“Krone” on the ground – Guatemala: Against poverty and continued emigration

The heat of the tropical north extends like an invisible veil into the hilly mountains of Quetzaltenango. At noon the sun heats up mercilessly from the sky, even in December. Here, in southwestern Guatemala, young people are working towards a hopeful future. In the shade of dense mango, papaya and cocoa trees, Denis Hernandez leads us down the steep stairs to his homemade compost beds. The 23-year-old Californian redworm grows there, which is suitable as the best fertilizer for all kinds of plants and has a particularly strong effect on the coffee trees common in this area. He started his start-up three years ago and has been increasingly successful since then. He sells the solid manure to neighbors and residents for 130 Guatemalan quetzals per bag (which corresponds to about 15 euros). Depending on the worm population, he can usually sell seven bags per six months. “I could actually ask 150, but I will make a special price for the neighbors,” he laughs mischievously.

Fight against the chemical industry
But it is not only the fertilizer that provides him with an important income. Every day he collects about 15 to 20 liters of worm urine in his two tanks, which is used as a fertilizer spray. “You spray it close to the ground on the plant, which then grows faster, becomes stronger and more resistant,” he explains to us, “it is also a good remedy against fungal diseases.” With his natural fertilizer, Denis fights on a small scale against chemical industrial products, which are widely available everywhere in the country and can also be purchased in large quantities at lower prices. There is interest in his products, but good presentation and advertising are still lacking. “People want more details and scientific evidence, which I still lack.” The fact that Denis, who was unable to go to school for four years after a long illness, can support his family with worm manure is not least thanks to the “Fundación Tierra Nuestra” foundation.

The foundation, founded in 2013, is supported by donations from Austrian star singers and mainly helps indigenous young people to build an entrepreneurial future on small farms. Not only worm, chicken and fish farms have been established, but also confectioners’ and shoemakers’ businesses. The organization is based on three main areas. The aim is to educate young people in a humanistic way, actively integrating them into daily political events to create awareness about politics and their own future and to support an economic and, if possible, environmentally friendly path. School education involves political and entrepreneurial understanding. Anyone who has a coherent idea for a start-up will receive 500 Quetzal starting capital from the project organization and can thus lay the foundation for a company.

Support for those who want it
As project coordinator, Liz Coronado Ramirez guides the young people on the path to economic and political independence. “We give people start-up capital and help them implement it.” Various young people come together and can network with their small businesses. Specialists from business and agricultural economics help with legal questions, such as how to draw up a business plan or what sense a market study makes. “These projects are not about maximizing profits, but mainly about social security,” says Ramirez. “They put money aside, can reinvest in certain areas and learn simple income/expense calculations.” The criteria for this? We support 16 to 29 year olds who are willing to participate and take advantage of the training opportunities available. If, contrary to expectations, there are too many people, there is a waiting list.

In the case of Denis, the support has been a success so far, even if “the ecological awareness in Guatemala is not particularly strong”, as Ramirez explains to us. That is why selling his fertilizers is difficult. Denis cannot make a living from a start-up alone. His father is a property owner and he regularly has to do heavy field work. “I get paid for the work on the coffee plantations. I invest this money in my worms.” The most important thing is to feed them well, which means they reproduce approximately every twenty days. The fact that cultivation works so well is partly because there is no water shortage in this part of the country due to the many volcanoes and rich fauna – anything but self-evident in Guatemala. Denis already has plans for his system that he would like to keep: a hose system with a sprinkler system that keeps his compost beds moist. “And perhaps confidence in liquid fertilizers will increase,” he hopes, “and demand will certainly increase.”

Constant turnover
Projects like these not only improve the situation of the individual, but also serve Guatemala as a state itself. Not only is there poverty and political corruption in the country, but a severe labor shortage is also weakening the economy. Every year, tens of thousands of people leave the Latin American country to seek their fortune in the US. Most are fleeing poverty, violence and crime, others hope for better wages, more comfortable jobs or family reunification in North America with those who have been able to settle there legally or illegally. Poverty in Guatemala is mainly of an indigenous and rural nature; this has not changed since the end of the brutal civil war in the 1990s. In 2022 alone, Guatemalan migrants sent approximately $18 billion to their old homeland. This accounts for about a fifth of the total gross domestic product. The journey to the US organized by illegal gangs is risky and often ends in sexual violence, exploitation or even death.

The cycle is fatal. Many poor people do not have the opportunity to work. Others who have jobs are paid terribly – hence the hope that things will improve in North America. This bleak prospect also prompted Adonias Ortiz Santizo to flee. Even after three attempts, he failed to cross the border. He tried it for the first time in June 2020, and the second time a little later. Both times he was arrested and confronted with unforgettable experiences. “On the first attempt, I was locked up in a detention center for 28 days before returning to my old department, San Marcos, via Mexico and Guatemala City. I got shoes and clothes from the government, but I had no money at all.” It was clear to Adonias that he would immediately try again. He paid for his tractor about 25,000 quetzals (almost 3,000 euros) in advance for a total of three attempts. He saw no alternatives. “My parents and two of my sisters are in the US illegally, one sister works for a fast food giant,” he says, “I want to go there too because of the lack of professional opportunities in Guatemala.”

Another failure
On his second attempt he almost reached the Mexican-American border. Along the way, he hid in an abandoned house on Mexican territory for a month, was tracked by infrared drones, scraped his arms and hands, and was caught again just a few meters before crossing. A torture. “I had to take off my clothes completely, but I was allowed to take my backpack with me. There were two of us and we were then locked in a cold room for two hours that we called the ‘fridge’. Then we were questioned individually.” Adonias received a Mexican ID card from his trafficker for a third attempt, which was useful to him. “This meant I was transported back to Mexico more quickly, from where I returned to Guatemala.” The 26-year-old felt equally hopeful in San Marcos. He learned to repair PCs and mobile phones and worked for an architect, where he took over IT planning. But he died of Covid, which meant Adonias was unemployed again.

“Family reunification is more important to me than life here,” he explains to us and makes it clear that despite all the effort, setbacks and dangers, he will certainly make another attempt to escape to the US. to be here in the country, I have no prospects.” The smuggling assistance now costs him about $5,000. Although he received the money from his parents at the time, he now has to scrape it together. “I am convinced I can do it.” As an example, Adonias shows how hopeless the situation is for young people in Guatemala. But the move to America was not intended to be permanent. “I want to meet my father, who lives in North Carolina and works in construction. They are always looking for cheap labor there. I want to earn as much money as possible so that I can one day return to Guatemala.’ The fact that so many people died trying to emigrate does not deter him. “I don’t see any other option for myself.”

From emigration to intensive care
Orelio Godínez also has a failed escape attempt to America. The now 25-year-old took the step at the age of 16 to improve the situation of his family in his native village. To pay the smuggler, he took out a loan from the local bank. Some time later he returned: deported and heavily in debt. It is thanks to his mother Bernarda that Orelio stayed at home after his failed escape attempt and the family preferred to invest the little money they had in his education. He is currently training to become an intensive care nurse; an 18 hour cycle is not unusual. He will soon become a registered nurse. With the help of the foundation’s starting capital, he also set up a chicken farm on his parents’ property, which is constantly growing. Chicken sales boom, especially at Easter and Christmas, and he can use the extra income to finance his training. Orelio no longer thinks about emigration. “I’ve had plenty of bad experiences with it.” He is now an important part of change in his home country of Guatemala.

The trip to Guatemala was supported by the Epiphany Campaign. 500 projects with star singers in Africa, Asia and Latin America are helping people in need whose poverty has drastically worsened due to the climate crisis. This support can be made at any time by donating to the Epiphany Campaign donation account (IBAN: AT23 6000 0000 9300 0330) or online at sternsingen.at/spende. You too can help and make the world a better place.