Agros Blog

This following is an article written by Alfred Kaltschmitt and published yesterday in Prensa Libre, an independent newspaper in Guatemala.

Alfred Kaltschmitt was one of the founding members of Fundación Agros Guatemala, serving as the first Chair of the Board of Directors. The spanish version of this article can be found by clicking here.

Between the Clouds of the Ixil

We left early on a Friday; we took the car because of copious rain and mist that surrounded the capital city since the night before. Since it was impossible to fly to the Ixil, plan B was to take a four-wheel drive in case we could not fly to the airstrip in Ajt Tumbal, in Nebaj.

We started driving and took the highway headed west going to Quiché, through Chichicastenango, then Sacapulas, crossing the bridge over Río Negro, and then towards the top of the cordillera of Los Chutumatanes, through Cunén.  Almost daily, in the afternoon, the clouds make a date to dance upon the backs of these impressive and enormous thousand-year-old mountains.

The paved highway has transformed the whole region of the Ixil, an area that has experienced significant isolation due to distance and difficult access. The inhabitants of the Ixil region, which is comprised of the Nebaj, Cotzal and Chajul municipalities, are now connected to the exterior world.

I was overwhelmed by many memories — memories stretching back almost a quarter of a century. I thought back to the time when we first started Agros – an NGO whose vision was, is, and will continue to be, to help create new ways of development for the indigenous communities that are in most need. In those days, I had to travel by a slim dirt road filled with holes and ponds. This adventure could last up to 14 hours, depending on the conditions of the road. Driving could be interrupted by a landslide or other obstacles. The whole region of Ixil was isolated, and the war kept it even more depressed.

This time, however, in less than four hours we arrived to the top of the beautiful valley that surrounds Nebaj. I remembered the first time that my beloved friend Mario Morales and I stopped to contemplate the scenic beauty of the Ixil. That was almost 25 years ago, when we were young and believed that it is not by sword or armies that poverty is conquered, but through love and solidarity for your neighbor, and the message found in the example of the greatest politician - Jesus Christ.

How can I describe in a few words the intensity of what my fellow Agros Guatemala Board members and I lived these past three days? I still feel a sense of pride over seeing the first class of carpenters graduate from the new Agros Training Center in Nebaj. I can already envision the future for the Training Center of Nebaj… of how advanced it will be in the construction of training workspaces, computer laboratories, staff and student housing, and in teaching intensive agriculture skills! This center will also provide training in agriculture, eco-tourism, and general contractor skills.

We visited seven of the 22 villages that Agros has developed in Guatemala over the past years: La Esperanza, Belén, Caxijay, Xeucalvitz, Trapichitos, Batzchacolá, and Sumalito. We have also built dirt roads leading to three of these village -  an enormous achievement given their location, as there are steep drop-offs and deep valleys everywhere in this area.

Climbing and descending over four thousand feet of elevation, and crossing up to three different micro-climates, we finally got to visit the projects and talk to the grateful Agros villagers. Their lives and their children’s lives have been transformed by having access to the simple dignity of a home, potable water, schools, health, and professional training. We also attended a land title ceremony in the village of Belén. I can still see the face of Pedro Raymundo, bursting with happiness as he received his land property title.

As we were leaving a fellow Board member asked, “please pass me a tissue.” Tears had filled his eyes.