Food For The Poor celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month by honoring the rich cultures, traditions, and contributions that define the vibrant communities in the countries where we serve. It is a powerful reminder of the resilience of heritage and the potential to shape the future through generational change.
Driving Generational Change
One of the most compelling ways we can drive generational change is by addressing and breaking the cycle of generational poverty that has long affected many Hispanic families and their communities.
Generational poverty is a persistent cycle of economic hardship passed down through generations. [1] The overwhelming barriers it creates toward progress and prosperity present profound challenges to the United Nations’ efforts to “end poverty in all its forms.”
People trapped in the cycle of generational poverty often lack the education, resources, opportunities, and hope to change their situation, thus perpetuating the vicious cycle. [2]
Education: The Key to Generation Change
Education is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty, and generational change will provide that, stated Eli Kuan, Project Manager for Guatemala at Food For The Poor.
Astrid Cortes, Director of Program Quality and MEAL at Food For The Poor, agreed. One of the “biggest hurdles” to breaking the cycle, she said, is “breaking the mindset” of those trapped in the grip of poverty, emphasizing that, “Their destiny is not affected by their circumstances.”
Food For The Poor, one of the nation’s largest relief and development organizations, is committed to breaking the cycle of poverty by restoring hope and transforming the lives of children and families in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The charity, working in primarily 15 countries, is investing in the potential of new generations and creating pathways toward sustainability for individuals, families, and communities in the countries where it serves.
Working with partner organizations enables Food For The Poor to provide people with opportunities to access the essential training, skills, education, and sustainable resources they need to become self-sufficient.
This post takes a look at how three projects are shaping the future through generational change, pioneered by the resilience, innovation, and unity that defines Hispanic culture.
3 Projects That Are Shaping the Future
Whether equipping farmers with advanced agricultural techniques and eco-friendly farming methods, promoting sustainable livelihoods through technical skills, employment and self-employment training, and educating the youth, Food For The Poor is committed to empowering people through sustainable development practices ensuring food security and economic stability for generations to come.
Shaping a Sustainable Future In Ecuador
Since the pandemic, economic decline in Ecuador has resulted in higher unemployment and poverty rates, forcing families to expand their agricultural land, contributing to environmental issues such as deforestation.
Through a two-year project titled, “Strengthening Production Chains in Dairy and Alpaca Wool,” [4] Food For The Poor is partnering with CODESPA Foundation in Ecuador to provide the agricultural inputs, training, and equipment needed to help increase income and production efficiency of 200 families in the Andean communities of Sacha and Cumbijín by improving their dairy and alpaca wool production. The goal is to increase their gross revenue by 15% [4] explained David Langle, Project Manager For South America at Food For The Poor.
Participating families receive training in Climate Smart Agriculture, [5] alpaca herd management, diversification of food production for food security, piped water, business plan design and market development, and improving alpaca and dairy supply chains. [4]
Sonia Cortez is a participant in the Sacha Community, which is dedicated to agricultural and livestock production. Raising alpaca, she explained, has helped reduce deforestation in the area and is ideal for the mountainous ecosystem.
An additional benefit of having alpacas, Cortez explained, “is the fiber. Every year we have to shear, and the wool is sold to make handicrafts, clothes.”
Still in its first year, the project is already providing positive change within the community according to Cortez, which is strengthening the learning processes of men and women. “I have also learned new techniques and ways of caring for plants, animals, and the high-altitude grasslands,” she said, “and also adding value to the alpaca wool by spinning and making crafts.”
According to Langle, working with CODESPA helps farmers like Cortez secure a commercial agreement with a private company that can purchase directly from their respective association.
CODESPA walks alongside the association to make sure that the private companies are not cheating them and not cutting corners, Langle explained. They’re involved in the process of designing a proper commercial agreement and ensuring that a fair price is stated in that legal document.
“We are grateful for increasing the number of alpacas, since this is benefiting us,” Cortez said. “We are already seeing an increase in income from the sale of agricultural and livestock products.”
Langle also applauds the “train the trainer” aspect CODEPSA incorporates into their methodology. This provides the skill set and ability for participants to train new members of their association as they join rather than requesting Food For The Poor to come back and train them. “When we exit it’s because we’re confident that when we leave, those who we helped are able to succeed on their own,” he said. ”The fact that this is an income-generation project means that they’ll be able to train anybody new that comes into their association.”
Weaving Dreams, Shaping Futures
With the help of Food For The Poor donors and partner organizations, Indigenous women artisans in Guatemala are using their weaving skills to lift their families out of poverty.
These artisans have a rich history of weaving beautiful cloth, but lacked access to resources and a viable market. This made it nearly impossible to earn a living from their traditional talents and left them struggling to sell their products before joining Mercado Global. [6]
In collaboration with Food For The Poor, Mercado Global initiated the Artisan Training and Income Development (MGATI), [7] a project providing women artisans with technical training, business development, and the production tools they need to access the international market over three years.
“Sadly, indigenous women in Guatemala suffer a lot from inequality and sexism,” Kuan said. “Mercado Global’s answer to this is empowering women through income generation and education. This enables them to understand that they are not less than men and that they too have a right to opportunities for personal growth.”
By recognizing the culture and traditions of these women, the program provides women like 38-year-old Manuela the opportunity to build their skills and earn income by participating in fulfilling orders with major international retailers.
Manuela is a single mother of two young children and joined Mercado Global’s Artisan Training and Income Development Project to get ahead and do what was best for her son and daughter.
Marcus Frisch, Director of Projects at Food For The Poor, explained that the program equips women with much more than a trade and an income. “They develop a deep understanding of the importance of quality, design, and personal finance,” he said, “which they can then parlay into gainful employment or their own microenterprise.”
“The program has been a new experience for me,” Manuela said. Being part of the program has also bolstered her confidence, helped her overcome her fear of the loom, and led her to serve as her cooperative president. “Nothing is impossible, everything is possible,” she said.
By combining their weaving skills with new technical and business training, indigenous women like Manuela are forging their path out of poverty to set themselves on a track to become entrepreneurs and leaders to help even more women. “This is how one can contribute a little within the family and not depend on a man,” Manuela said. “This is how a woman can weave dreams.”
Education: The Key to Generational Change
Food For The Poor is committed to uplifting families and communities by empowering youth to become change agents to help transform their communities from the inside out.
“There is a great need to invest in young people to give them an opportunity,” Kuan said, “and give them hope because everyone wants to develop.”
“Generating Opportunities for Enterprising Youth,”[8] is a three-year project created with Food For The Poor partner Entreculturas that focuses on youths in its approach to improving lives and livelihoods in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras.
By fostering economic opportunities, facilitating educational pathways, and promoting a generation of youths committed to social transformation, the program offers a holistic solution to unmet needs of young people.
Now in its second year, “This comprehensive program equips 2,917 vulnerable youths with technical and entrepreneurial skills, while simultaneously providing them with valuable life lessons and social skills,” Frisch explained.
The goal of the project is to empower students by providing an opportunity to find gainful employment, so they can provide for themselves and their families after they graduate.
“The key to this project is generational change,” Kuan said. “And education is the key generational change needed in breaking the cycle of poverty.”
It is creating pathways to a better future for vulnerable students like 17-year-old Edith Ortiz in Guatemala. Motivated by her lifelong love for cooking, and driven by her entrepreneurial spirit, Ortiz has turned her passion into a successful business.
Ortiz, now in her fourth year of high school, eagerly accepted the opportunity to participate in gastronomy classes offered through the project. “I felt very fortunate that my dream of cooking was finally coming true,” she said. “I never imagined that I would grow to have my own dessert business.”
While studying and learning a wide variety of cuisines in the program, “we also had classes in baking and pastry,” Ortiz said, “and I realized this is what I am truly passionate about.”
With her newfound knowledge, business acumen and support from a staff member, Ortiz opened her own churro stand, “which became quite successful.” Today, Ortiz has her own bakery and sells cakes and variety of breads. She even provides delivery services. Her family, friends, clients, and classmates all praise the desserts Ortiz makes, which makes her very happy, ”because I cook with my heart.”
Hope and Generational Change
Creating generational change is pivotal to breaking the cycle of poverty and empowering families with lasting opportunities.
By investing in education, resources, and support, we can uplift families and communities to ensure a brighter, more equitable future for everyone.
The projects and programs are merely the tools which Food For The Poor utilizes to set people on a path to self-sufficiency.
Together, we can restore hope and drive generational change. “Once you have hope,” Cortez said, “nothing can get in your way.” Find out how you can make a transformative impact on families in the countries we serve for generations to come. Visit foodforthepoor.org today.
Sources:
What Is Generational Poverty? – Project Sprouts
2303Q (simplebooklet.com) – Strengthening Production Chains in Dairy and Alpaca Wool
Mercado Global Artisan Training and Income Development Project Report Phase 2_ final.pdf
Climate-Smart Agriculture (worldbank.org)
Our Work – Mercado Global- Empowering Indigenous Women
