Many of the community leaders and our partners we work with in El Salvador, Honduras, or Guatemala have had to deal with a civil war in their country. Often forced to migrate to another country, abandoning their homes, families, and livelihoods. But regardless of the odds and incredible bravery, people come back to their communities and decide to make a positive change.

In late August, members of our Indigenous Lands team, alongside local Tribes, had the opportunity to participate in a traditional bison harvest at the Zapata Ranch Preserve.

In 2025, more than 150 people were employed through TWP’s work. 

We know that people can only sustain their territories if they can sustain their families. And like many of our programs, our clean cookstoves program in Honduras keeps this recognition central, investing in sustained benefits for local communities, economies, and environments.

TWP has long been known for planting trees. 

But what’s most important to us is who, and how. 

In Northern New Mexico, we’re continuing to see what’s possible when these pillars remain central. Over a two-week hitch in October, an all-Indigenous crew planted nearly 6,000 trees within the Cerro Pelado burn scar of the Jemez Mountains.

Marvin Lopez Torres is the Co-Manager of TWP’s Mesoamerica Program. Based in Honduras, Marvin originally joined the team as a consultant in 2020, and has since been crucial in deepening our work in his country.

For years, TWP worked in the Apeneca-Illamatepec Biosphere Reserve in El Salvador with our local partner, AAP, helping with reforestation, fire mitigation, environmental education, and food sovereignty projects.

When I started working with TWP a year ago, I knew it was a special organization. 

I knew we did good work, in a good way. And I knew it felt right to walk in the door every morning.

Now, after my first TWP staff retreat, I have a much better sense of why.

Breathing smoke from burning firewood and spending money every day to obtain it was part of the daily life of Eula Ortéz, a 71-year-old housewife from the community of Bañaderos, Teupasenti, El Paraíso.

Amidst the economic turmoil of USAID closures, tariffs, deportations, and other shifts in Mesoamerica, the need to invest in resilient economies has become even more clear. The region’s long-term stability will come from supporting the communities who know it best, and many of those communities are already finding ways to sustain their livelihoods while also protecting their landscapes, culture, and people.

In June, TWP’s Indigenous Lands Program team participated in a 3-day staff retreat with our partner, Montezuma Land Conservancy. Bringing together 6 staff from each team in Cortez, CO, the retreat focused on visiting sites of the traditional harvest program and river restoration structures, planning shared work in coming years, and celebrating our new joint staff member, Wyatt Wilson. TWP’s ILP resource coordinator, Zoe Bashkin, shares her experiences and insights from her days with the team

Jordana Barrack is the Executive Director of Mighty Arrow Family Foundation, one of TWP’s key funding partners and supporters. Established by the founders of New Belgium Brewing Company, Mighty Arrow‘s funding priorities include social justice, climate change, food systems, and land & water stewardship.

After a long effort to organize and access support,  the Association of Xinca Agroecological Promoters of Jalapa (ASOPROAJ) attained legal status in 2022. ASOPROAJ is an association of more than 90 members from Indigenous Xinca communities in Guatemala, working to practice agroecology, develop sustainable livelihoods, and protect their territories.

As our work in New Mexico has expanded, we’ve focused on partnerships that unite conservation efforts with local employment opportunities, attending to the connections between ecological and economic stability.

As any experienced gardener will tell you, to get great results, plant the right crops for your climate, water and weed regularly, and most importantly, put time into building your soil.

Summer is in full effect for us at Trees, Water & People (TWP). Summer is filled with beautiful weather giving us the opportunity to have family gatherings, explore the outdoors, relax and rejuvenate. But amongst these long-summer days, we remain committed to the importance of our work during this season.

“El Día del Trabajador” or “Labor Day” is celebrated throughout Latin America on May 1st, but to us at TWP, we believe it should be celebrated every day! Our team is proud to collaborate with local partners that help train, empower, and engage people to work hard for their communities, natural resources, rights, and economic opportunities.

The members of the ecological committee of the Aldea of Suyapa (COEAS), have many things in common, such as solidarity, empathy and passion, but above all, there is something that unites them: the love for nature.

Stories of hope and adversity have echoed through the livelihoods of Indigenous voices for time immemorial. There are times for humilIty during a storm and times for resilience. Those stories show us when to have humility and when to have resilience.

In the early morning, we're preparing for an elk hunt on ancestral lands. Throughout our morning prayer, bull elk bugle in the background, harmoniously marinating with the majestic views. Lingering questions run through my mind. What will be the outcome of indigenous traditions in the future, will it be ancient history, diminished, forgotten? This question has been endured by our ancestors, to the present day, and will certainly be a feat in the future.

“We seek to help create work opportunities that people can be proud of and that contribute to a higher standard of living.”

At TWP we believe everyone deserves a dignified livelihood. A dignified livelihood is more than income security, it's one that provides a safe and enjoyable environment, that ensures dignity and respect and gives constant opportunities to transcend barriers and grow. At TWP, this starts from within.