Many steep hills and hours past the loud, colorful, smog-filled cities, far up in the lush Guatemalan Central Highlands, at the end of an old muddy footpath...white clouds float above tall sentry trees filled with songbirds and squirrels playing in their branches. A young teenage boy, Edwin, scrambles up a small cliff to pick for me a handful of ripe blackberries as Maria, Bernardo and I continue our stroll in the afternoon sun to visit a small community agriculture group.
A small grassroots group of health promotores have decided to help better their own communities here in rural Guatemala by collaborating to teach the indigenous farmers about preventative medicine, better agriculture practices and how to grow nutritious vegetables to supplement a traditional diet comprised almost entirely of corn.
A small grassroots group of health promotores have decided to help better their own communities here in rural Guatemala by collaborating to teach the indigenous farmers about preventative medicine, better agriculture practices and how to grow nutritious vegetables to supplement a traditional diet comprised almost entirely of corn.
I came out to Baja Vera Paz this week to join them and get to know the communities better. We met with several groups of local farmers and health promoters, who asked questions about parasites, arthritis, kidney problems, parasites, itchy rashes common in children and more. We talked about the wealth of information they have in the elders of their communities who often have experience growing and using medicinal plants. We talked about the importance of sharing knowledge, especially with young parents. I shared the medicinal effects of some of their local plants, even some they see as weeds, such as plantain that grows in the footpaths. We applied a fresh herb poultice of yarrow to the abdomen of a young boy who fell out of a tree while picking cherries for us.
In talking about the nutritional benefits of the vegetables they grow as cash crops, we discussed which ones particularly support the immune system, for use when their children have the gripe (common cold). It was encouraging to even see the young child of a vegetable farming family enjoying a snack of raw peppers rather than the chips, sugar and candy so many children here grow up eating. Many babies in rural Guatemala are fed sugar water or sugared coffee from a bottle.
The kind smiles of these hard working farmers eager to learn and excited to share their successes remind me of why I went to naturopathic medical school and why I am here now. The quiet peace of their land in God's beautiful creation high up in the mountains was also a refreshing change from life in Guatemala City. And I am grateful.
The photos in the gallery below tell stories sometimes better than words can say...but you may click on them to read my comments...
The kind smiles of these hard working farmers eager to learn and excited to share their successes remind me of why I went to naturopathic medical school and why I am here now. The quiet peace of their land in God's beautiful creation high up in the mountains was also a refreshing change from life in Guatemala City. And I am grateful.
The photos in the gallery below tell stories sometimes better than words can say...but you may click on them to read my comments...