Our Start in Doing “Community Projects”

 

In 2001 our immediate area, specifically the towns of Jocotan and Camotan were placed in a red alert for “shortage of food”.  This has always been known as a poor area and is known through Guatemala as being one of the most neediest areas.  We are known to be in drought 3 out of every 5 years!  The area has been completly deforested and experts say that without major reforestation programs that this area will revert back to be a desert.  During this crisis in 2001 many institutions brought in short term help, as children were dying.  God put in our hearts that although needed, the short term assistance was not the long term solution.  The people need firewood to cook their food and so it is not possible to tell them that they cannot cut down trees.  But we need to re-educate them as to the replanting, to think toward the future.  In the past the cycle has been to: (1) cut down the trees for the needs of today; (2) without the forestation it affects the rainfall and puts the area into drought; (3) with drought there is little or no harvest; (4) without an adequate harvest the families cannot feed their children; and (5) without sufficient food, the children are the first affected

We need to change that cycle!  Experts say that this area needs to have 10 million trees planted to bring its natural environment back to a proper balance.  To date, Servant Ministries has planted almost 1 million trees.  We post an update on our web page to show you the progress that we are making to turn this situation around.  We try to plant a lot of trees that not only affect the overall environment and rainfall, but also provide something for the people to use to provide for their families.  I would like to give you a short overview of two of the trees that we have planted.

 

Ramon Tree

The Ramon or Ujuxte tree is one that we have given a lot of emphasis to.  The Ramon tree is native to other parts of Guatemala but there are signs that it used to be in our area and at one point was the principal food of the Mayan people.  It is a fruit tree that grows to be the size of a maple or mango tree.  When fully grown, it can produce from 500-800 lbs. of a fruit that is about the size of a macadamia nut.  This fruit can be cooked, ground, and turned into the dough that the people use to make their tortillas; the same process that they would use with their corn.  Since it is a fruit, it provides more vitamins than the corn tortilla does.  It is also much easier to harvest, as the mature fruit just drops to the ground and can be gathered.  If every family had 2-3 of these trees, it wouldn’t matter if their corn crop was not sufficient one year, as they would have the Ramon fruit to use in its place.  To encourage the people to respect this tree and to allow it to grow to maturity, we have renamed it the “tortilla tree”. 

 

Moringa Tree

The Moringa Tree is native to parts of Africa.  It is also called the “Miracle Tree” or “Tree of a 1000 Uses” and we have also called it the “firewood tree” with the people.  The Moringa limbs can be cut off the tree and replanted into the ground.  Starting from a 3’ stake instead of a seed, allows the tree to grow very fast.  Every 6 months you can cut off the new limbs and cut them into 3’ pieces.  We can start a family with 3-4 limbs.  If they continue to plant the new limbs that the trees produce; to encircle their property, they will have sufficient supply for their firewood needs within less than 2 years.  They can cut the limbs from one tree for today, the next tree for tomorrow etc.  By the time they make the full circle of these trees, they can repeat the same process.  Many people now spend from 1-3 hours a day just looking for adequate firewood.  This “firewood tree” has the potential of not only helping to rebalance the environment but also meets the longer term need for the people’s needs to have adequate firewood.

 

The Moringa tree’s leaves can be used for restoring malnourished children to health.  The seeds can be used for water purification and the leaves have many medicinal purposes as well.  We are mostly concentrating on the need for firewood now as that is a huge piece of bringing this area back to a proper environment that will sustain its people.

 

The above two testimonies are just 2 examples of how Servant Ministries has tried to look at the bigger picture of helping this area of Guatemala.  We have also done water cisterns, vegetable projects using the drip systems, chicken raising projects etc which we will continue to feature in our general information that is posted each month on our web page.

      

 

We ask that you consider how you may be able to help us to work toward our goals of having this area be restored to a healthy and self sustainable area where the people can break the chain of poverty that has held them captive for so long.  You may communicate with me at nancy@servantminitries.net or with the US secretary at (810)385-4338 or tamie@servantministries.net.

 

Meet Cameron

 

We have a new team worker.  His name is Cameron Tommey.  Cameron arrived in Camotan on July 5th.  He graduated from Furman University in Greenville, SC. in 2010.  He received a Bachelors of Science in Earth and Environmental Science and had a concentration in Latin American Studies.  Cameron was one of 7 finalists in the US that won a “fellowship” to do post graduate work for a year.

The fellowship provides a year of funding to “fellows” to pursue an independent project related to personal interests and passions.  He chose to combine his interest in Central America with his knowledge and passion for environmental science.  Cameron hopes to build capacity and offer assistance wherever needed, but is hoping to address areas of reforestation and water quality as points of focus.

Cameron has had a few days to get his feet on the ground, settle into an apartment that he is renting from the ministry and to see first-hand a couple of the areas in which the ministry is working.  He also met with a Guatemalan organization that is involved in environmental work.  Cameron is doing some language study, just across the border in Copan, Honduras.  He is only an hour away and got a very good recommendation on this language school.  Cameron had some Spanish in high school but will study for approximately 3 weeks now to try to add to the language base that he has.

Cameron is going over a lot of options and will be making some decisions as to how he wants to direct his time and to set up some goals and objectives for his time in Guatemala.  We are excited to once again have the potential of seeing some activity in the areas of community projects; that has really slowed down in its momentum over the last couple of years.  We will give you monthly updates on Cameron’s outreaches and work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cam's Comments

 

In the weeks since returning to Camotan from language studies in Honduras, I have focused my efforts on identifying potential partner villages for implementing reforestation projects.  After speaking with Demetrio, the pastor from La Puente at a monthly Embrace meeting, I made plans to visit.  However, a night of heavy rain washed out part of the road and prevented us from passing.  We are making plans to try again next week.

 

Also, I made a visit to Pacren to speak with the pastor of the church there.  He has identified a plot of land that is steeply sloped and leads down to the river that is currently not usable for housing or crop development.  We discussed the possibility of implementing the S.A.L.T. technologies (Sloping Agricultural Land Technology); a technique that incorporates intensive agricultural development and small-scale reforestation) on this land to introduce annual crops and potentially some fruit trees.

 

I will be spending the coming weeks researching the SALT technology, including a possible trip back to Copan (Honduras) to go through the training program at the SALT Agricultural Center and developing plans to introduce the SALT technology in the village of Pacren.  I will be in touch with the pastor of this village in the coming weeks to set up a meeting with the pastor, the men of the village, and myself to establish goals and objectives of a possible partnership for this project.

 

 

Operation Blessing

 

Operation Blessing is an arm of 700 Club that is based out of Virginia Beach, Virginia.  Most of you are aware that this is a Christian institution that has a TV Christian network and many outreaches that reach around the world.  Operation Blessing had worked in Guatemala for many years but then was shut down.  In the last year and a half it has been reopened in at least two parts of Guatemala, in Guatemala City and in Zacapa.  Zacapa is only about an hour from us and the Zacapa office is being expanded to cover the Chiquimula area, which includes our area.  This is one of the networking contacts that has been brought our way by Bill’s (brother-in-law) effort to doing network outreach for the ministry.  Operation Blessing has named Servant Ministries to be their representative to cover the area of Jocotan/Camotan.

 

We are doing an outreach, working together with Operation Blessing, to reach out to children 0-7 years of age.  It is a short term outreach of 4-5 months that tries to take children who are malnourished and to improve their nutritional status.  We were given a quantity of 50 children that we could find in our area.  We found those 50 children!  At the first meeting in March, the children were given a parasite pill to leave them parasite free before trying to build up their nutritional level.  An orientation was given to the families on March 22nd.  In April they will begin their monthly visits to the ministry center and will receive a protein drink that they are to take 3 times a week.  We will monitor their progress and report that back to Operation Blessing.  We hope to be able to see an improvement in these children’s health status and hope that this partnership proves to be of benefit to our outreach to the people of eastern Guatemala!

 

Update

 

 Parasite treatment – We had a huge undertaking to provide a parasite treatment for every child in the Jocotan/Camotan area between the ages of 2-15 years of age.  We used the school systems as an infrastructural support.  We invited 430 schools that included all of the public government schools, parochial schools, private schools and Christian schools to come pick up their parasite pills.  That meant getting 35,000 pills ready by communities.  We provided the follow up paperwork to give the results of not only covering the students that are enrolled in the schools but also the general populace of the areas that were informed through radio spots that the ministry ran.  It was a huge job but we are glad to have made this opportunity available to the children in this area.  Almost all of the children have issues with some parasite problems and this is a great way to help them to be parasite free.  We are in drought and famine and we sure don’t need to be sharing what little food the children receive with any freeloading parasites.  Praise God for the partnership we have with Operation Blessing to make this possible!

Photos – Parasite Program #1, #2, #3

 

Muscle Milk Outreach – We have 50 children that are being given a special high protein milk shake 3 times a week.  It is a short term outreach to malnourished children (0-7 years of age), trying to get them back on a healthy road to recovery and good nutritional level.  The children received their first monthly allotment of the milk in April.  We will monitor them each month to record any weigt gains and changes in their nutritional levels.  The program will last for 4-5 months.  This milk had a retail value of over $5000 and we are grateful for Operation Blessing’s ability to receive this donation and then be used to help distribute it. 

 

 

 

 

 

Samaritan Project Update

 

We finished houses #4-6!  Six families now have formal housing, a safe place for their families to live.  We continue to look for more sponsors to be able to continue to make this same difference for other families!

Mercedes is a single mom who is raising three children.  She is one of the recipients of these last 3 houses.  I want to share with you some comments made by Mercedes concerning her house....in her words.

“Sometimes when I get home and look at the house construction, I cannot believe that it is actually going to be my house.  I ask myself, how is it possible?  I prayed and asked the Lord two years ago to give me a house to raise my children....and now I see that He has answered my prayers.”

“Everytime it rained I had to stand there and push the water out of my house with a broom.  My children woke up wet so many mornings from the night's rain.  I asked myself how long do we have to suffer and live like this?  I don't have to live like that anymore! “

 

Flor's New Home	Maria's New Home
Mercedes' New Home

 

Reforestation Update

 

Cameron Tommey is from Columbus, GA.  He recently graduated from a university in South Carolina.  Cameron won a fellowship that he applied for, being one of the 7 students nationally in the US to win this placement.  This fellowship gives Cameron the opportunity to come and work with Servant Ministries for a year and to implement some reforestation and other community projects.  His personal expenses are covered and some funding made available to start and cover some reforestation projects.  Cameron will also continue to look for organizations and institutions that could provide other funding to try to increase his productivity for the year that he will be with us in Guatemala.  We look forward to seeing what kind of progress we can make in the important area of reforesting the Camotan/Jocotan region of Guatemala.  Cameron will arrive sometime in July and then we will begin to give you monthly updates of what is happening.

 

Why Reforestation?

Servant Minstries has been involved in a reforestation project since 2001.  This immediate area was placed in a "red alert" for food shortage in this timeframe.  This area is known to be in drought 3 out of every 5 years.  The area has been extremely deforested due to people's need to have daily firewood with no thought of replenishing the trees.  The lack of forestation affects the rainfall.  The people live off the land and so lack of rainfall means little or no harvest.  Without a harvest there is no food to care for their families.  Without that food, the children are the first that are affected, becoming malnourished and dying.  This was the problem that occured in 2001.  Many relief organizations came to hand out emergency assistance.  Although necessary, it was a bandaid measure because it was short term and didn't make any lasting changes.

 

Servant Ministries has worked since 2001 to bring lasting changes.  Experts say that we need 10 million trees planted in this area to really bring it to a healthy environment.  We are at almost one million trees to date.  We work in a number of ways to run tree nurseries with the assistance of the local people.  We also look for trees that will provide something for the people to use, to add to their food supplies above just working toward changing the environmental status.  It is a long term plan but we continue to look for ways to improve this area.

 

 

---

 

 

 

TABLE FOR REFORESTATION FOR 2009
A	B	C	D
TYPES OF TREES	PREVIOUS TOTAL	MONTH OF AUGUST	TOTAL TO DATE
Aripín	27,355	28	27,383
Avocado	10,623	0	10,623
Bamboo	1,000	0	1,000
Black Olive	92	0	92
Black Pepper	4,589	0	4,589
Cashew	12,020	0	12,020
Causaurina	150	0	150
Cedar	146,975	0	146,975
Cinnamon	2,250	0	2,250
Cocoa	39,067	0	39,067
Cortes	5,000	0	5,000
Ciprés	17,947	0	17,947
Coffee	9,433	501	9,934
Eucalyptus	958	0	958
Indigo	94	0	94
Madre Cacao	40,358	0	40,358
Mahogany	109,543	0	109,543
Mamey	163	0	163
Matilisguate	53,845	0	53,845
Moringa	83,601	0	83,601
Orange Valencia	13,834	0	13,834
Papaya	2,000	0	2,000
Paraíso	3,811	0	3,811
Paterna	863	0	863
Pepeto	4,130	0	4,130
Persian Lemon	3,274	0	3,274
Pine	62,280	0	62,280
Ramon (Ujuxte)	283,617	4	283,621
Zapoton	245	0	245
Totals	939,117	533	939,650

 

 

 

 

 

School Sponsorship Progect Update

 

All of our schools have received their 2010 school packs!!!!  It was a challenging year, what with the teachers’ strike and other transportation issues that occurred!  The remaining schools that were not covered by personal deliveries in February came to the ministry center for a designated day in March to receive their student packets and also the teachers’ packets that give them some classroom resources!  Especially the two new schools that were receiving for the first time, really expressed their appreciation to this opportunity to provide adequate school supplies to their students.  We really feel that this outreach is very important and can make a big impact on the children’s ability to study and to break the illiterate cycle that has held their families in the grips of poverty and inability to find gainful employment.

 

We continue to look for people who want to stand with us in this education outreach and if you are interested in finding out how YOU may be able to assist in this outreach, please communicate with the US office at (810)385-4338 or through email at nancy@servantministries.net.  The education can give these precious children hope for a better tomorrow!  Please stand together with us!

 

 

---

 

 

School Sponsorship Slideshow

NOTE: To reply the slideshow click the reply icon in the middle of the show.

 

 

 

Refugee Update

 

Servant Ministries has been working with the refugees who lost their homes, due to mudslides and moving fault lines, since July 2008…when the problems began.  On May 9th the Camotan mayor fulfilled his promise to give the families a piece of land, a place to start over.  20 families from La Union (where most of the refugees came from, a town about an hour and 15 minutes from Camotan) and 15 families from Camotan  (that were judged to live in unsafe conditions) were given their lot that measures approximately 30’ x 45’.  It is a huge step to begin their rebuilding process; the rebuilding of their homes and lives.  Each family stood around their “staked out plot” and you could sense the emotion that filled their hearts after living in shelters and very difficult living conditions for 10 months.

 

There were government officials and invited guests that were present at the activity, with the hope of their support to complete this process.  I was invited to pray over and open the activity and then later to share concerning Servant Ministries’ past and present involvement in this whole matter.  Promises were made to seek government funding to put in their water, sewer and electricity.  Different housing options are being looked into and I am working together with Habitat for Humanity to see how we may be able to offer that housing as a possibility to some.  

 

We will continue to look into options for how we can help these 35 families have a “new beginning”!  If you would like to assist us in this outreach, please communicate with me at nancy@servantministries.net or call the US office and talk to Tamie at (810)385-4338.

 

 

 

 

Water Cistern Update

 

We completed a water cistern for the church in La Puente.  The funds were sent by a group of ladies from the United Methodist church in Brown City, MI.  The pastor’s family had to walk a short distance to a natural spring, when there was water available during the wet season.  During the dry season, they had to walk much further.  Pastor Demetrio and his family are thrilled to have their new water source so accessible to them!  Thank you ladies!