Forest Walks for Women

Environmental Awareness & Well-being

WE PROTECT WHAT WE LOVE: Forest Walks for Mayan Women

Last year, the International Humanitarian Projects Committee funded a pilot project led by Candis Krummel, Co-Founder and Director of Tu’ik Ruch Lew, a not-for-profit dedicated to implementing sustainable solutions to the environmental, health, and development challenges that threaten the livelihood of the Maya people living in the Lake Atitlán Basin of Guatemala. They promote the use of the ONIL, an energy-efficient cook stove reducing firewood consumption by two-thirds, helping protect the forests which the Maya depend.

Krummel designed “Forest Walks for Women” as a way to re-introduce women to the forest. It provides them with an opportunity to experience the serenity and majesty of the old-growth forest combined with an explanation of life’s interconnectedness and the vital contributions made by trees. Before Guatemala’s 30-year genocidal civil conflict, women and girls walked from town to lake-side town through forests. But during the bloodiest years of the conflict, the forests were off-limits. Any person caught in the forests by the military—whether cutting wood or picking fruit in the peach orchards high on the sides of the mountains—could be considered a guerrilla and risked being killed on the spot.

In this talk, Krummel shares the project’s impact. Women who avoided the forests even after the conflict ended are now slowly returning thanks to her vision. Through a video and in conversation with Krummel, you will have a chance to see and hear about this extraordinary project.

Candis Krummel will be introduced by Wendy Zielen, with support provided by Linda Kentes and Mary Avrakotos.