Our conference started a twinning partnership with SSVP Reina De La Paz Conference in 2015.
The SSVP Reina De La Paz conference needed support for their coffee and bee project. The community that they served was impacted by COVID as they worked as seasonal help on farms. To make themselves self sustainable and support the people in their community the conference started their coffee and bee projects.
Through our fraternal twinning with Reina De La Paz conference, we at St Michaels conference want to serve God’s will and share our mutual resources through solidarity.
Updates from Reina De La PAZ Conference, Guatemala
2024
2024
We have used the financial assistance from the SSVP St Michaels Conference towards:
– Medicine for the sick of the community
– Fertilizer & Insecticides for the Coffee trees.
– We bought 5 “Bee Boxes” and “stamps” for each of them. Already got 2 others boxes out of the original 5.
Coffee Project: We estimate the coffee production, will be better than last year, depending on the summer weather; the amount of rain, heat, wind etc.
In 2023 we harvested 4,400 pounds of coffee beans. We dried the bean and sold total of 1,100 pounds. We sold each pound for Q5.00 for a total of Q5,500 quetzals. After covering expenses, we were left with a profit of Q3,190 quetzales.($566.00 cad )
Bees Apiary: we re-started the project with one and at the moment we have a total of 7. we had two extractions for a total of 300 pounds. The National Council of Guatemala is helping us to package it and in the process of selling the bottles of honey.
2023
2023
The financial assistance from St Michael conference Calgary was used towards :
– fertilizer to get ready for this year production
– continue to help with food hampers, medicine
-help with funeral expenses for a Church parishioner
Coffee Project: Our 2022 coffee harvest went well. We collected approx. 4,000 pounds of dry beans. We sold it for a total of Q8,577 Quetalez. We purchased fertilizer at a cost of Q1,810 Quetzales There is a balance of Q6,767. With this balance, we are going to maintain the coffee project and help our clients.
Bees Apiary: we bought 5 box of bees.
We are in the process of re-starting the “Beekeeping Project”. Exciting !
On June 8 & 9 we attended a two day “Beekeeping Training” given by our local Municipality “La Reforma” We truly enjoyed it, it was excellent!
We are really busy with the feeding of the bees.
2022
2022
With the financial assistance from the SSVP St Michael Conference, Calgary we :
– Built a room to keep the coffee and dry it. The room has water, electricity and the floor is cemented.
-We bought a water station to have access to clean drinking water.
-Food hampers. we are not providing medication at this point.
Coffee project: We take turns to stay at night to watch over the harvest. We built a room and the SSVP Guatemala National Council helped us with providing a bed so when the coffee is ready we have somebody there to stay at night and make sure it is not stolen.
Some of our community people have gone to look for work in Mexico, (labor work in farms) as they haven’t found permanent jobs yet.
2021
2021
We used the financial assistance we received from st SSVP St Michael conference, Calgary towards:
-start the construction of a room to dry the coffee beans and to have their monthly SSVP meetings
They have e work in this construction from January to June.
Coffee project: Our production was 1,000 pounds of dry bean coffee. we found buyers that will buy the “coffee- beans”, it will be sold as beans as we don’t have a grinder.
The revenue from the project will be reinvested for ongoing sustainability and hopefully growth
2020
2020
The 7 members of the Queen of Peace Conference have few resources and we need help, because due to the pandemic, we have lost our jobs on the farms, since the farms only hire for seasons.
Bee apiary project: At one time we had 19 boxes, but unfortunately they were stolen, currently we have restarted the work with 4 boxes and little by little the honey has been produced again, Thank God
Coffee project: In relation to the coffee project, it is also moving forward, with the love, interest and responsibility that everyone puts in the work.
Food and Financial Assistance: We continue to provide Hampers as needed ..which are the equivalent of $15/$20 or $30 dollars depending on the family size. We mainly provide corn, rise, beans, cooking oil ( only food items). We also also assist with medications specially when people leave the hospital. Its expensive to afford medicines in our village.
” We are very grateful for the financial support that SSVP St Michaels Conference provides to Reina de La Paz, otherwise, it would be impossible for this conference to help so many poor families in our communities with food and medicines. SSVP St Michael’s Conference contributions, helps Reina de La Paz so much with the expenses to support the progress of both the coffee project and eventually the return to the Bee project.”
-SSVP Reina De La Paz Conference
About Conference Reina de La Paz
Our Conference Reina de La Paz was formed on June 6, 2007 in the small village of La Esperanza, in the municipality of La Reforma, department of San Marcos, Guatemala, Central America.
It was started with 8 members. There are currently 7 active members. The Conference is supported by the Catholic Church of this same Village. All members meet every 15 days to deal with project issues and home visits.