Nourish and IMAGINA

After a week of crazyness and graduation...we finally made it to guatemala! It is more beautiful than I could have every imagined. I am in the town of El Jicaro in the district of El Progresso in Guatemala. Our town is safe compared to others. We are staying in a quaint little hotel called ¨Mi Casita¨painted the traditional bright colors of Guatemala and adorned with the typical Guatemalan hammock. The people here are constantly smiling and staring at the awkward ¨American tourists¨. We certainly stick out among all the locals. Tuk Tuks are these little open air, red cabs that swerve violently throughout the streets, without regard to pedestrians, dogs, or anything else that may be in there way. So far it has rained everyday, but not the whole day. Right now it is raining with thunderstorms, but it is a refreshing change from the dry California climate.

We met the women we are working with on Tuesday. Our driver, Lepe, drives us there and back everyday for about 20 quetazles, which is the equivalent then less than 3 US dollars. Breakfast is about 15 to 20 quetzales and dinner is about 20. Everythin is about 2 to 3 US dollars. As our dollar goes a long way, people are still suffering the turmoil of poverty. Many live in homes made of scrap metal, wood, even hardened clay. The little rooms are at max capacity as the whole, often extended family piles together. Many are illiterate. Tortillas and beans are the staple diet which they make from scratch daily on a stone stove outside heated with fire and wooden logs. Chickens, stray dogs, and sometimes even cats roam the village as if they owned it. The village that the women live in is caled ¨31 de May¨.  Even though they lack our daily American indulgences they are grateful for what they have. They´re permanent warm smiles tell me so everyday. I have taken 100s of pictures of the kids. They are breathtaking.

The women of 31 de Mayo seem to need a lot of help. They are still in the beginning stages of starting their own shampoo business. We are here to really organize their ideas and make the investments that will lead to a sustainable future for these women and their families. 2 weeks is not enough, but any short amount of time is enough to make an impact.

We are listening to a reggae-infused spanish ballad, Sigue bailando mi amor, by El Rookie, in the internet cafe in El Progresso, Guatemala. It is beautiful just like the days here. We spent the day working with the less developed cooperative of women in El Jicaro, reviewing their accounting procedures, scribbling furious notes, translating, and envisioning a method that will allow them to see their profits after buying supplies and selling product each month. We sampled the Savila (Aloe Vera) shampoo last night and purchased Manzanilla to try today. The women advised certain flavors are intended for certain types of hair--Steven and I fit Manzanilla by virtue of our light brunette locks--and they swear certain flavors have amazing health benefits, like the shampoo that regrew a local woman´s hair after chemotherapy treatment. We plan to further research these healing properties, although through my own research thus far I have found that the plants with which they infuse their shampoos all treat physical ailments and the benefits of natural ingredients are revered in these regions...since discovering this and considering our marketing tactics in this light, I have begun to notice advertisements for ¨natural¨ingredients in sodas and juices everywhere. In spite of this appreciation for natural products, bright colored goods infused with colorante  are popular in the markets, at least in part because they evoke the luxury of imported products. This response has come up every time I have questioned one of our native guides. Unfortunately, plastic-intense packaging for products is also what sells, which coupled with the lack of trash disposal services is harming the beautiful environment here.

SAN AUGUSTIN-- Today was our second day at the market with our wonderful group of women. I have to say, if you think selling shampoos and disinfectants is an easy task-- try it for yourself. Amidst the heat and crowded areas, we split into 4 groups to sell as much as possible. We did pretty well and were able to sell out of the lavender disinfectants. The only thing that I am worried about is if the women will be as energetic about selling once we leave.

Working on the labels and logo is well, how should I put it, rather interesting. Ashley and I are rather, well, illiterate in Photoshop. Sarita did help us with the logo though and I think it looks rather nice. We´re hoping to take it into a print shop tomorrow to get the price quote and image finalized.

On another note, we have become regulars at this restaurant called `Ta Contento (it is short for esta contento), and we met the owner the other night-- who we learned was the governor of the city. He paid for our round of drinks and when we returned the following night, he greeted us and introduced us to his family. The waiter at the restaurant has the hots for Lidia, he tried several times, how do you put it, to spit some game at her. He offered to take us out over the weekend and even brought us over some free pastries. Unfortunately, his efforts were sin exito (without success) because Lidia proceeded to reject him and it wasn´t a pretty site, initially.

When he offered to take us out to the aquarium on his day off, Lidia responded with something like, ¨tenemos muchos parques en los estados unidos y no queremos gastar el dia adentro, gracias¨-- This translates to we have plenty of parks in the US and we don´t want to WASTE our day inside, thank you. I told Lidia that it came out super wrong and she explained herself to him. That´s when he brought us from free cake. I guess he likes it when his girls are hard to get. Hope Lidia doesn´t kick my butt when she sees that I wrote about it. I´ll keep you updated on the brewing romance. Guess that´s all for now.

UT Austin- What Starts Here Changes the World

Finally, after a year and a half of hard work by Nourish members in fundraising, advertising, and getting ready for the summer project- the time has come.

Nourish chapters UCLA and UT-Austin are flying to Guatemala City for an exciting opportunity to work with SIFE- Students in Free Enterprise from the University of Guatemala Valley(UVG) on a project called IMAGINA, creating opportunities for women in business who would otherwise have none.

The purpose of the project is to help women become financially independent by building off of their skill in creating soaps and shampoos. Nourish volunteers will help not only in the process of creating soaps and shampoos themselves, but in bettering the work environment, creating a manual that will serve to teach more women how to create the soaps and shampoos, advertising and marketing the product, as well as teaching basic business skills.

Due to SIFE-UVG's diligence in the project, the women from Guatemala who will be working with Nourish this summer already have a contract with a large hotel in Guatemala City to create and sell 300 bottles of shampoo each month.

We're excited to see how this project turns out, and members from both Nourish Austin and Nourish UCLA will be updating this blog daily with pictures as well as stories of their time working in Guatemala.

Stay tuned!