Our Community Health Program, first launched in 1997, works to preserve and promote traditional Maya medicine and knowledge and the use of medicinal plants to treat common illnesses in rural communities in Guatemala. This June, we were able to hold our second annual clinic in our artisan partner community of Quiejel, Chichicastenago, Quiché. A total of 73 patients attended the clinic, most of whom were women and children. Marisol Morales Calel, responsible for the Youth Education and the Community Health Programs with Maya Traditions Foundation, shares her experiences here: What is the goal of the day clinic? “We are working
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Edgar is one of our wonderful staff at Maya Traditions. In charge of the Organic Medicinal Plant Garden, Edgar is also responsible for coordinating and supervising volunteers. Here, volunteer Eli shares a bit about Edgar, with whom she works with on a daily basis: Edgar Tuy is 20 years old and began working for Maya Traditions in an official capacity one year ago. Edgar learned about Maya Traditions Foundation from Oseas, a friend and the groundskeeper at Maya Traditions. He began assisting Oseas with work in the garden and learning about the plants before he got hired last year. Edgar
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Maya Traditions was born from strong partnerships with cooperatives of indigenous female artisans. Today, these relationships remain central to our work and mission. This month, we asked our staff to share stories that have impacted them personally and inspire them on a daily basis. Here, we share a few of their responses: Spotlight: Marta I have been working with Maya Traditions only since March of this year, but when we were asked to write about an experience with an artisan that inspired us, I knew I already had many stories to choose from. I have had the priviledge of interacting and
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As I think about leaving beautiful Guatemala, I can’t help but get nostalgic for all of the wonderful people, the beautiful vistas, the vibrant textiles, and most importantly the lessons I have learned and the ways I have grown. Many of these memories are directly connected to my work at Maya Traditions Foundation. My work here over the last year and a half has been transformative for me, and for the foundation. I think that the best way to sum it up is to share a number of thank-yous. Thank you to our wonderful design and retail partners! Working with
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If you’ve had the opportunity to visit Guatemala and meet Maya Traditions’ artisans, staff, and volunteers in person, you know that you have found a remarkable place. This month, we asked our incredible staff what makes our work at Maya Traditions special. Here is what they had to say: ‘Maya Traditions has strong, long-lasting relationships with artisans and works to support them as whole women not just artisans.’ ‘We convert the needs of our artisans into opportunities, offering them the training and tools necessary so that they themselves can change thier own situations. For me, that’s true empowerment.’ ‘We are a foundation
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Hello! My name is Laura Gehring, and I am proud to be the newest addition to the Maya Traditions’ team. I will be working as the Coordinator of Community Tourism, which means I will have the huge honor of bringing visitors out into the field to see our programs and artisans in action. Visitors have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the culture of the region through visiting Maya Traditions’ Organic Medicinal Herb Garden in Panajachel and the surrounding communities where our collaborating cooperatives are located. At the Garden, visitors are free to look, touch, and taste the plants as
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Posted by Erin Kökdil on April 13, 2015
Time flies, yet I feel like time flies even faster in Guatemala. This March marked my second year working with Maya Traditions Foundation. It has been a long, often arduous journey, but one that has lifted my spirits and filled me with indescribable happiness. When I first began with Maya Traditions in March of 2013, I knew I had become part of a very special organization, one that is dedicated to fulfilling its mission through highlighting the gift & skill of others. This became clear early on, during a site visit to the rural community of Quiejel. We traveled two hours
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Posted by Maya Traditions on December 01, 2014
Production Manager Floridalma Perez has been working with Maya Traditions for over nine years. Here she shares her experiences with the Foundation and her motivation to continue supporting the artisans with whom we have been partnering with for over twenty years. My name is Floridalma Perez and I began working with Maya Traditions Foundation in 2005. I first began as an assistant in the area of accounting, which I worked in for two years. From there, my position was expanded to production assistant and representative for national sales. Today, I am the Production Manager with Maya Traditions. I admire founder
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Posted by Maya Traditions on September 26, 2014
My name is Osea Chiriquin Aju and I have been working with Maya Traditions since 2001. During Oseas making shampoo this time, I have had the opportunity to work in various areas with the Foundation. I have had the opportunity to work in the areas of guardian, custodian, finance, production of products made from medicinal plants (i.e., tinctures, shampoo, ointments and teas), and as the sales manager of the products made in our garden. I started working with the Foundation when I was seventeen years old. During this time, I was recently married and my wife was six months
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Posted by Maya Traditions on September 22, 2014
My name is Edgar Isais Tuy Vicente and I am responsible for the Organic Medicinal PlantGarden at Maya Traditions Foundation. Our Organic Medicinal Plant Garden is a beautiful, serene place where diverse ornamental and medicinal plants are grown. The purpose of the garden is to continue cultivating the knowledge and use of medicinal plants that our ancestors have left us with. We work to preserve such traditional knowledge, and promote it among the communities we work with and visitors who arrive to the garden. We also create a wide variety of products with the plants that we grow, including: Aloe
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