Guatemala Cardamom 2015 Cō-Impact Sourcing^® Expeditions

After flying in to Guatemala City, trip participants immediately boarded small planes and then buses to get them to the Polochic region of Guatemala. There they stayed in the newly completed Sika’abe Training Center, an agricultural and vocational training school which offers government-endorsed certifications for the programs and classes offered there to individuals in the surrounding communities to attend and learn new agricultural practices and job skills, helping them raise their families out of extreme poverty. This Center was constructed by the first graduating class as part of their certification and was funded by the Healing Hands Foundation through our partnership with CHOICE Humanitarian.

Expeditioners were able to assist with the final touches on the Center as well as helping in land terracing, digging septic tanks, planting Cardamom seedlings, and other projects in the area. They visited the local medical clinic to give midwives and nurses training on essential oils. The doctor has been funded for his first year at the clinic by the Healing Hands Foundation and is working on developing a practice in the community to sustain himself in the area long-term.

Highlights of the trip included the opportunity to see the Cardamom oil sourcing process from the planting of seedlings, to harvesting Cardamom pods in the fields, through visiting the drying facility and distillery. Thanks to a donation from the Healing Hands Foundation, land has been purchased to bring a drying facility closer to the farmers. Two Days for Girls trainings at local schools were a great success and feminine hygiene kits were given to attendees.

After leaving the Polochic region, the two trips finished up with tours of Antigua, Lake Atitlán, and Guatemala City, allowing participants to see more of the beautiful country and fascinating culture.