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Dear Foster Parent:
In this community report, we wish to give
you a lot of interesting information about the community where
your Foster Child and Family live. Cubulco is one of the eight
municipalities of the department of Baja Verapaz, which is located
north of Guatemala City. The distance between the Capital City
and Cubulco is 196 kms. and the distance between Cubulco and the
departmental capital of Salamá is 46 kms. Your Foster Child
lives in one of the 32 villages of Cubulco where PLAN has its
operational areas and more than 2,200 Foster Children who live
in there.
Cubulco covers an area of 444 square kms.,
has an altitude of 900 meters above sea level and has almost 40,000
inhabitants, 68% of which are of indigenous origin, belonging
to the Quiché and Achí ethnic groups. The remaining
32% are of mixed Spanish and Mayan ancestry and are referred to
as "Ladinos". The people from the indigenous communities
speak Achí, one of the many Mayan languages, which are
still spoken in Guatemala. Most, if not all people in Cubulco,
speak the official language, which is Spanish. This small Achí
town has colonial architectural traits. One can see a very common
element of religious architecture from the years following the
colonial times, such as the fortress-like way churches and convents
were built at that time.
The women wear one of the most beautiful dresses
of the whole region. The very typical blouse, which is made of
natural cotton and spun locally is called "guipil”.
It has three side stripes brocaded with geometrical figures where
red is the predominant color as it contrasts beautifully with
the natural cotton background. The ancestral customs and traditions
are being kept intact as can be seen in the many dances and masks
and the celebration of their religious events.
Cubulco is located in a valley and is surrounded
by the Sierra de Chaucús and the Sierra de Las Minas, two
distinct mountain ranges, which form the natural habitat of the
national bird, the Quetzal. All villages have very rural characteristics
and are connected with each other through narrow, winding dirt
roads which are accessible during most of the year with a few
exceptions, depending on the weather conditions. Common transport
is by bus or pickup and is more frequent on the main roads and
the roads leading to the town than between the villages.
As is the case in all geographical areas of
Guatemala, Cubulco has two seasons: the rainy season from May
to October and the dry season the rest of the year. The climate
is mild to hot with temperatures ranging from 20 to 30 degrees
C. The average family in the communities of Cubulco consists of
5 to 7 family members. We speak of "extended families"
when the grandparents, aunts and uncles live with the parents
and children in the same household. This often causes overcrowding
as most houses have only one or two rooms and a kitchen. Most
people cook on an open fire, generating a lot of smoke, which
affects the health of children and adults. The typical house is
built with "adobe" bricks, a mixture of mud and straw
for the walls, and red tiles or straw for the roof. It usually
has a cement or dirt floor.
Life in the villages is quiet as each one
goes about his or her daily activities. The day for women starts
at 5 o’clock and consists of taking care of the children,
preparing the meals for the day and doing the many house chores.
Women often contribute to the family income by raising chickens,
selling fruits or vegetables and by making mats and weaving their
typical blouses and skirts. Children have to wake up early as
well as they have to walk some distance to go to school. When
they return in the early afternoon, they do their homework, take
care of their younger siblings, run errands and when some time
is left they play with their friends and neighbours.
Most men work as peasants and cultivate a
variety of crops on their own land or as daily wage earners on
the fields of others. The common crops are beans, corn, tomatoes,
millet, peanuts, coffee and sugarcane. Most of the products of
small farmers are for their own family consumption, and what is
left over is sold in the market. Since there is not work enough
in their own community to earn a decent living, many farmers travel
to the south coast for many months to work in the big plantations
of rich land owners.
Since there are only two villages, which have
a market, the majority of the village people have to travel to
the town to sell their products and to buy all they need for the
week. The market days in Cubulco are on Thursdays and Sundays.
The basic daily diet of the people consists of beans and tortillas,
which is unleavened cornmeal pancake. Bread, rice, eggs and meat
are only eaten on special occasions.
Allow me to give some more explanation about
the education services in Cubulco. Most, if not all, villages
have an Elementary school. Many basic school facilities, however,
are lacking as most schools have only two or three classrooms
in dire need of repair and new furniture and other school materials.
Very often only two or three teachers cover all the six grades.
For their High school education, the students have to travel to
the town centre or other places, which very few parents can afford.
Most of the students, therefore, stop the schooling after graduating
from elementary school. High dropout rate, and absence is common
due to a variety of reasons. The most important ones are the lack
of interest on the part of parents and children, the poor quality
of infrastructure and quality of education, the long distance
many students have to travel, and the need for boys to work in
the fields.
The health services follow the same pattern.
Aside from the existence of a health centre in the town, only
five villages have some sort of health services. The quality of
health services is very poor due to the lack of proper facilities,
medical equipment, medicines and health personnel. For serious
health problems, the people have to travel to Salamá or
even to Guatemala City. In those places the health services are
much better, but beyond the reach of most people due to the high
cost of transport, medicines and treatment.
The main victims of the poor health services
in the communities of Cubulco are the children. Common diseases
are respiratory infections, gastro-intestinal ailments, diarrhoea
or other water-borne diseases and the effects of malnutrition.
The poor housing conditions and insufficient sanitary facilities
add to the health problems. Although 80% of all households have
a latrine and 60% have access to water, the quality of the latrines
is not sufficient to safeguard optimal sanitary conditions and
the mere presence of the water is not sufficient to guarantee
the potability of the water and its availability all year round.
None of the villages have a drainage system and only 40% of the
people have access to electricity services, which affects the
economic development of the families and the learning progress
of the children. PLAN is helping the communities and families
to overcome these problems and works in close coordination with
the community committees, the government institutions and local
organizations to bring about better services and more development
for the people of Cubulco and the many villages. Most people in
Cubulco and the villages follow the Protestant and Catholic religion,
the last one being predominant (70%). As such, the people celebrate
their annual feast on July 25 in honour of Saint James, the Apostle.
On this day the people prepare special food and they taste a cup
of “Chilate" or "Pinol", a typical dish made
with corn and natural spices, served in the husk of a local fruit.
All communities join in a variety of religious, cultural and sporting
events. Religious observances are mixed with the indigenous people's
own native traditions and folkloristic dances. One specific pre-Hispanic
ritual dance is the famous "Palo volador" ceremony (swinging
around the post).
It is also worth mentioning that, due to the
low educational level of many people and traditional and cultural
constraints, letter writing is not very common. PLAN'S employees
and well-trained volunteers, however, are helping the children
write to their Foster Parents. All correspondence received in
the PLAN office is being distributed to the families by the same
volunteer workers and the children are encouraged to respond with
a letter of their own.
In spite of their poverty and need of help,
the inhabitants of Cubulco and the many villages are friendly,
industrious and hospitable people. It would be a pleasure, therefore,
to welcome you for a visit to your Foster Child.
For now, they tell you:"Que te vaya bien
y por todo, gracias!" "That all may go well with you
and for everything, thank you!"
- Arturo Sique
PLAN International
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