Women Who Never Give Up: Making Effort Pay Off

In Guatemala, a country of contrasts where poverty affects one in every two people, two women's organizations have shown that even in contexts of adversity, resilience and perseverance can bear fruit-creating economic opportunities, strengthening livelihoods, and breaking deeply rooted gender stereotypes within their communities.

In the village of Loma Linda, in the municipality of El Palmar, Quetzaltenango, more than three decades ago a group of rural and Indigenous women decided they had to do something to help sustain their households, support their children, and prove that women were not destined solely for domestic work. This decision gave rise to the Association of Rural Women Farmers Mundo Verde (AMUVE).

María Elena González, president of AMUVE, recalls the beginning: "We decided to look for something that could help support our households." With no machinery or technical knowledge, they roasted their first coffee beans over improvised fires, believing they might be able to sell them.

In 2003, the association was formally established. Today, AMUVE has ten members, nine of whom receive income through their work with the association.They produce high-quality organic coffee, scoring between 81.5 and 82.5 points. In the past, they managed to export their coffee; however, after coffee rust severely affected their plantations, they had to start over. Currently, they produce around 35 quintals per year and seek to resume exports, with the goal of turning AMUVE into a sustainable agribusiness for the community.

Their production process is entirely ecological, from organic fertilization to pest control. For these women, caring for forests and water sources is an essential part of their way of life. "If we take care of nature, nature gives us what we need to live," says Imelda Ramírez, María Elena's daughter and a member of AMUVE.

Financial and technical support from the World Bank and Sotz'il marked a turning point for the association. This support strengthened their small agribusiness through the acquisition of a modern coffee hulling machine, which reduced two to three hours of daily heavy labor and improved grain separation and coffee quality.In addition, they received a computer, digital skills training, and a business plan that expanded their marketing opportunities and economic sustainability.

Imelda, who grew up watching her mother roast coffee and is now a university student, says her vision for Mundo Verde is that it "be known in many places and become a livelihood for the community," so that young women have local opportunities and are not forced to migrate.

Toward the country's southern coast, in a dry landscape that contrasts sharply with the cloud forest of Loma Linda, lies the Association of Agricultural Women for the Development of San Sebastián (AGRIDESEM), located in the municipality of Champerico, Retalhuleu department, specifically in the community of La Bendición.

In this community, support from the World Bank and Sotz'il has been key to strengthening plantain production. AGRIDESEM, led by its president Yuri Pérez Escobedo and vice president María Feliciana Velásquez, explains that the project not only enabled the installation of a permanent irrigation system, essential in a territory located within the dry corridor, but also advanced the remodeling of their collection center, which will allow them in the future to store their product under better conditions for sale.

The impact of the irrigation system is already visible. "The plantation looks much greener; the stalks and foliage are much stronger," they note, thanks to constant moisture. Currently, they cultivate one hectare with approximately 2,500 plants. The support also included the design and registration of their own brand, Doña Platanita-a key step in adding value to their production and diversifying their income.

For María Feliciana Velásquez, the initiative goes beyond entrepreneurship and agricultural production. "We are not only planting plantains; we are planting empowerment. We are planting resilience, we are planting hope," she says. Both Yuri and María are clear that their agricultural activity depends on protecting the mangrove ecosystem, which they reforest every year as part of their strategy to safeguard water resources, fisheries, and soil balance.

Through the project, the organization supports the conservation and restoration of 20 hectares of mangrove forest, 10 hectares of natural forest, and 13.5 hectares of energy forests, recognizing that caring for these ecosystems is essential to protecting the territory, water, and biodiversity, strengthening food security, and sustaining community livelihoods.

Vilma Vásquez, a kind of mangrove guardian and community leader, explains that in the past the mangroves were neglected and cut down without control. "Mangroves allow species to reproduce, because fish come, lay their eggs, and grow there. That is important for our food security," emphasizes Vilma, who works alongside AGRIDESEM on mangrove reforestation.

Both AGRIDESEM and AMUVE have benefited from the Dedicated Grant Mechanism for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (DGM), financed by the World Bank and implemented by Asociación Sotz'il in 18 departments of Guatemala. The program supports Indigenous and rural communities in sustainable forest management and the creation of economic opportunities, benefiting 2,500 Guatemalan women and men.