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This is a collabortive project with four clubs in district 5010. Collectively contributing $2500.
First about Wakami. Wakami's mission is to create brands, products, and value chains that uplift our community, regenerate the earth, and transform perspectives. Wakami partners with women artisans from rural communities in Guatemala who struggle to generate sustainable sources of income for their families. Wakami incubates and develops rural businesses mainly led by women, ensuring that they have the necessary skills to be dynamic competitors in any value chain. Primarily this is in light manufacturing of sustainable handmade goods. 80% or more of families in rural Guatemala live at or below the poverty rate. These sustainable sources of income address and solve this issue.
50-60% of the children less than 5 years of age in rural Guatemala suffer from chronic malnutrition. Wakami has data that shows that with one 4 foot by 4 foot square foot garden and 5-10 laying hens per family, in six months the children receive enough proper nutrition that they return to the height/weight growth curve.
This project would repair, restore and upgrade the irrigation system at Wakami's Xetzac demonstration farm near Tecpan, Guatemala. The farm uses regenerative agriculture practices, which mitigate climate change and store ecosystems by optimizing the health of the soil, which in turn sequesters carbon from the atmosphere and betters the water cycle.
The existing water system infrastructure on the farm is a spring fed cistern (open top), a water tower and some two-inch irrigation lines.
The spring fed cistern on the property needs repair to return it to optimum efficiency. The cistern also needs to be covered for safety and water quality purposes. A pump will be added to move year-round water from the cistern to the water tower. The water tower will gravity feed the irrigation lines. Irrigation lines will be extended to irrigate 500 fruit trees. Macadamia, avocado, lemon and elderberry.
The rainy season is May to November in Guatemala. However, for year-round production, which is possible in Guatemala, irrigation water is needed during the dry season, November to May.
The farm is used as a training farm for women from the rural communities to learn the principles of regenerative agriculture and to produce bountiful square foot gardens. They also raise 4-week-old chicks to 18-week-old laying hens before distributing them to the villages and each family that wants chickens. Produce and eggs are consumed by the families and any extra may be sold to supplement their income. The woman also receive classes on how to cook with the produce and herbs they raise in their square foot gardens.
Wakami believes every child, every family deserves to live a healthy and happy life with good nutrition at it's core.
Timeline: Project will be completed as soon as possible once grant funding is received. Growing season in Guatemala is year-round.
Budget specifics: Cistern cover materials (Q5,000) $640.00
Pump (Q5,000) $640.00
site review and plan approval (Q2,400) $300.00
Irrigation lines, materials (Q10,736.25) $1,375.00
Irrigation line installation, by contractor (Q15,000) $2,000.00
Total $4,955.00
How Rotarians will be involved: It is yet to be determined if Rotarians on the Feb. 2025 trip to Guatemala will be helping to build the cistern cover or if we will do other hands on projects at the farm. Past "chores" we have done at the farm include planting trees, vaccinating baby chickens, planting vegetables, painting buildings, building furniture for group meetings, cleaning and disinfecting the chicken raising coop, and building compost piles. The irrigation lines will be installed by a contractor.
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