CHIAPAS TRIP AUGUST 2019
Workshop presenter talking about smart choices in choosing a partner
The annual Chiapas trip to award scholarships, attend workshops and spend time with the women of the cooperative is a highlight of my year. This year I went by myself. I had the opportunity to attend two workshops. The first was the bi-monthly 3-day meeting of the representatives who come in from the mountain communities and then return and share what they learn with other cooperative members. Our coordinator, Carmen, who is also the coordinator for the cooperative, was not in attendance as her husband was in the hospital with dengue. So on the Saturday, I went to the center and started in with the annual duties. I distributed the toothbrushes that Soroptimist International of Sequim donates to us.
Annual distribution of toothbrushes, and this year, embroidery floss
Then the women themselves distributed the embroidery floss, also a donation this year, and they were very pleased to have it. We had some time before the first speaker of the morning would arrive, and I had brought down a game of weather bingo (complete with small prizes) and we all had a fun time with that. Other topics that weekend included self-sustainability and current events.
During the week I made two trips out to Zinacantán, each time to visit a family. The families are so welcoming and I always feel privileged to be able to have such opportunities. The following weekend was one of the day-and-a-half workshops just for the scholarship recipients. One topic included “Boyfriends, Engagements and Marriage and Making Wise Choices”. This generated a lot of interest. Another topic dealt with sexuality, and a third addressed immigration and how foreign policies affect the livelihoods of indigenous families. I presented an hour workshop on basic English expressions as well.
Three of the women concentrating on bingo
Carmen and I had three business meetings over dinner, and I was brought up to speed on certain scholarship girls, triumphs and difficulties. All in all, it was a very satisfying and productive trip.
Judith