Women's Education Center April 1997- March 1998 Conacaste, Guatemala Implemented by: ICA Guatemala and ICA Japan
PROJECT OVERVIEW Women's Center Renovation and Outreach Programs Conacaste village, with a population of 750, is approximately 50 km from Guatemala City. It is located in a dry region of Guatemala, and its development is even slower that other local areas. Key to the success of this area is the education of rural women, providing outreach to those who cannot travel to programs normally offered in distant cities. Consequently the village training center is being renovated and expanded, and furnished with appropriate training materials and equipment. This center serves citizens of 25 surrounding villages, and also invites participants from Central America. Taught at this center is literacy, health and sanitation, organic farming, reforestation, and the training of teachers. Villagers use the center for making community plans and for exchange programs. Women will be trained to assist in educating their children, and to prepare for taking leadership roles in their family and community.
1. Various programs for community development are held in the remodeled Conacaste Training Center.
Geographic Conditions
	2. A house in the district of El Progresso in La Guna village. They live on agriculture, but need to go to work out of the village because the land can not be cultivated the whole year. They often suffer from lack of water during the dry season.
	3. A typical family of Las LLanos village. The average number of children for a Guatemalan family is 5.6.
	4. Cerro Blanco, a rocky mountain village. It takes one hour by car to reach the village, even though it is only 20 km from Sanarate. There is no electricity in this village.
Training & Symposium
	5. Follow-up seminar for pre-school teachers, held on Oct. 14, 1997, at the Conacaste Training Center.
	6. A symposium of pre-school teachers held on Nov.13?,1997. An ICA staff-member is making a presentation about the pre-school programs. About 80 attendants from different groups of pre-school teachers in the El Progresso area exchanged opinions and had lively debate.
	7. A symposium of pre-school teachers. They are having group discussions about pre-school education.
	8. Questions and answers session in a health course for local leaders. Trainees stay at the dormitories of the training center during these courses.
	9. Explanation of a balanced diet in the health course.
	10. Demonstration of preparing a bean dish, in the village of Quebrada Grande.
	11. A health fair in the village of Cerro Blanco. Videos of forestation, organic agriculture and health care are shown to promote the importance of health care to the local people.
	12. Display about organic agriculture at the Cerro Blanco health fair. All of the displayed organic vegetables were sold in one day.
	13. A course for midwives, who routinely help to deliver children in El Progreso.
Organic Agriculture
	14. A demonstration field of organic agriculture in the village of Conacaste. Cabbage, corn, beans, turnips and others are grown here.
	15a. Growing tomatoes. Urine of cows is used as fertilizer.
	15b. Plot of tomatoes.
Renovation of the Training Center
	16. Conacaste Training Center before renovation. Electricity was not functioning in the kitchen. Some parts of the ceiling were damaged by humidity.
	17. Shower rooms of the Training Center before the doors were repaired.
	18. Door of the kitchen before being repaired. It could not be closed smoothly, because of damage from humidity. It has been replaced by a new one.
	19. Covers were installed over lightbulbs to prevent theft.
	20. Shower rooms after renovation. The doors were made higher to prevent birds from entering and to deter peeping.
	21. The stairs were also repaired.
	22. Two of the three toilets were not functioning. From time to time more than 10 people used to share one toilet.
	23. 2 of the toilets were replaced with new ones.
	24. Mattresses became old, hard and thin. It was hard to get a good night's sleep on these beds.
	25. 18 new mattresses were purchased. Clean new sheets, pillow cases and a clothes rack were also purchased.
	26. A shelf was built in the storeroom. Everything for training used to be put on the floor.
	27. Improving drainage of water from the roof, so the terrace will be better drained.
	28. An additional water tank was installed on the roof.
	29. Roof of the Center before drainage work.
	30. The roof was renovated to improve drainage and waterproofing. There are plans for a terrace to be built here in the future.
	31. Conacaste Training Center before renovation. Walls and windows were damaged, and the sign board was falling off.
	32. Conacaste Training Center after renovation.
	33. Conacaste Training Center after renovation.

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