EDUCATION
ABROAD &
GLOBAL MANAGEMENT
Consultancy Projects
Keynote Speaker for Volunteer Swearing-in Ceremony
US Ambassador to El Salvador, Mari Carmen Aponte- oficiated the swearing-in.
Peace Corps Volunteers 2011-2013, Community Organization & Economic Development
Peace Corps El Salvador
Luz is a returned Peace Corps Volunteer and served in El Salvador in the Community Organization and Economic Development program. She lived on a coffee farm in Cantón San Isidro, Izalco for 22 months. During her time there she worked on community integration and needs assessment by conducting a community survey and created a strategic plan with key members of the community. Luz developed a community association to manage a five-year potable water project collaborating with Engineers Without Borders. Luz regularly worked on volunteer social events and coordinated them with embassy staff involving embassy home stays for volunteers and well as a monthly farmers market. By developing this farmers market network, Peace Corps volunteers could train their community members in sales and customer services and provide products to embassy staff and family members.
Luz developed two local sustainable micro-businesses: ManáOjushte San Isidro and BRIJUSIS Tours (youth Ecotourism). She provided training to the members of these businesses on: basic business and leadership structure, nutritional study of products, food handling and preparation, marketing, quality control and customer service. Luz consulted youth and women from these businesses, connecting them to resources and new markets. She also assisted in creating a community based rural tourism committee to execute a tourism plan which has coordinated four annual Mayan Nut food festivals.
Luz developed relationships with universities and vocational institutions for youth to access higher education and training. She was able to create a scholarship fund for five students to study at the University and culinary academy. This scholarship is now managed within the community, by previous scholarship recipients.
Luz also created and facilitated volunteer training sessions around community development and working with youth. Along with her community members, Luz led workshops on cultivation, handling and cooking with Maya Nut to create ManáOjushte products in various volunteer communities.
ManáOjushte San Isidro
As the awareness of Ojushte or Maya Nut began to spread, Luz found a group of women and youth to work with forming the ManáOjushte San Isidro micro-business. Today, the micro-business ManáOjushte San Isidro is still operating and they continue to educate communities on how to handle and prepare the seeds as well as how to cook, with the Ojushte which was a key staple in the Mayan diet. Luz still consults this group of women and youth as they are still actively applying for grants for future business expansion.
What's next for Ojushte?
The ManáOjushte micro-business has partnered with the Maya Nut Institute & the Food Sovereignty Network (La Red Soberania Alimentaria) and in collaboration with the Lutheran University in San Salvador. They are now part of a national network linking farmers with other farmers and best raditional practices, share seeds and replenish and rescue their food supply. ManáOjushte San Isidro is also collaborating with the National Agricultural School (La ENA) to cultivate new Ojushte trees that will be replanted in order to reforest El Salvador with Ojushte trees. They are working towards educating all communities with ojushte trees on their nutritional value and in sharing cooking recipes to reduce hunger and poverty.
For more information or to order ManáOjushte San Isidro products, please call:
Ana Edith Morales
011- (503) 7951-4613
