Playground in Pacoxpón

Not something you see everyday in Guatemala! These students are sooo happy with their new playground that was donated by CostCo and shipped to Guatemala through the efforts of Penny Rambacher. The playground is located outside of Pacoxpón Elementary School; a school built together by BPD and Miracles in Action.

Teaching Workshop

BPD presents the teaching workshop, "Creatividad en la Aula Aldeana." 33 teachers from San Martín attended to learn new and fun teaching methods. All the activities are geared at helping teachers to increase class participation, creativity and give the students a stronger sense of belonging. The manual was designed by Dr. Genelle Grant and Karen Johnson who came to Guatemala last month to give the first teaching seminar.

Construction of Grey Water Filters

70 community members from Los Tunayes are learning how to build and properly maintain their grey water filters. This technology is very helpful in villages where there is no drainage system. Prior to using these filters, used shower and kitchen water would dump directly onto the ground creating an ideal breeding environment for mosquitoes and other insects.

Deposit for Semi-Filtered Water

A group of men place a cover on the pit where waste water empties. The water, which has been cleaned of oils and soaps, flows into a 4-5 meter deep hole where it can then filter through the earth. If there were oils in the water they would eventually form a barrier preventing it´s absorption into the ground. These waste water deposits are placed near gardens, fruit trees or crops so they can benefit from the damp soil.

Mature Amaranth Plants

Pedro Garcia from Chiplila Sector II stands in his field of full grown amaranth plants. Grain amaranth was one of the most important crops to the Aztecs and Mayans, along with corn and beans. The Aztecs made statues with popped amaranth and human blood which were eaten during religious ceremonies. When the Spanish observed this ritual they outlawed both the cultivation of amaranth and the religion. The elimination of amaranth all but succeeded for several hundred years.

Amaranth Seedings

Pedro Garcia is working to thin his grain amaranth seedlings. The seeds are extremely small and are often planted too close together. The plants need at least 10cm of space between them.

Onil Stoves

Two women from Cambalcol make tortillas with black corn on their Onil Stove. The chimneys vent the smoke outside the home and have greatly reduced the number of respiratory illnesses suffered by women and small children who spend the majority of their time in the kitchen. The Onil Stove also prevents burns common when the family uses a 3-rock fire on the floor, and uses up to 75% less wood, saving not only families time and money but also the environment.

Cooking with Grain Amaranth

Here, Heidy is teaching a group of women how to cook with grain amaranth. The grain has more protein, fiber and fat than corn, rice and wheat. It is rich in a variety of vitamins and minerals that help to prevent and cure diseases caused by nutritional deficiencies. Babies that are fed amaranth are found to improve in weight and prosper ahead of schedule. Only two pounds of seed are needed to plant an acre of land and it requires 50% less water than corn. Lysine in Amaranth, makes it particularly helpful to HIV/AIDS patients. Lysine heals and inhibits the spreading of sores as well as boosts the immune system. In Uganda doctors are obtaining better results with moringa and amaranth than with anti-retroviral drugs.

Feeding Center in Cambalcol

Hungry?? This little girl is enjoying one of the two meals provided to her each week through one of BPD´s three feeding centers. The meals are prepared by BPD staff and mothers who want to learn how they can improve the nutrition and health of their families using low cost, locally available ingredients.

Macadamia

Farmers from five San Martín communities are learning about the benefits of producing organic macadamia. They will be planting 5,000 trees within the next month. Macadamia nuts are a good source of fiber, protein, vitamin E and mono-unsaturated fats which have been shown to lower cholesterol. The goals of this project are to reforest, improve nutrition and supplement incomes. All other vegetables inter-cropped with the macadamia will also be farmed organically; positively affecting the environment, local health and the value of vegetables sold at market.

Family Garden

This family from Cambalcol has a variety of vegetables planted in a well protected area. They are providing an excellent example to other community members as to how someone can take small steps to greatly improve the lives of their families.

School Garden

A student at San Antonio el Cornejo happily picks beets. The students harvested over 100 pounds in total. They learned how to grow vegetables using container gardens and raised beds. This project enabled them to make better use of their patios, eat healthier and sell extra produce for a profit.