Our activities last year:
In January, we began checking out legal and taxes procedures so as to start our plan to re open ICA Guatemala. We looked for 7 people for an Administrative Board: a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary, a Treasurer and 3 vocals. We looked for Information in written reports on financial issues that had been carried out by the Guatemala Institute since 2002. We started organizing ourselves by programs and records. We hired an accountants’ firm to do work related to financial reports of our institution.

We met people who had shown interest in the continuance of Guatemala’s ICA; previous collaborators such as Roberto Betancourt, Ricardo Umaña, and Rosa María Betancourt gave us their insights and recommendations. Lisseth Roman, Carlos Urrutia and Lis Lorenzo are interested in forming a team on the Technology of Participation (ToP). The Education Supervisor and Social Worker at the Health Center in Sanarate (where the Conacaste Human Development Center is situated) are willing to support or participate in projects or programs, ICA Guatemala may propose or execute. Local people are enthusiastic about having ICAG training on Leadership at the community development committees.

We facilitated an Action Plan with ANTHROTEC and COCOMASUR in Colombia on Carbon Bonus certification at the Darién Corridor. This Action Plan was coordinated and delivered by ICA Guatemala and ICA Chile.

People working with us:

People from the Administrative Board like Ligia Villagrán, Duillo Monterroso. Other people like Lisseth Lorenzo, as Trainer on ToP Technologies, is committed to helping us, and supporting us on writing new proposals. Carlos Urrutia and Edgar Roman are ready to train on ToP Technologies. Rosa María Betancourt is willing and ready to help and support us on the Education field.

Our future expectations:

Work in a Program with fathers, mothers and children, learning from our past experiences, adding a new component, the basket of Learning and Healthy Nutrition Strengthen a partner’s relationship with the Associationof  Small Land Owners at San Miguel

Conacaste and San Juan School.

Strengthen our ToP team through marketing in order to attain new courses, enlarge the team and create new strategies in order to get to the Universities. Participate in strategies or nets on environmental problems and entrepreneurs.

Importance of ICA Guatemala’s membership in ICAI:
We still need the catalyzing part of ICA in Guatemala because it’s a means to stay in touch with today’s world tendencies that need team work and ICA has the tools to attain such purpose.

Help from ICA Chile:
It helped us move forward and motivated us to reach our goals. ICA Chile gave us US$150 that helped us to reinstitute ICA Guatemala as an Association and pay off some Tax procedures.

Importance of collaboration with other national ICAs
 We think collaboration is important because we create a new confidence among us and we can speak the same language.

Why we are re-opening ICA Guatemala:
ICA Guatemala had a very bad image due to negligence and misunderstandings that made it die. There are people who think well of ICA Guatemala, of its programs and the changes that they can make in people, and of the need there is for Participation Technologies at all levels. The history of ICA Guatemala on children’s development is deeply motivating. Besides all this, we feel proud being part of a global Development Net.

 
ICA Guatemala’s message to the world:
We hope to do our best; we will be informing you of everything we do during the next months. We are aware that we need to build new nets and strengthen people who could be vital in developing our programs.

About sustainability, our Institution needs to find means to produce income, keep a close control on all financial aspects, and use all the technology available in order to plan with the support of the team we have now.