From a No to a Yes, With Gratitude
At 16, Regina was plenty busy taking care of her younger siblings so her mom could work. She thought getting food security training would be a waste of time. At 22, she’s singing praises of the opportunity to improve her family’s circumstances.
Her father had been the sole source of economic support for her family. When he died, Regina, her mother and siblings had to work harder just to survive. As the oldest daughter, she was responsible for looking after the youngest members of her family while her mom did her best to grow the food they needed.
Local partner Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security in Petén (APIDEC) invited her mother to participate in a series of training events on sustainable agriculture to increase productivity, dietary diversity and income. Regina’s initial resistance gave way when she began to see changes for the better in her home and family life due to her mother’s efforts.
So she too decided to receive instruction in conservation agriculture techniques such as preparing and using organic fertilizers, rotating crops, and planting a wide variety of vegetables, in part for risk reduction and also for better nutrition. She learned to grow vegetables in a family garden, and how to process, preserve and market whatever they did not need for the table.
Another activity promoted by APIDEC is raising poultry for income, which Regina chose over the beekeeping module. She’s begun raising chickens as a source of protein for the family in addition to processing them for sale. A business plan helps her stay organized and efficient for maximum benefit.
Like her mother, Regina has successfully put into practice all she has learned in her years of training. She now has a home and baby of her own, but she’s proud of having supported and shaped her siblings and of having helped her mom when the challenges seemed insurmountable. She’s especially grateful for the economic impact the program has had on her community. She says it’s a great feeling to know she can get ahead on her own without depending on someone else.
Guatemala Sayaxché Program
Led by World Renew and local partner Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security in Petén (APIDEC)