day, a slightly tipsy Juan recognized me and hugged me at the village fair. It was very funny because, on my side, it took me a while to recognize him! 🙂

In the evening, Claudia invited us to her family’s home to cook the fish and crabs caught early in the morning. We spent the whole evening with her mother and sister, who taught us how to cook a good crab soup over a wood fire.

Although Claudia’s mother and sister spoke Kaqchikel (the local language), we had a lot of laughs when it came to making the traditional tortillas. With a masterful hand, they made 3-4 while we only managed a ridiculous ball of dough. This family dinner was authentic. We had an excellent evening!

#A difficult subject: emigration

In France, we talk a lot about immigration. In Guatemala, it is the opposite: many young people leave the country to try their luck in the United States. During our posada in San Juan, Guillermo explained to us that this phenomenon even accelerated during Covid, when it was almost impossible to find a job. For $10,000, many illicit networks and cartels offer to take people across the border, with no guarantee of success.

Some go so far as to load migrants with bags to smuggle drugs through the tunnels. Others have their passports confiscated before being forced to work for a cartel. During our dinner with Claudia, we felt a deep sadness when she spoke about her brother, who emigrated to the United States to work in construction. As an undocumented resident, he has no foreseeable date of return to Guatemala…

#The importance of encountering other cultures: the inspirational story of Rosalia

If one day you cross paths with Rosalia, one of the two program directors at Los Amigos, you will not forget her. She is bursting with energy from morning to night. Passionate about discovering new cultures, Rosalia explained to us how her travels had changed her life. When she was little, she befriended a family of Norwegian descent who knew her dream: to live abroad. One day, they invited her to spend two months with them in Norway. This trip was a revelation. There she discovered a standard of living totally different from hers and an environment in which women had a say.

When she returned to Santa Cruz, she was convinced: “if the Norwegians can do it, I can do it too”. However, when she sought to get involved in the community of Santa Cruz, it was quickly made clear that her place was at home. One day, when no one knew how to handle the renovation of the village church, the residents let Rosalia manage the project, and she succeeded. That day, she won her place at the decision-making table. Since then, her opinion has been listened to. Regularly invited by foundations and foreign universities to talk about her fight for women’s rights, she takes the opportunity to travel the world, all expenses paid. Smart, isn’t it? 🙂

We will be on our way home soon! To end this great adventure, we organized a tasting tour of French cookies with the Los Amigos team! Success guaranteed! 🙂 This year again, an exceptional adventure that wraps up 6 years of discoveries in Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas.

Have a great day,

Marine, Quentin, Sarah and Romain