Adriana Lazaro Participates in Training Program at CSU

Here's a photo of us, Adriana Lazaro and Ann Jefferson (r to l), from about 4 or 5 years ago. We're putting it up here now so you can get an idea of what we look like...we haven't changed THAT much in 5 years, although in some ways it seems like a long time ago.

Adriana recently visited Fort Collins to participate in a Village Earth workshop on participatory practices in sustainable development. She felt as though she learned a lot and she certainly contributed a lot! It was her first time outside Guatemala, so it was a big adventure, and she took full advantage of the opportunity, giving 2 radio interviews, and various presentations to sponsors of the scholarship program, my Latin American history class, and to a Friday night Salon Duc Tape, and also making 100 Guatemalan tacos and the rest of a lunch for the students and teachers of Oakwood School on Mountain Ave. So it was a busy month, but it was worth it. This project made itself more visible in Fort Collins, and folks here learned more about what life is like for the Q'eqchi' people of Alta Verapaz, Guatemala.

Adriana will be adding to this blog from Guatemala, now that she's gone back home. And I'll be posting comments from Fort Collins. We hope this blog will give those of you who are interested a chance to see some of the many photos we've been taking over the years. And, given the length of the reports I've been known to write after coming back from a visit to Coban, we'll be saving quite a few trees!

Next time I'll say something about my last visit in July and put up some photos of the Gran Inauguracion of the Women's Center in Coban. Just in case you're in a donating mood, I'll include the project's wish list.

Actually, my biggest wish is that we could hire Adriana fulltime after she graduates from the university this fall as a Licenciada in community organizing, but that would cost about $6,000 a year. Pretty low for a professional salary, and heaven knows she's worth all that and more, but at the moment it's considerably over our budget.

hasta la proxima,
Ann

Adriana Lazaro from Coban Guatemala to Speak in Fort Collins, CO This Friday

Adriana (left) with scholarship recipients and Ann Jefferson, Village Earth project coordinator.

For 5 years she has been the Guatemalan coordinator of a small sustainable development project in Coban. She works as a community organizer with a women's association in the Maya Q'eqchi' village of San Pablo Xucaneb' outside of Coban. At the August 24th Salon, Adriana will talk about and show photos of the daily life of some of the Q'eqchi' people. She will also show a short video made by Rights Action, a group that works on development and human rights issues in Guatemala, that captures the intrusion of the forces of corporate globalization into communities of the global South. In this case the culprits are a Canadian transnational mining company.

Adriana will have crafts available to sell after the presentation. Salon duc Tape, a public forum sponsored by Strength Through Peace, meets on 2nd through 5th Fridays from 7:00 -- 9:00 p.m. in the basement of Mugs Coffee Lounge on 251 South College, the NW corner of College and Olive . For more information, contact Strength Through Peace 419-8944 or distaso@frii.com.