2023 Updates

A number of significant events for Panyebar have occurred in 2023. In addition to our Summer 2023 visit, the first phase of the Mayan Partners work with Trickle Up has completed. We've also added the Trip Report from 2022. Finally, Mayan Partners has partnered with a local medical team to help them build a community clinic for the San Pedro region.

Trickle Up

During the 2022 and 2023 summer trips, we were able to visit savings and credit groups that were initiated through our work with Trickle Up, a non-profit microenterprise development organization that works in 16 countries around the globe. In 2019 we received a generous grant that allowed us to work through Trickle Up to allow 420 young microentrepreneurs in the region around Panyebar to participate in a poverty graduation program that included business training and seed capital to start new microbusinesses. Microenterprises often involve small retail operations, artisan work, and fabrication of traditional Guatemalan textiles. Each participant begins as part of a savings and credit group that mobilizes the savings of group members to fund loans taken by individual members to grow business. While some logistical problems related to COVID affected quite a number of the savings groups, others remain strong and are adding new members. We were particularly happy to hear that the municipal government of Santa Clara La Laguna provided resources for the expansion of the program to several new groups, and that USAID is interested in providing funding to extend the program later this year.

One of the Trickle Up Savings and Credit Meetings

MP and a New Community Clinic

Mayan Partners has partnered with Dr. Jose Israel to help construct a new clinic in San Juan La Laguna that will serve a significant number of small towns and villages near Panyebar. There are great plans for the clinic, which will offer affordable services to low-income families in the region, often flying in medical personnel and surgeons who can treat patients in the region with similar infirmities during short-term mission visits. The progress on the construction of the clinic has reached 80%. The final touches, such as water pipe installations and electrical connections, are being done. Still missing is the floor, windows, and doors. These are being manufactured at another location and in the coming weeks, once the flooring is finished, they will be ready to be installed. While they continue to work on the building, the team is in the final phase of purchasing medical equipment.