Fundación En Vía: July 2011

Friday, July 29, 2011

Nunc est bibedum, nunc pede libero (Now is the time for drinking, now is the time for freeing the feet): Guelaguetza

Story and photos by Julia Turnbull

Guelaguetza is a word of Zapotec origin that embodies the concepts of giving, sharing, and offering. Each summer, the city of Oaxaca hosts a guelaguetza in the stadium on the Cerro del Fortín (the hill overlooking Oaxaca). Guelaguetza is traditionally held on each of the last two Mondays of July. This year, one of the last two Mondays fell on July 18^th, the anniversary of the death of Benito Juarez, so the Guelaguetza days are the last Monday of July and the first Monday of August. If you haven’t been to the auditorium under the giant white tent in the Cerro del Fortín, or if you want to escape the crowd and visit one of the villages, there will be more celebrations on Monday, August 1^st. As volunteers in Oaxaca, we have been very excited to watch the parades and dances that are taking place every evening in the plazas and in the zócalo (main square), and we have also been fortunate to learn about the origin of the guelaguetza in the villages of Teotitlán del Valle and Diaz Ordaz.

The Guelaguetza dances display prehispanic and colonial traditions. Each village chooses a traditional dance to perform during the celebration to showcase its usos y costumbres (customs and traditions passed from generation to generation). These dances incorporate the traditional techniques for grinding maize into meal, mixing the masa (dough for tortillas or tostadas), spinning wool into thread, and harvesting sugar cane. These everyday tasks give cause for celebration, and are woven into a rhythm. The dances of the colonial era give the audience insight into how Christianity was incorporated into traditional wedding ceremonies. Guelaguetza dances are unique performances because the dancers come from the villages, with children, grandparents, and everyone in between dancing on stage together. The performers are extremely proud of their usos y costumbres, and this is evident on their faces. After each dance, the performers toss out to the audience traditional agriculture goods—small bags of coffee, tostadas, bread, apples, avocadoes, and baskets.

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Guelaguetza has a second meaning as well. In keeping with the spirit of sharing and giving, families preparing to celebrate baptisms or the quince años (the birthday party given for young women on their 15^th birthday), among other events, will call a guelaguetza and ask their friends and relatives to bring gifts of food—chickens, baked goods, or tortillas, for example. These are obligatory and part of the social fabric of the community, where resources are often shared. If a guest gives the host several chickens, the guest is entitled to ask for his or her chickens to be returned in the future. The right to ask for the chickens to be returned can be inherited by children and grandchildren, if their parents and grandparents did not ask for the items back. These transactions are recorded in ledgers and committed to memory.

Why is Guelaguetza still relevant? Beyond sharing and giving, it is a way for people to manage and store their assets. If someone gives several chickens, sacks of corn meal, or chocolate for making tejate (the traditional drink of fermented maize and chocolate, served cold), it is a favor the giver can count upon in the future. In short, it is a way of saving items that will maintain their value for future use and ensuring that these things will be available at a future time of need. Guelaguetza is still in practice in our villages, but it is a celebration as well as livelihood strategy. It is a celebration of the wealth of a community and demonstrates the spirit of the people in remembering their usos y costumbres.

Kneading_the_masa_and_flattening_the_tostadas

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Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Enedina's Story

by Kyra Siegel and Julia Turnbull

Enedina Gonzalez Alavez has been working with En Vía since we began offering interest-free loans in Teotilán del Valle three years ago. Enedina, along with her mother and her daughter, have embraced the program and opened their home for the weekly Tuesday borrowers’ meetings. She has encouraged many others to join the program and undoubtedly, has been an example of how one can improve her business with dedication and interest-free loans. Like many others in Teotilán, Enedina’s family is one of weavers. However, when Enedina borrowed her first interest-free loan, she was operating a grocery store from a small room in her family’s house on one of the main streets of the town. The grocery store was not very profitable, and Enedina knew she had to make a change. Last Saturday, Enedina shared with us how En Vía has helped her create a business out of weaving and make the most of her family’s resources.

Enedina used her first loan to buy weaving materials—wool to spin into thread, the white cotton thread on which the rugs are woven, and dyes. Her second loan was used to purchase additional weaving supplies. With her third and fourth loans, Enedina expanded her weaving store into a larger room of the house, directly facing a busy street. She was able to market her crafts directly to passing tourists, and better understand her clients’ preferences. By the time she received her fifth loan, Enedina had enough inventory to use the money to expand her shop into a second room of her home.

Enedina is preparing to receive her sixth loan along with her mother, who is also part of En Via. Her mother, Juana, is also using her En Vía loans to improve the family weaving business. Juana learned how to weave from her husband, who passed away when Enedina was a child. She also taught Enedina the craft. Weaving has traditionally been men’s work, both because the looms are very large, and because the work is strenuous. The traditional looms are operated with foot pedals, and with each pass of the shuttle, the thread must be pulled tight with an overhead bar. Juana is grateful that she still has her eyesight, and that she is strong enough to weave. For Juana, weaving is a creative outlet and an opportunity to reflect. It is something she had little time to enjoy while she was raising her family. She thinks while she is weaving, and says that when she begins a new design, she does not always know what the finished tapete, or rug, will look like, but that is her favorite part of the process.

Yanet, Enedina’s daughter, is also part of En Vía. During the week, Yanet works in Oaxaca and also attends college, where she is studying accounting. Yanet has used her interest-free loans to purchase supplies for making unique beaded earrings, which are on display in Enedina’s store. Yanet uses her income to supplement her education expenses.

With interest-free loans from En Vía, Enedina has been able to build her business uses resources that her family already had—looms, retail space, knowledge of the craft, and most importantly, hard work and patience. Together with her mother, she has slowly, but tirelessly, worked to improve their business and their lives.

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Enedina's Story

by Julia Turnbull and Kyra Siegel Enedina Gonzalez Alavez has been working with En Vía since we began offering interest-free loans in Teotilán del Valle three years ago. Enedina, along with her mother and her daughter, have embraced the program and opened their home for the weekly Tuesday borrowers’ meetings. She has encouraged many others to join the program and undoubtedly, has been an example of how one can improve her business with dedication and interest-free loans. Like many others in Teotilán, Enedina’s family is one of weavers. However, when Enedina borrowed her first interest-free loan, she was operating a grocery store from a small room in her family’s house on one of the main streets of the town. The grocery store was not very profitable, and Enedina knew she had to make a change. Last Saturday, Enedina shared with us how En Vía has helped her create a business out of weaving and make the most of her family’s resources. Enedina used her first loan to buy weaving materials—wool to spin into thread, the white cotton thread on which the rugs are woven, and dyes. Her second loan was used to purchase additional weaving supplies. With her third and fourth loans, Enedina expanded her weaving store into a larger room of the house, directly facing a busy street. She was able to market her crafts directly to passing tourists, and better understand her clients’ preferences. By the time she received her fifth loan, Enedina had enough inventory to use the money to expand her shop into a second room of her home. Enedina is preparing to receive her sixth loan along with her mother, who is also part of En Via. Her mother, Juana, is also using her En Vía loans to improve the family weaving business. Juana learned how to weave from her husband, who passed away when Enedina was a child. She also taught Enedina the craft. Weaving has traditionally been men’s work, both because the looms are very large, and because the work is strenuous. The traditional looms are operated with foot pedals, and with each pass of the shuttle, the thread must be pulled tight with an overhead bar. Juana is grateful that she still has her eyesight, and that she is strong enough to weave. For Juana, weaving is a creative outlet and an opportunity to reflect. It is something she had little time to enjoy while she was raising her family. She thinks while she is weaving, and says that when she begins a new design, she does not always know what the finished tapete, or rug, will look like, but that is her favorite part of the process. Janet, Enedina’s daughter, is also part of En Vía. Janet works in Oaxaca and also attends college, where she is studying accounting. Yanet has used her interest-free loans to purchase supplies for making unique beaded earrings, which are on display in Enedina’s store. With interest-free loans from En Vía, Enedina has been able to build her business uses resources that her family already had—looms, retail space, knowledge of the craft, and most importantly, hard work and patience. Together with her mother, she has slowly, but tirelessly, worked to improve their business and their lives.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Necessity Inspires Resourcefulness

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Rugs made with natural dyes on display in Rafaela's cooperative

Story and photos by Julia Turnbull

Rafaela and her family are artisans in Teotitlán del Valle. They use natural dyes to color the lambs’ wool that they weave into tapetes (rugs), bags, and shawls. The integrity of the process is very important to Rafaela, which is why she is working to have her weaving business certified as all natural by a Mexican government agency.

The rugs display bold, rich colors—deep reds, oranges, purples, blues, and greens—accented with yellows, grays, and beiges. The blues are made with indigo. The greens and yellows are made from pericón (ester) and anis, which grow locally in the hills surrounding the village. The purples, reds, and oranges are made from cochinillas (cochineals), which are small bugs that live in the leaves of the nopal cactus.

Eugenia_another_borrower_crushes_dried_cochinillas_on_her_stone_metate

Eugenia, another borrower, grinds dried cochinillas on her metate

Cochinillas are harvested from their nests on the nopal leaves, dried out, and crushed into a red dust. Dried cochinillas are crushed on a stone metate, which is a mortar-like device also used to grind corn kernels into maize flour. Mixing small amounts of ground cochinilla and water produces a deep red. The secret to making an orange dye is adding limejuice. The secret to making a purple dye is adding limestone powder. The ground cochinilla powder is used to make more than 50 distinct tones. Last fall, the rains were heavier than usual and flooded the valley, which killed many of the nopal cactus plants. This has diminished the supply and driven up the price of the dried cochinillas that are essential for making so many of the dyes that weavers use to make the designs in their rugs.

Rafaela’s goal is to become certified as a natural dye maker and weaver. This will benefit her because she believes clients want to purchase weavings made from natural materials. Rafaela also believes that natural dyes are of a higher quality—more resistant to fading, richer, and safe for clients to display in their homes. To overcome the challenge of the diminished cochinilla supply, she has built a rack on the upper floor of her house from which she hangs nopal leaves and harvests cochinilla. Rafaela is using one of her loans to pay for the wooden frame and the cost of traveling to the fields to harvest and bring back the nopal leaves. Not only is she ensuring the integrity of her natural dyes and working toward the natural certification process, she is also able to sell her extra cochinillas to other weavers—of which there is no shortage—in her local market.

Nopal_leaves_hang_on_a_rack_in_rafaellas_workshop

The_white_spots_are_the_nests_of_the_cochinillas

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Rafeala's nopal rack for harvesting cochinillas

Rafaela’s nopal rack and cochinilla harvesting is an example of the ingenuity of our borrowers. With an interest-free loan from En Vía, Rafaela is ensuring the quality of her chemical-free dyes, creating a sustainable source of the natural red dye, and providing a local source of the cochinillas for other weavers in her community. She is well on her way to achieving her goal of receiving a certification from the state of Mexico, and expanding her business. Rafaella shared that the certification process requires patience with the bureaucracy here, but she is nonetheless dedicated to completing the process and feels that the expense and time are an investment in her business.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

In the Market for a Chat

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Story by Kim Groves and photos by Julia Turnbull

The first conversation I had about setting up a table at Xochimilco’s organic market was a long one. Usually there is a considerable process for venders to get in, and even a queue. Alfredo, the market manager gave me a big long look, as we leant against the church wall. He had a lot of questions, and I had a lot of pauses between sentences, searching for those elusive Spanish verbs. “I’m not going to sell anything”, I said, “I just want to talk to people about En Vía, and have a little table with information”. He wanted to know all about us; it was obvious he wanted to be happy about our goals and ethics if he was going to support us in this way. I kept talking, and very soon he started nodding, and then to my delight, he started smiling. He was happy. And so was I! And thus I was given my own little space in the churchyard under the trees and my chance to promote En Vía in a new community of market goers. I soon began to realise that my time there would be very special...

Andrea, an obvious market matriarch, asks me from behind her full tables of salads what I am to be selling. She seems genuinely impressed as well as surprised when I tell her about En Vía. Bienvenido, she smiles and shakes my hand, and at that one word I could almost cry, at the pure joy of being accepted. A little later, having heard my story, the Italian baker approaches my table, and with him he brings a small walnut muffin and another bienvenido. A busking guitarist stops by and touches the beautiful natural green tapete that was woven by one of our borrowers in Teotitlan that now sits proudly on my table. Again, after hearing the cause, I am wished a warm welcome and good luck. The German leather artist sits down in the chair next to me. He smiles warmly; his brown leather stained hands match his coffee stained teeth. He hands me a chocolate biscuit, and we sit dipping them in cups of steaming fresh atole while I again explain En Vía’s story as well as my own.

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Coffee_clay_pots_honey_tostadas_and_weavings_in_xochimilco

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When I am alone again, the little girl whose mother makes blue corn quesadillas approaches me and puts her hands all over the En Vía poster in front of me. She then asks me directly and sincerely if I am a boy or girl. With a quizzical air, she’s looking at my short hair, she’s looking at my clothes, and she’s fingering the pendants around my neck. Eventually she accepts my answer and decides that I will be, from then on, integrated into the games that she runs with some of the other children there. Some days I will be sitting eating and they will creep up as slowly as they can behind me and tap me on the back before running away laughing. I have taken this to be another way of saying bienvenido. Seeing this fun, Alfredo, making his rounds, laughs and kisses my cheek in greeting and asks me how it goes.

It goes well. I have had a presence at the market for four weeks now, using it as a new base for outreach in Oaxaca. I have spoken with travellers. I have spoken with ex pats. I have spoken to locals. I have spoken to people from other non-government organisations. In general, the response is one of interest and support for En Via. I am aware of the varying different ways of connecting with people (over food, with stories, with smiles) and I hope that by being there, amongst a truly wonderful community of venders, visitors, and friends, that I will be able to bring a little more attention to Fundación En Vía and the important work we do. Come visit me there, under the trees, and we can talk!c

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Friday, July 15, 2011

Tuesday Meetings

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Photos and story by Julia Turnbull

As a volunteer, I am often telling people about our loan program – how the women become involved, the kinds of businesses they operate, and the ways in which the organization is growing. After describing the micro loan process, I am sometimes asked, “How do you know the women really need the loans?”

The process for receiving loan is relatively simple, but it is not fast. The women must form groups of three, fill out an application, attend Tuesday meetings, and participate in two En Vía tours before receiving a loan. That is a significant time commitment for these busy women, many of whom operate several businesses and also take care of their families. The loan amounts are between $1,300 and 3,000 MXN.

Last Tuesday, in Diaz Ordaz, we stopped by Raquel’s house, where she kindly let’s us house our weekly meetings. Raquel has a large clay oven, which is heated up in the morning, and acts as an efficient convection oven in the lower part of her house. She makes breads, conchas, and also bakes cakes. The ingredients are basic: flour, eggs, sugar, and sesame seeds. In the time we were there, Raquel and her family barely skipped a beat as she discussed the progress of her bakery and her second loan.

In Teotitlán del Valle, where preparations were in full swing for the most important holiday of the year, women committed to the loan process came to their meetings and waited for a little over an hour to receive their new loans. The women described how the loans have helped them expand their rug-weaving businesses, discussed what they had been learning in the business classes, and conversed happily amongst each other.

While En Vía’s tours are essential to being able to give interest-free loans, the time investment on the part of the women and invitations into their homes is also essential to En Vía’s success. The women demonstrate their commitment not just by repaying their loan each week, but also by giving their time and their patience. Our borrowers, in exchange for building credit and access interest loans, invest their time in telling their neighbors, sisters, and mothers about En Via. The time and patience the women demonstrate, tells us that the women have the best intentions and hopes for their loans, and that they believe microfinance is helping them, their families, and their communities.

Tuesday Meetings

Photos and story by Julia Turnbull

Friday, July 8, 2011

La Fiesta de la Preciosa Sangre in Teotitlán del Valle

Photos and story by Kim Groves

The first thing I thought when I saw the dancers in the church courtyard was ‘Elva made those pants!’ The previous week, on one of our tours to Teotitlán, we visited Elva, one of our borrowers, in her little sewing studio where she showed us the makings of the bright dance costumes she was preparing for one of the town’s biggest fiestas. Standing amongst that fiesta, I was delighted to watch the finished product swirl about the plaza. I found myself admiring Elva’s talents as a seamstress as well as a businesswoman, and also feeling respect for the whole town in the way it was coming together in such a lively and colourful way. Really, the festival this week has been a way for the people of Teotitlán to show off their many talents and celebrate a proud way of life.

The dancers were re-enacting a pivotal story in Mexico’s rich history. Young boys dressed in mock black military uniform with gold edging, carried Spanish flags and banners as they circled and theatrically challenged a group of dancing men. The men were dressed beautifully in tall feather headdresses and flowing scarves, to represent the Aztec nation. Cortes, a boy of about 14 years of age, stood before the towering figure of Montezuma, and translating between them, La Malinche, played by a very young girl of maybe 7 years, in purple dress. On and on, through the afternoon the dancing went, accompanied by a tirelessly booming brass band, and various religious and civil ceremonies.

On Wednesday, the biggest day of the party, a group of En Vía volunteers counted ourselves lucky to be offered a seat on the terrace above one of our borrowers, Eugenia’s, weaving workshop. Up there, we had a fantastic view over the church courtyard and the buzzing town. Dancers swirled, bright plastic flags flicked. Children and families were enjoying the perfect sunny afternoon amongst plentiful food, games and friends. Plates stacked with steaming pollo amarillo (yellow mole with chicken) and mole negro tamales (black mole) the traditional food for the festival arrived at our table, and we indulged in the fantastic cooking of our hosts.

How wonderful it was for us to feel welcomed in the town on such an important day. How privileged we were to count friends amongst the people there. The relationship that En Vía has with our borrowers and the community really is the most important thing for us, and it is days like these that we know that the work we are doing and the trust that is building is something worth celebrating.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

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Behind the Scenes

By Yu-ting Lin and Julia Turnbull

This summer, the number of En Vía Volunteers has hit a record high. We now have over 20 volunteers joining us from all over the world, helping us in our mission to fight poverty in Oaxaca. We are honored to be surrounded by an amazing team of volunteers. Therefore, we wanted to share a few of their stories to give an idea of the people that make En Vía tick.

Kim takes photos in a weaver's shop

Kim Groves, of Brisbane, Australia, came to Mexico in 2007, while on an around-the-world-adventure. Of all the places she saw, Mexico stayed with her. She wrote her university thesis on Mexico’s agricultural politics and has always dreamed of returning. This past January, Kim bought her ticket to Mexico and just a few weeks ago she brought her talents to En Vía. With her fantastic photography skills, Kim documents our tours, English classes, business classes, and special events, like Noche En Vía. She is also helping with community outreach, by greeting visitors at Xochimilco’s Organic Market on Saturdays, and leading tours to Teotitlán del Valle and Díaz Ordaz. Kim says her favorite thing about working with En Vía is the relationships she is building with the women in the program. She hopes to learn as much as possible about them in order to facilitate a deeper cultural exchange during the tours.

Alo listens to one of our borrowers

Our social butterfly, Alo Gorozpe, is the person to go to if you want to know what’s going on in Oaxaca City or Teotitlán. Honestly, he has probably befriended over half of Oaxaca in the few weeks he’s been here. A Mexico City native studying Architecture and Urbanism at Universidad Iberoamericana Ciudad de México, Alo found out about En Vía through the list of programs of social services at his school. He spends his time with En Vía helping borrowers create brand identities for their businesses. Alo was also the brains behind Noche En Vía, our first, and very successful, local fundraising event. With only a few weeks left at En Vía, Alo is busy planning a second event for July 15th, which is sure to be another success. We’ll be sad to see him leave so soon, as his efforts have gone a long way in helping En Vía forge partnerships in the local Oaxaca community. Luckily, he has promised to come back and help with our future events!

Pritha, one of our business teachers at graduation in June

Pritha Dev is a volunteer in our business-training program and came to En Vía most recently from Mexico City, though she is from India, and has lived and studied in the United Kingdom and the United States, among other places. Pritha is currently a faculty member at ITAM in Mexico City, and holds a Ph.D. in Economics from New York University. She has always been interested in finding out more about micro-finance and its impact on poverty. She was particularly fascinated by En Vía’s micro-finance model, as it has strategically combined tourism and micro-finance with the ultimate purpose of ending poverty and empowering women. She describes her involvement in the business program so far as extremely enriching and rewarding. The business program has provided some simple yet creative business ideas for women to incorporate into their business, and a platform to voice their challenges. Her enthusiasm for development initiatives like En Vía radiates when she describes what she too has learned from her students this summer. Pritha has been very pleased to see their growth, and enjoys working with them to find solutions to challenges they face in their businesses.

Our volunteers bring a variety of academic disciplines, life stories, hobbies, and new ideas to En Vía. This summer’s volunteers are doing amazing things to help En Vía move forward. Thanks to the donated time, energy, and creativity of our dedicated volunteers, we can continue to fight poverty, empower women, and educate travelers.