Hope: a desire that is possible or likely to happen

Manuela Morales, youth leader

Back in March, someone asked me "what gives me hope for 2021". The first thing that came up was the faces of the youth who are leading changes and are transforming a predictable future into the one that they want, and this has an impact on their families and community.

I want to share with you the story of Manuelita, and her journey in discovering her voice and leadership.

Manuelita belongs to the Quiché ethnic group, she graduated as a teacher and has dedicated 5 years to teaching. She is a daughter and sister in a family of 7 members. She lives in Chuabaj, a community in Chichicastenango, El Quiché. A community surrounded by mountains and apple, peach, and pear plantations and where their main activity is weaving. She is the youngest midwife in her community and vice president of the K’at youth group, formed by 9 women and 2 men.  

She started her journey with SERES in 2019 at the age of 25, she has participated in 16 sessions and her youth group has been awarded twice in consecutive years for her impact and reach. She is a passionate young woman leading the transformation of her community.

I learned about SERSE because of Edwin Panjoj, a SERES ambassador in my community, who told us that we would have the opportunity to run a Community Congress in the community. I was happy and got involved to bring 20 young people and seek support from the community to carry out the program. I was surprised by all the information received and the conversations we had around the sustainability challenges in the community and globally. It also left me with a lot of questions and pushed me to learn more and change habits, mainly with my relationship with the environment.

After the congress, we kept leading actions to raise awareness about waste management.  We carry out cleaning days and with the local bus driver association to provide new protocols regarding solid waste management, so we could reduce the number of people throwing garbage out of the bus window during their trips. People asked us, why do you do it? What do you get in return? We smiled and our response was always with the satisfaction of taking action to contribute to the change of the community. The change does not start with others but with myself. As I was taking these actions, it made me feel part of the community.  Before I didn't think about that, I was isolated.

I remember that we had a visit from Juan Pablo, a SERES facilitator, and he presented us with more programs,  this motivated me to commit more and to be part of SERES. Because at this point it was only the beginning of something bigger: I wanted to be an ambassador too.

When I received a call for the Catalyzers program - focused on becoming facilitators -  I was very happy. To my surprise, it was a space that I would share with Salvadorans and young people from other communities in Guatemala. What I value the most about this program is that I met other women who had dreams and who were taking action and also creating movements in their communities. I  learned the ability to lose the fear of performing on stage, group management, and voice modulation, and pronunciation.

Once we received the theory it was time to put it into practice by working and presenting an action plan. My biggest fear was saying the wrong thing, but at the end of the speech, I received appreciation accompanied by applause, due to lack of habit, I felt like I was in another world. I can't explain, but I had tears in my eyes, I was used to being told about all the things we don't do correctly, negative reviews, and comments. In SERES I found a space where I could be me, it makes me feel like family and that my ideas are valued. With other girls, we talk about women's development in our communities and how SERES opens up a learning space for us.

I also participated in a permaculture program. I didn't imagine that these skills would be useful one year later during the pandemic.

In 2020 we led the project Bio-plant with the network of midwives. Each family of the youth network planted and harvested herbs and vegetables during the pandemic. The midwives learned to cultivate their medicinal gardens, and everyone received online permacultural technical advice, seeds, and pylons for cultivation. We learned to diversify fruit crops as well.

Being part of the SERES network has been an incredible and exciting journey to connect, create and change. By being an ambassador, I am connected with many young people, with whom we share hopes and dreams. I now know powerful women and we keep developing new skills. I didn't expect SERES to open the door for me to connect and be part of something bigger and get out of that isolation that I felt in the community. 

Every time I am part of meetings, there is always someone new to meet. In SERES I feel appreciated, loved, and valued as an indigenous woman, they have given me security and confidence in myself. The skills that SERES helped me develop are for my benefit, my family, and the community.

We have also gained space in decision-making processes in the community: local leaders who are members of the Community Council look for us to get our opinion on specific issues, and we offer them ideas. We also have the recognition of the community, they identify us as an active group, and because we don't have drinking problems, because this is a problem with the youth in the community. Gaining this trust has been a challenge because we've had cases where young people do not respect the community system.

As a woman, I believed that I didn't have the right to speak and to express my opinion, I only had the role of listening and that men are the ones who are always right.  Now I have a saying, I have a life purpose, I lead, I have the potential to carry the “vara” (is a symbol of leadership in the communities, given to those who become mayors). This is not a competition against men, we can also contribute a lot, mainly because of our leadership style which is "with the people and for the people, and thus the changes are faster."

By the time I'm 40 I see a transformation in the next generation: I see organized women's groups, with proposals. I see more spaces and opportunities for youth, very productive, and children following their footsteps. With a wide network where they meet other people and expand their circle of friends with a vision of common transformation. Beyond that, I also see my children taking action to continue with the change.

For current and future women generations, I wish that you become the protagonists of your own life, in your family and society.  I call on you to live that experience, to take advantage of every space.  Be part of the transformation.

This is what gives me hope.

Manuelita is an extraordinary example of investing in the lives of others. This is what inspires us to keep driving change in communities in Guatemala and El Salvador. 

I would love to hear from you, your perspective and how this story is giving you hope.

You can send me a message at a.quic@seres.org 

Until next time, 

Abi Quic