For the Maya indigenous in rural Guatemala, health care is limited and the cost of modern medicines prohibitive. The ancient Maya developed a vast understanding of the medicinal values of plants found in the highland rainforests they have inhabited for thousands of years, and passed that knowledge down through generations. However, with the dual pressures of globalization and urbanization, the loss of forests, and the influx of modern medicine, Mayan medical traditions are quickly fading. This valuable knowledge must be preserved or it is at risk of being lost forever. The goal for this project is to revive traditional Maya knowledge and use of medicinal plants and herbs in the rural indigenous population, and provide the necessary tools for preventing and curing common illnesses.

Problem

For the Maya indigenous in rural Guatemala, health care is limited and the cost of modern medicines prohibitive. The ancient Maya developed a vast understanding of the medicinal values of plants found in the highland rainforests they have inhabited for thousands of years, and passed that knowledge down through generations. However, with the dual pressures of globalization and urbanization, the loss of forests, and the influx of modern medicine, Mayan medical traditions are quickly fading. This valuable knowledge must be preserved or it is at risk of being lost forever. The goal for this project is to revive traditional Maya knowledge and use of medicinal plants and herbs in the rural indigenous population, and provide the necessary tools for preventing and curing common illnesses.

Solution

This project puts control of an individual's health into their own hands by focusing on opportunities available through an economic, social, cultural, and environmental model. It is not dependent on government programs or sufficient income for purchase of high-priced medical care or prescription drugs. It focuses on preventive health and identifies and distinguishes conditions and illnesses and how they can be properly treated with alternative methods. It makes use of ancient Maya medicinal knowledge that has been lost over the years and brings it back into the consciousness and daily routine of the people that need it. For example, it will help communities understand why the water causes diarrhea and what can be done to change that. The Community Health Promoters are women within the community that are known and trusted by her neighbors. She can help families identify the seriousness of an illness and the proper steps to be taken. The product development portion of this project will bring additional income into families and therefore encourage the women's cooperatives to adequately maintain their gardens and continually increase their knowledge of the plants attributes and expand their gardens (through the barter exchange center) to hold a diverse amount of medicinal plants. Finally, the workshops provided by the women to visitors, shares this important tradition with the world, meanwhile encouraging the women of its worth and value. This project is achieving individual, family and community well-being by encouraging women's empowerment on every level.

Example

In previous years, Oxlajuj B'atz' has helped cooperatives of Mayan women obtain garden space and medicinal plants to begin their herbal medicinal practice. They attended workshops at IMAP (http://imapermacultura.wordpress.com/)to learn how to design and plant a small garden plot using available natural resources. They studied with Consejo May K’iche’ Winaq Oxlajuj Ajmaq (roughly translated as the Council of Elder Authorities on the 13th Day), an indigenous council of spiritual guides and traditional medicinal plant experts, to learn the properties and uses of traditional medicinal plants in treating and preventing illnesses and enhancing their dietary nutrition. This project seeks to expand on that information by: (1) setting up a plant and seed barter exchange program;(2) developing natural medicinal plant products for sale in the marketplace, and 3) working with indigenous healers and medicinal plant specialists to train select women in each participating community to become Community Health Promoters, using medicinal plants and other traditional healing methods. As an additional component to this project, we will include community visits to the gardens and a hands-on introductory workshop, taught by the women, in our tour packages offered through our Women's Center so that visitors can experience and learn about this important Maya tradition.

Marketplace

The medicinal plant project will take place in 11 different rural communities that are home to women's cooperatives which are members of Oxlajuj B'atz'. The program was offered to all our current 20 groups in Guatemala and 11 responded in favor of being actively involved. These women's villages are typically poor, with family incomes of under $200 (USD)/month. Most villages are in remote rural locations that are often isolated from the amenities of an urban area (if one could afford the amenities). Guatemala’s indigenous population, principally Mayan, has been historically marginalized by the dominant ladino (mixed Amerindian-Spanish) culture. The 22 Mayan ethnic groups in Guatemala make up over 40% (US State Department, 2011) of the total population; yet they have been underrepresented in government and have faced a great deal of discrimination. Despite centuries of oppression, many communities have managed to hold on to much of their cultural identity, continuing to speak over 20 different languages and wearing distinctive traditional clothing, called traje. Our success in these villages comes from our method of employing indigenous women to work as facilitators and trainers in non-formal educational methods in the language spoken in the villages.