Old and new

Here's what the old houses in Chonco look like. Sticks and straw. The whole community is built on the side of a mountain. A steep path connects each level, which has maybe 5 or 6 houses. When Tim and Gloria first came there, there wasn't a road. The people in Chonco had to carve one out of the mountain just to be able to walk supplies in for houses. 

Chonco is a Maya-Chorti village, so the people have land rights. But the land they received from the government is horrible for farming. All rock, no dirt. They walk 2 hours every day just to get to their fields, which are steep and rocky. So they're having a hard time farming.

But things have definitely improved. Gloria said before the housing project there was a lot of malnutrition among the children and almost everyone was illiterate. Since they became organized, the people are healthy and have built their own school. Plus, they have a road and houses. A little effective community organizing goes a long, long way.