We Are Chajul: The Impact of Our Community Engagement Trip
In early August, we had the pleasure of hosting a wonderful group of visitors during our community engagement trip. Everyone in the group brought lots of fun and kindness to our scholars and library members, and the teachers who joined brought particularly valuable knowledge to share with our librarians.
The project the visitors made possible at San Gaspar Middle School was one of the most exciting parts of the trip. The group installed a cement patio (which was previously just a mud floor) and painted an official entrance sign for the school! This is a major step for the school, as it keeps the classrooms clean and healthy learning environments and gives the students even more pride in their school. Everyone helped, including some of our Youth Development Program scholars and volunteers from the school community. We were all so proud to see the beautiful results!
Another highlight of the trip was the meeting between a sponsor, Brooke, and her sponsored student, Marleni! They spent an evening together, with Brooke sharing a meal and playing games with Marleni’s entire family. Brooke used her Spanish skills to communicate with Marleni who was translating into Quiché for her family. We always feel so grateful whenever spons
ors have the opportunity to meet their sponsored students and their families, as it is an incredibly meaningful experience for all involved.
Antonio is 20 years old and has been one of our scholars for seven years! He is a very bright student with a lot of ambition. He is currently in high school several hours away, where his studies focus on tourism. Therefore, it felt only natural for Antonio to help host our group of visitors in Chajul, by helping with trip leading and translating! He did a terrific job — everyone was impressed by his English skills and enjoyed his warm, friendly personality.
The Limitless Horizons Ixil team was so excited to see Antonio in action with our community engagement trip after watching and supporting his growth and development in our Youth Development Program over the past several years!
Last Friday, we had the great pleasure of being visited by the authors of Traditional Weavers of Guatemala, Deborah Chandler and Teresa Cordon, who were back in Chajul after almost three years!
Their book documents the different weaving cultures in traditions of Guatemala, and to create it they interviewed and photographed three artisans of Chajul: Don Domingo, Don Vicente, and María Raymundo, one of the best weavers in our Artisan Program and the mother of two of our scholars.
With Deborah and Teresa, we visited each family and with a copy of the book for them to keep. The artisans were all very moved to see their photos and stories, and to know that thousands of people around the world will read and learn about their traditions and their community as well as the skills of weavers around Guatemala.
Deborah and Teresa did an incredible job researching and producing their book, and we are thrilled that it showcases the beautiful artisan traditions of Chajul as well as María Raymundo, one of Limitless Horizons Ixil’s very own hard-working artisans!
Click here to check out this fabulous book, learn more about it, or purchase a copy in support of the artisans in Chajul!
This is Antonio Reynaldo. He is 18 years old and in his first year of high school. “I have many ideas for the future. And the biggest dream that I have is to go to university.” Reynaldo does not yet have a sponsor to help him achieve his big ambitions, but this can change with your help.
Dream big with Reynaldo and help him achieve by becoming his sponsor today! Or, you can sponsor one of our other promising young women and men who also needs support.