It is Independence weekend. The Clinic is closed until Tuesday. Monday is the BIG DAY! There will be fireworks, crowds of people, parades of marching student, bands to accompany them, speakers, and much more. Last Night students from all local schools, started returning from Excursions, carrying the Torch for Freedom, as they entered town; the crowds awaited them with Fire Crackers, Bombs and Bands.
The Clinic built a CIVIC ALTAR in the Reception of the Clinica Maxeña and a Guatemala Flag hangs on the second floor balcony wall. Workers speak each day, in front of the Clinic, at the Buen Vivir Booth. This weeks talks focused on Independence Day and the Monsanto Law. Delicious organic snacks offer for small charge. Much of the food are herbs from our garden or chuck of meat, pecaya, or hard boiled egg, served also with sauce and three organic tortillas and Organic Coffee.
Our Civic Altar was dedicated to celebrating the overturning the Monsanto Law, recently passed by Congress. This law would have taken control of the Mayans Native seeds, and herbs that never have been patented, but grow wild in the mountains and available to all. This law would also have allowed the genetically altered seeds and plants to be promoted and available. These native plants are nutritive, free and aid now a bit in the reality of hunger and unemployment. Some village people do bring them to market to sell and actually this is a way of the POOR to obtain a bit of money to buy corn, if they do not have space to grow. A drought destroyed much of the corn crop and prices are rising daily for corn.
Last week, Popular Groups, Mayan leaders and followers, thousands of field workers, took to the hi ways and blocked traffic for hours. The purpose of the Protest, was to overturn the Monsanto Law, recently passed by Congress.This tactic, by the Popular Movement, is effective in Protests. Next week they will protest again; this time the introduction of Mines and Hydro electric Plants that are destroying and occupying Mayan Land for these projects, without paying the actual owners of the land, and electricity costs continue to rise. The Mines are contaminating the water and causing more illness and poverty.
Today two clinic workers traveled to another town to purchase and bring back 500 seeding plants of AMARANTO, or BLEDO. This plant is a native seed and grows best in a little higher altitude and is excellent for treating malnourished children. We have a small patch of land borrowed to us by one of our worker in a mountain village, and the clinic will plant at least 150 of these plants, on this land, for consumption in our Nutrition Project and Buen Vivir Booth. Workers will purchase the remainder of the plants at less than two dollars each plant. This plant will then re seeds itself.
We hope we are contributing to awakening the younger population to return to their Native Culture of eating these nutritive plants. Now on every corner and in the villages, greasy fried chicken, french fries, Coca Cola, Tortrix and chips are very popular and choice of student populations.
Have a GOOD DAY! Happy Independence Day to all Guatemalans and a MORE JUST WORLD.
Sheila from the Clinica Maxeña in Guatemala and Missuion Clinic of the Diocese of Helena Montana.
You can donate to our Clinic, serving the most POOR at:
Guatemala Mission
Diocese of Helena
P.O. Box 1729
Helena, MT
59624 Be sure to Note for the Clinica Maxeña.
THANK YOU.
