My new home in Labor de Falla is about 20 minutes outside of Chimaltenango. This results in roughly an hour bus ride, depending on the driver, if I need to make a trip into the city. On one such trip a woman from my village sat down next to me and began to make small talk. I’m always happy for a chance to practice Spanish and was honoured that she took the initiative.

It turns out that she was close friends with the last Breaking the Silence intern who stayed in Labor de Falla. She told me about how this friendship gave her the courage to leave an abusive relationship. For economic reasons she has since returned and left again a total of three times, a statistic that is not unusual within the realm of domestic violence. Currently, her estranged husband spends most of his time outside of the village, leaving her in peace. However, she told me that she is thinking of leaving again because she knows she should not have to deal with the emotional and mental stress that results from sharing a home with her abuser.

I was taken aback by her willingness to share this very personal story with me, a complete stranger on the bus. I thanked her immensely and told her how brave I thought she was for fighting to provide her children with a better life. I also owe thanks to the previous intern for forming such a strong connection with this woman. Had it not been for their friendship I doubt she would have felt comfortable talking with me in the same way.

This woman’s story is not unique within the community, a fact she made very clear to me. What makes her unique is her determinedness to create change. She hopes to be a role model for other women in similar situations. Yet, she is limited by what she can do on a fruit seller’s salary. She is also limited by a reality wherein there are limited supports in place for women fleeing domestic violence. Guatemala only has two women’s shelters, one in the capital and one in Quetzaltenango, an hour and over three hours from Chimaltenango, respectively. It would be asking quite a lot of this woman, who has already sacrificed plenty in her struggle, to move away from her community, family, friends, and any sort of natural supports.

Within this sobering reality there is a shining beacon of hope: Tabita Levantate. The woman of this organization work everyday to improve the reality of the women in Chimaltenango and surrounding areas. As they provide legal and medical aid, motivational information sessions on topics ranging from health to positive relationships, and a space where woman, children, and men can come to talk, the effects of their work will improve the human’s right situation in the whole country.

Tabita Levantate is also limited by the economic reality of a country whose government spends a limited percentage of the budget on social programming. While this may change under the new government of Otto Perez Molina, the women of Tabitita Levantate are not holding their breath. They also aren’t waiting around. They have big dreams for their site, including the construction of a shelter that could house up to 8 women and their children as they transition into a permanent home free of violence. I know at least one woman who would benefit greatly from this dream becoming a reality.

Welcome to the Sahakarini internship blog. First, by way of introduction, I will begin by telling you a little about myself. I will assume that you are already familiar with the work of Sahakarini and if not I direct you to their home page.

My name is Odessa Sherbaniuk and I am a recent graduate of the University of Alberta, Augustana Campus‘ Global and Development Studies program. Yes, that’s quite a mouthful. To complicate the title even further, I will add that I also have a minor in Economics. I am Sahakarini’s first intern. As a result of this position I have been in Guatemala for the past two months and will be here until the end of June. My primary goals are to be of assistance to the Kaqchikel Presbytery(KP) in whatever way I can, connect with the communities that Sahakarini directly supports in order to increase public engagement with the projects, and pave the way to create a sustainable internship program that will be beneficial to the KP, communities, interns, and Sahakarini.

So what I have been up to for the past two months? It was decided that I would spend approximately 8 weeks prior to meeting with the KP to brush up on my language skills and get to know a bit about Guatemala. Of course, I did plenty of research before I arrived but reading about a place is not quite the same as living there. I spent a total of 5 weeks with Kie Balam Spanish School, which was a great way to fully immerse myself in language and culture. The school connected me with a excellent host family who included me in their family activities and went above and beyond to help me learn about Guatemala. In addition, there were also plenty of cultural activities arranged by the school, including a trip to see the process involved in making traditional clothing, visits to neighbouring rural villages, and potlucks.

The internship officially began this past week with me meeting the team at the KP office and starting my orientation. The executive director of Sahakarini and I visited many of the communities that participate in the microcredit and stoves and filters projects. We also had the opportunity to visit the company that makes the stoves. The same company provides the filters, which are imported from Europe. Our final visit was to Tabita Levantate where the KP has partnered with another local organization that assists women who have experienced family violence or who have been involved in the sex trade. Tabita Levantate has been steadily helping more and more women and children since they opened their doors 4 years ago.

The first week of the internship was busy and there was a lot of information to take in. Despite the challenges of the long days it was a positive experience and I feel more prepared to engage with the communities.

So now you know what I have been up to. I look forward to hearing your questions and comments!

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Because a picture is worth a thousand words, here’s what has happened the past few weeks, told through photos:

Welcome to the Sahakarini internship blog. First, by way of introduction, I will begin by telling you a little about myself. I will assume that you are already familiar with the work of Sahakarini and if not I direct you to their home page.

My name is Odessa Sherbaniuk and I am a recent graduate of the University of Alberta, Augustana Campus‘ Global and Development Studies program. Yes, that’s quite a mouthful. To complicate the title even further, I will add that I also have a minor in Economics. I am Sahakarini’s first intern. As a result of this position I have been in Guatemala for the past two months and will be here until the end of June. My primary goals are to be of assistance to the Kaqchikel Presbytery(KP) in whatever way I can, connect with the communities that Sahakarini directly supports in order to increase public engagement with the projects, and pave the way to create a sustainable internship program that will be beneficial to the KP, communities, interns, and Sahakarini.

So what I have been up to for the past two months? It was decided that I would spend approximately 8 weeks prior to meeting with the KP to brush up on my language skills and get to know a bit about Guatemala. Of course, I did plenty of research before I arrived but reading about a place is not quite the same as living there. I spent a total of 5 weeks with Kie Balam Spanish School, which was a great way to fully immerse myself in language and culture. The school connected me with a excellent host family who included me in their family activities and went above and beyond to help me learn about Guatemala. In addition, there were also plenty of cultural activities arranged by the school, including a trip to see the process involved in making traditional clothing, visits to neighbouring rural villages, and potlucks.

The internship officially began this past week with me meeting the team at the KP office and starting my orientation. The executive director of Sahakarini and I visited many of the communities that participate in the microcredit and stoves and filters projects.  We also had the opportunity to visit the company that makes the stoves. The same company provides the filters, which are imported from Europe. Our final visit was to Tabita Levantate where the KP has partnered with another local organization that assists women who have experienced family violence or who have been involved in the sex trade. Tabita Levantate has been steadily helping more and more women and children since they opened their doors 4 years ago.

The first week of the internship was busy and there was a lot of information to take in. Despite the challenges of the long days it was a positive experience and I feel more prepared to engage with the communities.

So now you know what I have been up to. I look forward to hearing your questions and comments!