Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: My name is Paul Peters. I'm a proud father of the three kids. I always want to put that as a priority for me. I have a company called Covenant Case Management Services in North Carolina where I primarily work with folks with intellectual disability, mental health, substance abuse. We are looking to expand outside of North Carolina this year. Also have a nonprofit based in North Carolina called the Nehemiah Project. We basically work with individuals that are struggling with addiction homelessness, seniors veterans, homeless and at risk kids, domestic violence victims, and those with mental health, intellectual disabilities. I want to take my message about what I have discovered helping people find their purpose. And I want to take it worldwide because I believe, if people find their purpose, they're going to find their joy. They're going to find the reason for their existence and how they connect to this world.
Welcome back to On Purpose with Paul. We are here on location in Paramos, Guatemala. We have a wonderful story to tell you about some ladies that have overcome some very challenging difficulties to be able to find their purpose here in Paramos. I once again have Paula Bolin with me. She's going to tell you a little bit about her story and how she got involved with working with these ladies.
So, Paula, welcome back.
[00:01:27] Speaker B: Yeah, thank you.
[00:01:28] Speaker A: Tell me a little bit about your involvement and what got you here originally in Guatemala.
[00:01:33] Speaker B: Okay. So, several years ago, I was in the process of adopting a child, and I decided to adopt from Guatemala. And while I was here, I got very connected to the country and very involved with what was happening in the country. And I came across a school that served children living in poverty, and I got to know the children and their parents.
And over time, it became evident that the women that live here are often the ones who end up taking care of the family long term. If something happens with the man who's involved in the family and it can create hard consequences for them because they don't often have as much education as the man would have. They would have stayed home to take care of the household. And so, if something happens, they often, especially indigenous people, have children in the home and then they don't have a way to take care of them.
So starting a business and making a business grow and getting out of poverty through an entrepreneurial enterprise just made total sense to me. And that's how I got involved with the women.
[00:02:52] Speaker A: Tell me a little bit about the conditions down here and what a typical everyday life and some of the challenges, some of the folks that live here go through each day.
[00:02:59] Speaker B: OK.
So people about seventy percent of people who live in Guatemala, live in palm poverty and live, they don't have resources every day. They may not even have water to wash their clothes.
They may not have electricity in their home all day long. And so those kind of limitations, of course, cause you to have to walk to go, do your laundry to those kind of things also, education in Guatemala is not free past the third grade. And so if you are a family that doesn't have the money or the resources to send your children to school, you don't.
And often the children go to work early. And it is very usual that women would stay home or the girls would stay home. If there's not enough money for everybody to go to school, the boys will be sent to school. And since Guatemala is a place where how much education you have, matters in terms of what job you can get. If you don't have any education, you don't have a lot of resources.
[00:04:01] Speaker A: Gotcha. Gotcha. ¿Now, when you came down here for the adoption and you eventually spent some time down here, you actually lived down here?
[00:04:08] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:04:08] Speaker A: ¿And so what was your experience? I think you said you were involved in a school working with that. And so tell us a little bit about that. And then how you got involved in the group, the ladies group, We're going to be interviewing later. ¿Which is? Ho, Hunan. Tell me about that transition.
[00:04:21] Speaker B: Okay. So I started because of my interest in what was happening here when I was waiting to adopt my child.
At the time we were adopting, he was a baby. And the two governments, our United States government and the Guatemalan government were figuring out how to they weren't on the same page. And actually, the adoption process ended soon after. And so it took longer than it usually did to have the adoption complete. And so I started traveling down here. I was working as a consultant and I could take time. And, you know, in those days you didn't have the Wi Fi where you could work wherever you wanted. But I would come down here about every six weeks and be with my baby, with my child. And while I was here, we would, of course go out and about in Antigua. And I saw children in the park like seven, eight year olds, nine year olds, selling things, doing things. And I wondered why they weren't in school because I didn't understand what was happening. ¿And so I started asking the children, Why aren't you in school? And they would look at me like I was crazy. And then I started asking around. And I found out about the education situation that it's not free past the third grade. And a lot of these children live in poverty and they're working. And so I started trying to find some way to help them go to school. And I got kids connected with a school. I started writing grants for them. I started helping out. And then there was some problems with the person who was directing the school. And I was asked to step in by the board for six weeks.
Six years later, I was still running the school. And I lived down here in Guatemala for part of that time while I was running to school.
[00:06:06] Speaker A: Gotcha. Tell us a little bit about some of the experiences that you got to see. Because typically like in the US the schools will work with the students, some involvement with them parents. But this is a little bit more involved in what they're doing here that ultimately that for you working with a group. ¿So what did you kind of see? Working with the kids and ultimately some of the parents and the conditions.
[00:06:27] Speaker B: Yes. Well, it's very necessary when the kids are coming to the school. The school particularly that I work with was set up as a free school for children that live in poverty that have low resources. And we were you need to provide a whole life experience for these kids like food because they're not often eating at night and then they're falling asleep in class because they're so hungry, so food and relationships with their parents and how you know what do they need. And often we as part of the school and part of a mission trip or something like that, we go visit the children at home, find out what they need. ¿Do they need food? Often we take food to the families. And as I was visiting families, often the mom would be in the home and tell a story of how she was there alone with nine children. And didn't know how she was going to take care of them. And it was really a difficult journey.
And it was very sad for all of us. And so part of our solution was to help the moms gain whatever they could education, learn how to read all of that stuff. And over time I got connected with the director of the school. His wife was doing a similar kind of involvement to try to help women who lived in poverty here in paramos. And I think you're going to talk to her in a minute, Titi and Titi helped connect me with this group of women that she was working with as well. And so we're all working together to help them learn how to start a business, grow a business, and they're kind of a collective. An association that helps each other.
[00:07:59] Speaker A: Gotcha. Gotcha. Now, let me ask you this. We're so used, especially those living in the States having governmental support. ¿What kind of support does the government provide for some of these? And many of these women are single parents. And I want you to elaborate on that. Because a lot of them are just raising the kids on their own. Many of them don't have jobs. Majority of the men are the breadwinners. And when the husbands leave, kind of talk a little bit about that. What situation that's left a lot of you women in.
[00:08:25] Speaker B: So there really aren't governmental resources.
There isn't like medicaid or any food stamps or anything like that. ¿So that isn't a resource, right?
There are some free schools to send your children to. But they're very crowded. And you still have to pay for books and even sometimes a chair to sit in which isn't totally free.
But you.
So there aren't the resources that we're used to. ¿And so these women make it the best way they can, right? Cleaning houses, gardening for people, those kind of things in whatever job they can find. ¿And sometimes it's not always legal stuff too, right? ¿So we want to help people have a life that they're proud of and be sustainable, right?
And so that's kind of. The situation is that women are often left with no resources. And there isn't a government to help them.
[00:09:18] Speaker A: Gotcha. Gotcha. So I want to example the product that I'm wearing. That was created and made by these ladies. Talk about some of the things that they're actually doing. Using some of their talents and skills to be able to craft out a business for themselves. And I actually love this outfit. This is one of the products that ladies are actually making and then selling through their business. We will talk more about that. But kind of talk about that because how that actually got started. Because a lot of these ladies were doing it separately. So it's really cool what they're doing as a group and how they're supporting each other. Not only in their own businesses. But some of the struggles with the abandonment. And maybe some of them have been abused. And so how through that support system this group is really helping them. And of course Nehemiah International is very much involved. And so talk a little bit more about that.
[00:10:05] Speaker B: Yeah. So almost all of the women in Guatemala have been abused somehow some way. It's very frequent.
And so not being educated and having that mindset and that experience and you can start to feel not very powerful.
However, there's a very strong culture here of weaving of creating fabrics that are traditional to each community of sewing of cooking. ¿And so creating jewelry, creating crafts, right?
¿Like artisans, right? Woodwork, all kinds of things. ¿And so many of these women have learned these skills while they were in home weaving literally for fabric that they could use for clothes like you're wearing, right?
And so they're at home producing this and sort of isolated and feeling powerless. And so actually, Titi, you'll talk to her. She started bringing these women together so they could be together and just basically support each other from the beginning. And then they started working together to create jewelry or to create the fabrics, you know, whatever it is the products that cook together and go cater something for someone. So they began this group. And this is one of only a few groups in Guatemala of women who do this. Successfully they came together as an association and the association supports each other and they share the income too. They're very fair about this and very fair about their calls.
[00:11:45] Speaker A: Wow. That's amazing. We will be right back after these messages.
[00:12:07] Speaker B: Hi and welcome back to the on purpose with Paul Show. I actually am honored to be able to. Paul asked me to interview Titi. She is the leader of the Ho Juan group of women which means let's go together, vamos juntos. And this is what we have been talking about. The last little bit of this group of amazing women who have come together and support each other in Guatemala. They're one of only a few in the country who have created this association of women who work together to build businesses and come out of their poverty situations and become sustainable families, sustainable community for each other.
So I'm going to ask a few questions at Titi and have her explain why she's involved, what made her love this and what made her be the leader. And we'll hola, Titi, ¿Cómo estás?
[00:13:10] Speaker C: Hola, Paula.
[00:13:11] Speaker D: Bien. Muy bien, muy bien.
[00:13:14] Speaker B: ¿Tú eres la jefa de esta asociación?
[00:13:19] Speaker C: Así es. ¿Por qué?
Porque uno de mis sueños desde hace muchos años ha sido lograr ver que las mujeres de mi comunidad crezcan en cada uno de sus negocios y logren así el desarrollo económico de ellas y de sus familias.
[00:13:40] Speaker D: ¿Cuál?
[00:13:41] Speaker B: ¿Hay problemas con mujeres en este país?
[00:13:46] Speaker C: Por supuesto, sí.
Uno de los principales obstáculos con los que se enfrentan las mujeres es principalmente ese. Que hay dificultad en que ellas puedan creer en sí mismas y puedan creer que pueden ser grandes mujeres que puedan creer que pueden lograr muchas cosas dentro de sus comunidades y a través de nuestros programas y proyectos de capacitación, orientación, etcétera, sabemos que podemos lograr que ellas crean en ellas mismas y puedan salir adelante ellas y sus familias.
[00:14:23] Speaker B: Es posible. Ahora, porque las asignaturas.
[00:14:36] Speaker C: Claro que sí. Uno de los principales objetivos de la Asociación es lograr que las mujeres crezcan en cada uno de sus negocios, a través, como te decía, de los programas de capacitación, orientación, empoderamiento, finanzas, etc. Logrando así también que podamos nosotros apoyar para que los negocios de ellas comercialicen sus productos, no sólo en Guatemala, sino.
[00:15:04] Speaker B: También en el extranjero, en los Estados Unidos y Costa Rica.
[00:15:09] Speaker C: Y otra Paraíso. Exacto, claro que sí. Creemos que tenemos mucho potencial. Las mujeres artesanas de nuestro país son maravillosas. Necesitamos que primero, crean que pueden lograrlo y segundo, apoyarles para que su sueño se haga realidad.
[00:15:27] Speaker B: Un gran sueño para este proyecto.
[00:15:31] Speaker C: El sueño de todas nosotras es poder salir de la pobreza, las dificultades económicas y también poder apoyar a más mujeres.
Así es.
Llegar a muchas comunidades.
[00:15:49] Speaker B: Muy bien, ese es nuestro sueño. ¿Hay una historia u otra, Tú quieres brillar?
[00:15:58] Speaker D: A todos.
[00:16:00] Speaker C: Tenemos muchas historias de mujeres que han querido salir adelante y sí, tenemos dentro de nuestro grupo mujeres que han tenido dificultades por muchas situaciones y creo que. Pero principalmente creo que todas tenemos el deseo de evitar que mujeres no luchen por sus sueños, sino que queremos nosotros lograr que mujeres jóvenes crean y vean cuánto se puede lograr.
Entonces, esto es lo que.
[00:16:41] Speaker B: ¿Qué tipo de producto?
[00:16:44] Speaker C: Principalmente queremos hacer un énfasis, nosotros lo que queremos es los productos que nosotros producimos.
Las tejedoras, por ejemplo, ellas pasan muchas horas de trabajo, muchas horas trabajando, pero el trabajo de ellas es poco remunerado.
Entonces, sí, principalmente las artesanas, las mujeres que cocinan, tenemos mucho potencial en la cocina y queremos que muchas personas conozcan la comida, lo que nosotros producimos, lo que nosotros somos capaces de hacer y que la gente valore el esfuerzo que hay detrás de cada producto. Eso es lo que nosotros queremos.
[00:17:36] Speaker B: ¿Cuál es la mejor razón para la Asociación para mujeres?
[00:17:46] Speaker C: ¿Me dices la razón por la que se fundó la Asociación?
Para lograr el desarrollo, te decía, económico, las familias, empoderamiento de la mujer.
[00:17:57] Speaker B: Solo las mujeres no pueden.
[00:18:02] Speaker C: Las mujeres tenemos mucha capacidad. En Guatemala hay muchas mujeres con muchas aptitudes, mucha capacidad.
Solo necesitamos que ellas lo crean, que ellas lo sueñen, y que ellas luchen por lograrlo.
Así es. Y bueno, eso es.
[00:18:21] Speaker D: Sí.
[00:18:21] Speaker C: Paula, ¿Qué más? ¿Qué dice? Quiero yo agradecer a todas las personas que están dentro de la integración del proyecto.
Realmente tenemos nosotros la dificultad de que muchas personas no creen en nuestra capacidad con las personas que están alrededor de nosotros apoyándonos. Son unos ángeles que Dios envió a nuestra vida y podemos nosotros también tener tenerlos a ellos en mente para lograr y agradecer con nuestro trabajo y con nuestra victoria. Agradecer el apoyo que todos están brindándonos. Muchas, muchas gracias a ti.
[00:19:21] Speaker A: I'd like to go ahead and introduce Tiki, she's a director of this woman's group and I would like to also introduce Flori, she's a president of the board and one of the leading ladies. Creating some of this product and transforming lives within this community for ladies here Tiki.
[00:19:37] Speaker C: Hola.
¿Esta mañana quisiera yo preguntar a la presidenta de nuestra asociación Honan Vamos juntas?
La razón por la que ella es parte de la asociación y porque cree ella la importancia de la fundación de la asociación.
[00:19:58] Speaker D: Muchas gracias. Soy Florilico y soy de Parramos, Chimaltenango. Muchísimas gracias por la oportunidad que nos da, para nosotros es un gran gusto poder estar formando parte de la asociación.
Esto inició a raíz de que vimos la necesidad de que existen muchísimas mujeres con habilidades diferentes, sin embargo no tenemos el mercado ni la oportunidad de poder desenvolvernos y de poder mostrar lo que nosotros hacemos, esa fue la razón por la que creímos la importancia de unirnos y hacer la asociación.
[00:20:40] Speaker C: ¿Y porque usted es parte de la asociación?
[00:20:44] Speaker D: Bueno, a raíz de en nuestra cultura existe muchísima pobreza, pero como comúnmente decimos un leño no arde solo, debemos ser varias, entonces creí que era bien importante poder buscar talentos, creatividades de otras mujeres para poder, no sé, quizá encontrar un mercado, personas que crean en nosotras, pero no podemos solas, tenemos que unirnos y por eso es la razón por la que nos llamamos Hojunan, que en nuestro idioma lo hicimos para hacer saber de que aparte de que sabemos español, también podemos enseñar nuestro idioma que es el cachiquel, que quiere decir vamos juntas, por eso formamos parte de esta asociación.
[00:21:47] Speaker C: ¿Yo sé que dentro de nuestro entorno hay muchas historias de mujeres a quienes se les ha hecho difícil salir adelante con sus familias en el ámbito económico y solo quisiera saber si usted tuviera alguna historia de una de estas mujeres que haya motivado a que se fundara la asociación y nosotros ser parte de ella?
[00:22:12] Speaker D: Realmente tenemos.
Así rápido me gustaría hablar sobre las mujeres, principalmente las que formamos parte de esta asociación.
En nuestro grupo hay dos mujeres quienes sus esposos tuvieron que viajar al extranjero, emigraron, ellas quedaron como papá y mamá de cuatro o cinco hijos. También tenemos la historia de una compañera de que ella ingresó a nuestro grupo por, podríamos decir por tristeza por debajo, ya que hace unos meses falleció su hijo de 17 años. Entonces ella necesitaba salir adelante y sobreponerse sobre esta gran pena.
Asimismo, también tenemos a una compañera que tenía la necesidad de poder y le gusta estudiar. También ingresó ella a nuestro grupo porque ella con lo que ella vaya a ganar en la asociación, es con lo que ella se va a sostener para poderse graduar y tener un título universitario.
También existen mujeres que simplemente no tienen la oportunidad de optar por un trabajo en alguna empresa.
Entonces en nuestra asociación les damos la oportunidad de poder salir adelante. Y en mi caso soy mamá de cinco niños, el último de ellos tuvimos la.
Pues para mí es mi hijo de corazón, ya que él está conmigo a raíz de la muerte de su mamá. Desde el momento en que él nació, él está conmigo. Entonces ha sido como que una forma de agradecerle a la vida y de poder ayudar a más mujeres. Para mí ha sido una inspiración.
[00:24:14] Speaker C: Mi.
[00:24:14] Speaker D: Hijo, porque así como él tuvo la oportunidad de tener una mamá que podía salir adelante, yo quiero darle esa oportunidad a más mujeres para que puedan sobresalir y que puedan mostrar sus habilidades ante otras personas y que nos vean que somos muy inteligentes, con muchas habilidades y cualidades.
[00:24:43] Speaker C: ¿Y puede dar a conocer nuestros sueños y nuestras metas como organización?
[00:24:50] Speaker D: Bueno, como nuestros sueños es de que más mujeres salgamos beneficiadas, nuestra meta es tener un mercado de los trabajos que nosotros hacemos y que rompamos nosotras, seamos como que.
No sé, que rompamos el ciclo de la pobreza, que nosotros seamos como que un ejemplo de que las mujeres podemos.
Y sin descuidar a nuestros hijos, nuestra casa, simplemente utilizando nuestras manos.
[00:25:31] Speaker C: Así es. Muy bien. Yo sé que muchas mujeres estamos muy agradecidas con Paul, con Paula y todo el equipo de trabajo que está detrás de nuestra organización.
Pero sí quisiera que usted, especialmente por ser la presidenta y por ser una de las principales fundadoras del programa, pudiera dar unas palabras de agradecimiento.
[00:25:51] Speaker D: Yo creo que no era necesario que me lo pidieron. Nosotros estamos muy, muy agradecidos, agradecidas con ustedes, nuestra familia también. Muchísimas gracias por la oportunidad.
Nosotros venimos luchando por muchísimos años buscando a alguien que se fijara en nosotros y pues yo creo que de tanto pedirle a Dios, Dios les voy a enviar a personas que puedan ayudar.
Muchísimas gracias. Que Dios les bendiga a todos, desde usted hasta las personas que tiene usted detrás, a cada uno de las personas que trabajan junto a él. Muchísimas gracias.
Dios les bendiga y les dé más salud, vida, sabiduría para poder seguir ayudando no sólo a nosotras, sino a más personas.
[00:26:51] Speaker C: Muchas gracias.
[00:26:53] Speaker A: Well, you've heard some of their story and it's so exciting to hear what they're doing in this community, not only for themselves, but for the community at large and other women who are going through difficult times. So I just celebrate what they're doing and we're just excited about Nehemiah International being involved to support these ladies and impacting and changing their community.
[00:27:14] Speaker C: Muchas gracias.
Muchas, muchas.
Yo me encuentro con doña Gaby, ella es tejedora y parte de la asociación Hojunan y sabemos que el tejido el cual estamos portando esta vez es bastante minucioso y es un trabajo de muchos meses. Yo quisiera preguntarle a doña Gaby ¿Desde hace cuánto ella se dedica al tejido?
[00:27:40] Speaker D: Buenas tardes, me llamo María Gavina.
Yo siempre de mi adolescencia aprendí a tejer y es un parte de mí que a mí me gusta tejer y con estos tejidos pues he salido adelante con mis hijos y gracias a Dios ahorita estoy en el grupo jojunal que me ha levantado el ánimo porque a veces yo saco mis tejidos y no tengo venta y gracias a Dios ahorita con este grupo que gracias a los ángeles que nos trajeron esta ayuda ahorita pues empecé a tejer y gracias a Dios ya he entregado unos mis tejidos y por mi tejido yo he salido adelante.
[00:28:23] Speaker C: Muy bien, como decía, ¿Hace cuánto tiempo usted Más o menos Me decía que desde hace muchos años y entiendo que en cada tejido ustedes imprimen un significado y en este caso pues es el traje de parramos? ¿Cuánto tiempo lleva usted confeccionar uno de estos tejidos?
[00:28:46] Speaker D: Pues el tiempo que yo aprendí a tejer, tenía yo 14 años, empecé a tejer y por lo menos este traje es el traje de parramos.
Entonces este es el mes traje que nosotros aportamos.
Eso es lo que nuestros abuelos nos han enseñado a poner nuestro traje para que el significado de este traje que no se termina. Porque ahorita nuestros hijos vienen y ya no aportan nuestro traje. Y sabemos bien que el traje que nosotros aportamos, ese es el que nos han enseñado a nosotros de no olvidar.
Nuestros ancestros nos han enseñado que toda la vida tenemos que portar nuestro traje. Y por eso mismo a nosotros nos discriminan mucho porque nosotros usamos nuestro traje.
[00:29:41] Speaker C: Muy bien.
Si. Quisiera conocer lo que usted espera de la Asociación Jojuna. Los sueños, Los sueños que tiene y la razón por la que le gusta participar de la asociación.
[00:29:55] Speaker D: Bueno, mis sueños es enseñar a más personas a que no se termine nuestro trabajo y salir adelante y buscar más a personas, enseñar y poder sostenernos. Porque así como la vida ahorita aquí en Guatemala, pues es muy cara ahorita y habemos más mujeres que sabemos hacer el tejido, pero no tenemos cómo venderlas.
Así como ahorita que gracias a Dios, a nuestra Asociación Jojonan quisiera yo emprender a más personas, enseñar a tejer y tener a más personas para entregar nuestro tejido y sacar adelante nuestros hijos.
[00:31:12] Speaker A: Y' all have had the opportunity to hear some of the stories of some of these ladies, some of the trials and challenges they've had and what they're doing to transform. Let me tell you briefly how I got involved. I've actually been to Guatemala before many, many years ago on a mission trip. We were doing a medical mission trip to some of the natives in the mountains. And it had been about twenty years. And recently Paul approached me about being involved in this project. And so we came down here. We got involved, did some work went to the school met the ladies. And I was so touched not only about the opportunity to help them get their business started, but their really bigger mission of making an impact on other ladies who have been abused and abandoned neglected to how to really help them get back on their feet and feel like they had some support. And so I have been here. This is, I think, our third trip. And we are very much involved in the Nehemiah Foundation, Nehemiah International Foundation of really partnering with these ladies. And this is just the beginning. We want to be involved across Central America to make a difference. We are starting here because we believe this is something that is involving all of the individuals, all of the ladies in Central America. So we are committed to making a difference in this country, starting with these ladies just to honor them to be able to help support them in whatever they need. ¿And Paulo, in your foreclosing comments, what would you like to say to the audience?
[00:32:35] Speaker B: I just think this is such an important project not just because of the women that are here, but because of women around the world. And it is also an opportunity for those of us that are sort of in our lives, looking at how can we find more fulfillment, how can we be more involved and have more purpose in our lives to really like, jump on in and help these women, help this project grow, help this project grow to other countries and come here. You're invited here to be part of this and to get involved and be in service and really increase your own fulfillment and your own purpose. Right.
And I love the mission of Nehemiah International Foundation.
It's all about sustaining people, helping to empower people, helping them women and everyone to have fulfillment and purpose. The ones that are involved from our end as well as the women who are in the projects as well.
[00:33:36] Speaker A: ¿And many of you are probably asking how can I help? ¿What's the next step? But we want to direct you to Nehemiah Foundation International, Nehemiah International Foundation. And we will be posting information we are looking to have groups come down so they can actually be involved in helping the ladies. We will give you opportunities to donate if you want to be involved. We just believe that if more people get involved, you're going to see a greater contribution and greater impact in this society. Thank you so much.
