Mile 3: Guatemala
Welcome to Guatemala! Any tourist to this country has most likely visited Lake Atitlan, a beautiful lake surrounded by three volcanos. This unique coastline is home to a string of small, impoverished villages. One is called San Marcos La Laguna.
There, I walk with Laura, a 23-year-old woman leading an incredible female-driven social enterprise. Konojel, which means “all together” in the local language of Kaqchikel, is fighting hunger in their community. Konojel has a women-run restaurant that services the tourists of Guatemala. Local women run the kitchen and use the restaurant as a platform to try micro-businesses (selling handmade purses, clothing, and dried goods). The restaurant not only employs local women but 100% of profits are donated to a non-profit nutrition program at the Konojel Community Center. There, malnourished families can receive one meal per day, educational support, after school programing for children, and computer access, all free of charge.
Country: Guatemala
Woman: Laura
Charity: Konojel (Together in One Foundation)
This is a self-sustainable eco-system: a for-profit restaurant supporting a non-profit feeding program. Konojel provides more employment opportunities to women, feeds families in need, and encourages a huge dose of women’s empowerment to this Guatemalan community!
All seems to be working perfectly, but underneath these women’s smiles, we learn their situations are much more complicated. Laura, for example, has one of the more stable jobs in her village but still only earns roughly $30 USD per week. Her mother died a few years ago and father left her family for a new wife. Laura works to support herself and put her younger sister through school.
There are no companies or large employers in the villagers. No hospitals. No doctors. No lawyers. Most jobs are day-laborers with scattered and unreliable income. Laura and her female coworkers are trying to provide dependable jobs for women in the community. They are pushing boundaries as female leaders AND giving back to their community at the same time. Quite impressive for a 23-year old.
Please join me in supporting Konojel. For $52, you can fund a month of nutritious meals, educational support, and job training for one person at Konojel.
DONATE HERE: www.crowdrise.com/mile-3-guatemala
