My Great Adventure Visiting the Seeds’ Work in Chocolá, Guatemala
By Mark Walker
Since 2009, the Seeds for a Future Program has been actively reducing the chronic malnutrition and disease faced by so many families across rural Guatemala. In 2024, I joined the board of Seeds for a Future, and have had the opportunity to watch the team’s ceaseless dedication to moving the Program forward.
Having helped set up and manage development programs over the years, I know there’s nothing like seeing a program’s work up close and personal, listening to the stories of the participants, and hearing how their lives have improved.
My visit to the Seed’s Program would be important on several levels.
Getting to know the team and meeting participants of the Program will provide greater insights for becoming a more effective board member and supporter of the Seeds Program.
One of my granddaughters, Ali, would also be accompanying me to see and appreciate the impact of their work, as well as providing an introduction to her grandmother's homeland to better understand the reality that most people in the world are living in. She’d also gain an appreciation for the role nonprofits play in supporting local community members to improve their lives.
Seeds for a Future is headquartered in Chocolá, which is a unique community on the Pacific Coast of Guatemala, located near Mazatenango. A central point of the town is a distinctive centennial clock that still functions today. The clock utilizes a hydraulic system, where gears are turned by a regulated water flow, and rings the bell hourly.
The "Beneficio” was established in the late 1800s by German families, who processed coffee and operated a sawmill. They established a hotel for travelers and tourists, and along their journey, Mayan ruins were discovered.
Still, once their land was confiscated by the government after World War II, the Beneficio fell into disuse. Due to the low altitude, families were unable to produce high-quality coffee for processing, and the sawmill shut down, leading to a loss of important jobs for the community which haven’t returned.
Chocolá, like many rural Guatemalan communities, long suffered from chronic malnutrition and preventable diseases, especially among infants and children.
A more recent challenge, according to the Seeds for a Future team, is the growth of "Remittance" homes, multi-story homes built with funds from family members working in the U.S. Although most of the houses are not yet completed, they increase the cost of housing and utilize land that could have been used to grow crops to meet the community's nutritional needs.
My granddaughter and I met the Seeds for a Future team at one of the organization’s many Seedling Nurseries, where field team members nurture seeds into small plants that program participants will receive. These small plants will serve as the initial crops in a new garden, or supplement the crops that participating families are already growing to enhance their diet.
The seedlings are cultivated with a specially formulated organic fertilizer and are maintained in a controlled environment to optimize their growth. Growing the seedlings locally saves money while acclimating them to the area's climate, which increases their hardiness and success in the gardens.
On the early morning of our visit, we set out to visit five families who are participants in the Seeds Program in Chocolá, and who welcomed us into their homes to share their success.
The first participant we met was Maria. She had a limited amount of land, so she was shown how to grow vegetables in the bottom half of plastic soda bottles on the wall of her house. She not only consumed the vegetables but also sold them to her neighbors, establishing a new and vital income source. The team also continues to teach her how to cultivate other produce, such as mushrooms, to provide another source of income and nutrition for her family’s meals.
Each family has different dietary and nutritional needs and will grow different crops to meet their needs.
One family had a series of fruit trees, including avocados, as well as, most interestingly, a large Tilapia pond. The pond provides an essential source of protein for the family and their neighbors, who purchase fish from them.
Visiting another beneficiary, we were warned of a fierce dog, which surprised me as we entered to find a friendly Dachshund. As we passed through their simple, but tidy living room to the cluttered kitchen in the back with a stove and sink to clean the dishes, I spied a large Pitbull in the backyard with the rabbits, ducks, and chickens. The dog slept tranquilly through most of our visit. In addition to raising the animals, the Program member also grows fruit and vegetables to provide her family with a robust and nutritious diet.
Since we visited on a Saturday, the Seeds team members brought along their children, making this a family affair. The kids were poking around and playing as the adults discussed the latest vegetables they had harvested and learned a new way to prepare them so even the children would eat them. The team represents a diverse range of skills and backgrounds. Four could speak Kiche and Tz’utujil since many of the families are Mayan.
After visiting Program beneficiaries, we went to lunch, where I had the opportunity to get to know our Project Manager, Moises, and three of his colleagues better.
Moises is low-key and unassuming as he quietly shepherds numerous projects and collaborations the team is involved with.
Don Julio is a Senior Field Team Member, having worked with Seeds for a Future for over 12 years. He’s a confident and articulate orator who loves to share his experiences with local families who surround and learn from him.
Carmelina and her husband, Jonas, reside in a small Indigenous community located above Lake Atitlán. They’re incredibly busy, working with over 120 families who have enrolled in the Program in the last four months.
It took them six hours to reach Chocolá due to the poor roads and limited community transportation. They had to wait hours until a small pick-up had enough passengers to warrant departing over a narrow pass with precipitous drop-offs on both sides.
Carmelina wore her intricately designed, colorful “huipil” (the traditional Maya blouse, which differs with each of the 22 Mayan groups) and “corte” (skirt). She spoke excellent Spanish, although Tz’utujil was her native tongue. She was enthusiastic and focused on the needs and reality of the community where she lives and works to bring it better health and opportunities.
Ali and I had a wonderful time meeting the Seeds for a Future team and visiting families enrolled in the Seeds Program. Spending time with the team was a unique opportunity to see their work in action and experience firsthand the enthusiasm, skills, and opportunities they bring to the families and communities they serve.
It’s a privilege to support the Seeds Program and the positive impact they’re making every day.
