Community resilience in Guatemala

Asociación Chajulense Va´l Vaq Quyol gets its name from the Maya Ixil words for ‘union’ and was founded to support survival in the midst and aftermath of the Guatemalan civil war. Initially, the association focused on basic community needs: building a pharmacy, granary and small store, and supporting farmers in producing corn and selling cattle. They reclaimed an old home that had been usurped by the army to use as an office. And with the help of Mexican coffee farming co-operative UCIRI, started to focus on growing and selling their specialty organic, fair trade, high altitude coffees. Weathering growth years and loss years during intense bouts of coffee leaf rust, the association continues to support and directly impact the livelihoods of their members, more than 3000 families in the San Gaspar Chajul municipality.