In a time of great instability in Central America, it’s crucial our work focuses on the wellbeing of the communities stewarding the lands we seek to protect.

As we’ve learned time and time again, you can’t take care of the land without taking care of the people, and you can’t take care of the people without taking care of the land.

When the 110 families of El Asintal resettled in Guatemala, they arrived home to a near-empty plot of land, with scarce resources to rebuild.

Like many Indigenous communities in the region, these families were displaced amidst Guatemala’s violent civil war. The government’s designation of lands for resettlement in the early 2000s was an opportunity to return home, but not without significant debt and great hardship.

Our partners throughout Mesoamerica take to heart that youth are the future of their efforts, and of their communities. 

While many of our partners focus on programs that improve food security for youth and families, they also work to integrate young people into those programs, ensuring learnings and practices are carried forward.

On Wednesday June 4th, following the eruption of Volcán de Fuego, 163 families from the community of la Nueva Trinidad were once again forced to flee their homes to seek shelter.