For the second year in a row, Active Citizenship Summer (ACS) International supported a student-designed study trip to Guatemala, through Building Understanding through International Learning and Development (BUILD), a program run though the Institute for Global Leadership at Tufts. Kathryn Taylor ’11 and Mike Niconchuk ’11, who both participated in last year’s trip, returned to lead this year’s trip, bringing a total of 18 students, including four of the nine freshman who participated last year, to Guatemala.

The group visited Santa Anita la Union, a fair trade and organic-certified coffee cooperative that several students have been working with over the last year. Located in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala the cooperative was established in 1998 by ex-guerrilla fighters after Guatemala's civil war.

“We first visited Santa Anita last summer,” Taylor explained. “After two weeks in the community we realized that we could use our resources to help the community in very concrete ways. Working with the cooperative, we began to design a Community Development Plan to address what we learned was one of the biggest problems facing the community - their low level of coffee production.”

In fact, during their first visit, the students learned that the land was only being used to 20% of its productive capacity due to the devastating effects of Hurricane Stan in 2005, a lack of capital for investment in new plants, and a general lack of knowledge about coffee farming.

BUILD participants have traveled to Santa Anita several times over the past year as they developed their Community Development Plan. After the initial trip, two students returned in January to coordinate with the community's board of directors. In March, four members of the 2008 trip joined nine new students to spend a week in the community. Finally, during this summer’s 4 week-trip, the group implemented the bulk of their project.

“This trip was a culmination of all the work that BUILD students have put into these projects,” Taylor said. “Last summer's trip was designed to give students a basic understanding of development from multiple perspectives, but this trip was about putting development into practice, in a very real, tangible way.”

The plan developed by the BUILD team focused on increasing the farm's level of coffee production through funding 20,000 new plants, constructing a 25,000-plant capacity seed nursery, and funding agricultural training for community members.

The plan also included funding administrative and organizational training for the community's leaders and installing Internet. FUNDAP, a Guatemalan NGO the group partnered with, provided agricultural expertise, training, and facilitation of the purchase and delivery of coffee plants. Additionally, over the course of the project, FUNDAP served as a constant presence in the country.

“The community development plan has undergone plenty of changes and transformations since its inception, and we have achieved more than I have ever thought possible,” Taylor added.

One major change was to the seed nursery the group gad planed. “We discovered that Catholic Relief Services was constructing a 30,000 plant seed nursery this spring and summer, so instead of duplicating their work we decided to re-allocate those resources to purchase additional fertilizer for the new plants, which community members and FUNDAP technicians characterized as crucial for the success of the plants,” Taylor said.

Their initial plan to install Internet developed into an ambitious plan to create a sustainable commuter center. The team renovated an unused building, installed 6 donated computers, and secured a wireless router to set up the center. In addition, they will pay for the first year of Internet service.

“Users of the center will be charged a small fee and proceeds will go towards paying computer center fees in the future. In this way we hope to create a sustainable business and vital resource for community members,” Taylor explained.

In addition to setting up the center, BUILD members ensured the community had the knowledge to utilize the new resource. In addition to getting the computer center functioning, the students taught free basic computer classes to community members, and began working to help the community improve their ecotourism program.

“Some BUILD students have used GPS to map the trails around the community and are also putting together field guides that describe the local flora and fauna, and we hope that these guides and trail maps will help to strengthen the ecotourism program,” said Taylor.

BUILD Guatemala has been highly recognized for the development work it’s completed over the past year. In addition to the advisory and financial support provided by Tisch College’s ACS International, the group received a $6,000 grant from the Clinton Global Initiative, a $10,000 grant from Projects for Peace, and and has also secured a $6,000 grant from Pura Vida Coffee.

“It's incredible to receive this level of recognition for what we have done,” said Taylor. “We have all put so much time and energy into this project. As program coordinators, Mike and I have dedicated so much of our college careers to BUILD, and winning these prizes then seeing our projects realized this summer has been an indescribable validation of the work we have done.”

“I feel so grateful to those who have supported us and given us the resources to make these projects a reality. This truly has been a team effort and I have been constantly amazed by the intelligence, maturity, and dedication of my fellow students,” Taylor added.