 Guatemala 2009 - Colomba, Quetzaltenango
Project 5 weeks: July 10th to August 14th 2009
 Colomba, Quetzaltenango, Guatemala:
Colomba is a rural community in the department of Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. They are 92 families, working together collectively to produce organic coffee and other crops.
The campesinos, won our right to land after a long struggle which included more than two years of regular occupation of the finca La Florida.
They work together collectively, producing organic coffee, tomatoes, pepper fruits, beans, corn, cacao, and raising sheep. Normally, we work from 6 AM to 1 PM for the collective and after that we each work our own piece of land.
The Project:
They have also initiated an eco-tourism project that contributes to pay our debt and offers a source of income to many of the families here. Volunteers have mad many important contributions to this community.
At the moment most of our land is not cultivated and therefore covered with jungle. The community´s land is so big that it takes more than a day to walk around it. Even though La Florida is only three hours from Xela by public transportation, the location is very remote with only one road connecting it to civilization. The community is situated in the Western Highlands of Guatemala. At an altitude of 800 meters above sea level we enjoy a pleasant mix of the cold of the highlands and the heat of the coast.
The association provides information for foreigners and Guatemalans who want to know more about the life they live and the struggle they still fight to be able to pay their debts and escape from the cycle of poverty that has been their destiny for generations
Project Goal
- Trails
- Mecinal Plants
- Sings
- Gardening
- Painting the Lodge
- Working at the farm
- Picking Coffee
- Guatemalan Cooking Classes
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