Post Guatemala Reflection: By Amy Simmons

Amy: I went into this trip with my social work hat on; regularly reminding myself that while I'll see the despair and desperation of extreme poverty it's the strengths I'm looking for, the resiliencies, the connections and the overall sense well-being. It is a culture and community that I knew little to nothing about. Initially I only had a basic understanding of the history, the impact of the civil war and accompanying genocide. The team helped me become more culturally competent by having meetings that focused on the country, its history, and its people. I read multiple articles and a couple books to familiarize myself with where I was headed. I felt pretty prepared overall when the time to go finally arrived.

I have worked with families in the US who are living in poverty, families and individuals who are homeless; I have worked with children and families who have experienced multiple types of abuse; I have done community development, family focused services, and individual direct care. While I had never worked internationally, I felt pretty secure in my skills and their ability to be transferable.

After nearly twenty years in the field I was not prepared for what we encountered. We entered a community of joy, love, family and connection. They're poor, poor by standards few in the US have ever experienced; those living in extreme poverty have a lack of basic resources most can't fathom. Yet, they have something I struggle to define, something I can't quantify - a wholeness of spirit. It was a soul touching, life altering experience to be with the people in Sibinal.

 When we first arrived we visited families Project HELLO had worked within the past. Initially I struggled with feelings of invasion and objectification. I have always hated the resource and development part of non-profit work - the touring donors, the savior mentality, and the messages of us and them. But as we met with families and talked with them about how their lives are, and what their current needs are, I began to see themes. They appreciated being remembered. They were grateful for the work that had been done, but more than that, they were proud of what they had accomplished since the last time the Project HELLO team had visited. They shone with hope - some radiating with it.

It wasn't just the floor or roof; stove or wash station; walls or latrine that they appreciated. It was the sense that they mattered. They mattered enough to a group of strangers that we'd leave our own country and give of ourselves to make their lives better. They mattered to people in our country who had never met them; people they'd never meet cared enough to give to them. That sense of value combined with the hope lit people from within.

I was not prepared for this level of joy and hope. I had prepared myself to "stay focused on strengths," "look for the resiliency," but when there was no need to search because the positives outweighed the negatives, I felt off balance. Don't get me wrong, the people are in need, in need at levels incomprehensible to US consumerism standards. The people, however have that "thing," you know, the one they say money can't buy, they've found it and they have it in abundance. Having lived in the US my entire life, lived and breathed consumerism, I didn't know what to do with this "thing." As a clinically licensed graduate trained social worker, I didn't know what to do with this "thing."

I still don't know what to do with it other than to honor and respect it - do what I can to protect it. The people of Sibinal have been made promises and repeatedly they have been on the short end when they've been broken. As a result they are a people resistant to trust, but willing to hope. They are the hardest working people I have ever seen; and the most giving. They taught me so much in such a short time about the capacity of the human spirit.

I will be forever grateful for my time there and ever planning my next trip back. The work we do there is more than just putting money into the community - it's about culture and a way of life. It's to ensure the health and physical well-being of the people is sustained in a way that furthers their natural self sufficiency. It's to enhance community provision and integration while deepening existing bonds.

The people have a willingness to tell their story - often painful, about loss, infidelity, abandonment, abuse, and the brutality of the environment (earthquakes and torrential rain) and we have a responsibility to them and their stories. A responsibility to honor them, their community and their culture. A calling to hear the needs of another and respond in kind, for me, that is the foundation of humanity.

Post Guatemala Reflection: By Olivia A. Deeken

Olivia: Photovoice

Thank you for your patience and for taking the time to follow our blog. I first wanted to let you know how Photovoice ended. Last Friday (June 21, 2017), we asked all three Photovoice families to come into town to participate in our final Photovoice discussion. The purpose of this discussion was to ask our participants to describe their photos, why they took them, and how they felt about the Photovoice process as a whole. Jasen also came up with the clever idea to ask, “If you could take a photo of something that would change your life – what would you take a photo of?”

While our Photovoice team tried to go into this entire process with open minds and without expectations, we hoped that this final discussion would provide us some enlightenment into the lives of some of the families we serve and show our participants that their stories are important and should be heard.

We were scheduled to start the discussion at 9:00 a.m. – well before the afternoon rain sets in. However, in Guatemala time, 9:00 a.m. usually ends up being 9:30 or 9:45 even. So “surprise” is an understatement when we (the team) arrived at the meeting space to find our first family not only on time – but early. I was shocked. Several of my Generación Magnificat and Project HELLO teammates shared with us Photovoice leaders that Photovoice must have meant a great deal to the families for them to be this eager to participate. All in all, all members of all three families arrived dressed in what seemed like their Sunday best with combed hair, nice chumpas (jackets), small heels and skirts, and were seated before 9:30 a.m. It was clear that the families knew the value of their stories and the power their photos held.

Each family was kept as its own group and was assigned one or more GM members to facilitate the discussion and to jot notes of what was said. I sat in on the interview of Don Emiliano and Doña Inilita’s family – our first Photovoice family. For some reason, I felt a special fondness for this family – perhaps because they were our first and showed a surprising amount of enthusiasm for this new project when, at the time, I still had many doubts.

The room quickly became loud as the families began sharing the stories and the motives behind their photos. As the family interviews wrapped up, the Photovoice team asked the families for at least one volunteer to bring up their photos and briefly share with the entire crowd of families, Project HELLO and GM team members. I was impressed by the courage of Zorayda, Angelina, (oldest girls of Don Basilio and Don Emiliano) and Don Sergio for volunteering their time to share before the whole group. After some more smiles, full bellies of coffee and sweet bread, and a big group photo – Photovoice came to a conclusion.

Later that evening, reviewing the Photovoice Discussion notes with Michelle and Jasen felt like opening gifts on Christmas morning. I was excited to read what the families had said! Common themes were family and the importance of having photos of one’s family and home to remember, beauty in nature found in flowers and the landscape, orderly and clean homes, and pride at school work and drawings. The following are a few excerpts from the final Photovoice discussion:

Notes from Don Emiliano: “Para poder observar la foto de su esposa. Porque significa una gran mujer en su vida.”  To be able to observe the photo of his wife. Because she means [is] a great woman in his life.

Notes from Zorayda: “Porque hay muchas flores en la casa. Porque dibujó muy bien y le tomó la foto a su dibujo. La foto sirve parar un recuerdo. Le gustan las flores.” Because there are many flowers in the house. Because she drew very well and took the photo of her drawing. She likes the flowers.

Notes from Doña Norma: “Norma le gusta la foto de su casa porque le tiene muy limpia y ordenada no está tan segura la cocina ella es muy feliz con su familia.” Norma likes the photo of her house because it is very clean and tidy. It is not safe in the kitchen. She is very happy with her family.

(Photo of Doña Norma’s kitchen with a large crack from an earthquake.)

While Photovoice was only a pilot program to see if families would even be receptive to photo taking, new technology, and the dialogue required of the project, I feel like Photovoice was a success. The smiles on the faces of the kids as they ran around taking pictures, the pride in the participants’ eyes at the coveted copies, the shy smile of parents that turned broader as they successfully took and reviewed the photos that were them – their homes, their families, their lives. With further development, I think there could be great potential in Photovoice in furthering our understanding of the families we serve in Sibinal.

Compassion

These last few days I’ve been reflecting on our time in Guatemala, and I keep going back to the concept of compassion. Gregory Boyle in his book Tattoos on the Heart describes compassion as, “not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It’s a covenant between equals.” He goes on to say that “Compassion is always, at its most authentic, about a shift from the cramped world of self-preoccupation into a more expansive place of fellowship, of kinship.” This, is the kind of compassion I see from the families of Sibinal, from my Project HELLO and GM teammates, and from the donors, sponsors and supporters we have.

I see compassion in the kindness and hospitality of the families who welcome us into their homes and offer refreshments and food despite having so little. To me, welcoming strangers into your home, making them feel AT home, is one of the simplest and purest forms of compassion.

I see compassion in my GM teammates as they continually choose to see the extreme challenges their neighbors face, and to do something about it, when they could easily look away, in continually working to improve our humanitarian efforts, and for continually making room in their schedules, homes, hearts, and lives for us members of Project HELLO.

I see compassion in my Project HELLO teammates as they persistently open and stretch their minds and hearts to do more – to do the best – for more people. Sponsoring a child’s education, utilizing one’s business skills to forge new connections for future fundraising efforts, making plans to save extra in order to return in December, offering and taking members of families to the hospital for important medical care, sitting and speaking with the families with respect and dignity…are just a few of the ways I’ve seen compassion flow from my teammates.

And I see compassion in our donors, sponsors, supporters and followers who consciously decide to be openminded to the possibilities of our team, our work, and the families we serve. For being “sympathetically conscious of others’ distress” and having “a desire to alleviate it”.

This, is what excites me. The endless compassion of all of these people. The dissolving of boundaries and separateness to make room for others.