Letter to Quetzaltrekkers - Health and Living Standards

The Lunches prepared by the guides were great, however, the same standards need to be held for the volunteers themselves, who are dedicating their lives to this way of life, and the purpose of the nonprofit, which is to fund Escuela de la Calle, an educational group dedicated to the youth of this area.

The nature was beautiful, can we encourage using the ability of this group, Quetzaltrekkers, for the pick-up of trash, and better waste management?

This is not only an advocacy for the volunteers and their wuality of life, but for that of the hikers who not only represent their countries of origin, but become Guatemalan Representatives, as well.

To whom it may concern,

I believe it is important that I write to you this email today regarding the conditions I witnessed and experienced during my time with Quetzaltrekkers. I recently went on the client hike, and was genuinely inspired by the project that is happening with Escuela de la Calle, and with the opportunities that Quetzaltrekkers brings to the areas in which the hikers pass through, for the well-kept home stays that are utilized during the overnights, as well as the tiendas, along the way. However, I have some serious health concerns, for the wellbeing of not only the hikers, but most importantly, the volunteers themselves, that I believe are imperative to be addressed, and I hope to assist in that progress as much as possible. 

I have successfully built a nonprofit fundraising platform for the past five years, and if it is possible for me to promote on behalf of Quetaltrekkers, and fundraise for the wellbeing of the volunteers who make this good work possible for Escuela de la Calle, and the Guatemalan community, then I would like to make that a priority of mine. 

It is my belief that the volunteers and hikers are not only representing their respective countries of origin, but that they become representatives of Guatemala, and give voice to the communities that they experience along the way. Too many times, however, I heard comments regarding the "lack of regulation" or very blatantly, the ignorance of the people to sanitation and cleanliness. This is simply not true, as a Guatemalan American who has grown up traveling between the states and Guatemala, staying with my family or with other educational organizations who meet these standards of health and cleanliness, I found this to be rather insulting. The entire reason why I developed EarthThreads International, a nonprofit fundraising platform, was so that I could build a foundation of communication and resources to help facilitate the change that is needed in areas like Guatemala, to support the development of sanitation, waste management, and environmental awareness, for the sustainability of the economy, the quality of life for the families and children growing up in rural-developing countries, and the precious ecosystems of our planet. I want to address a few points that I experienced, that I will bullet point below, and mention how they were addressed, and possibly, however this can be remediated. I will be leaving a review on Yelp, and on Google, in the hopes that this will encourage Quetzaltrekkers to take more responsibility in the well-being and health of their volunteers, of the hikers, as well as be the representative for the advocacy of the people in Guatemala, as they have the ability to do so, and that I know has been communicated to them before due to the comments made by the senior guides;

-The front room of Casa de Argentina goes absolutely against any common health standard, even for Guatemala, as it smells strongly of years worth of animal urine, and it is suffocating once a person walks in. It is not good for the psychological health, or even the physical well being of the hikers and volunteers who pass through the front room, as gear is left on the floor in this room, and it is the only entry way into the office of Quetzaltrekkers, and it is a terrible example of what Guatemala stands for. I had to endure demeaning and discriminating comments from other clients, as I was one myself, due to the cleanliness of "the people" in Guatemala, simply because of what they were experiencing at Casa de Argentina.

- I heard a few of the volunteers mention that there are rooms in which plumbing pipes leave a foul smell in the room, and that they have lived in those conditions for the mandatory 10 weeks that they were volunteering, and some even longer than that. I must express, THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE. Just as it is with is the front room, to live in a room with improper plumbing is indicative of lazy management, and a carelessness for communicating with the resident hosts. Quetzaltrekkers is responsible for the wellbeing of their volunteers, for their physical and psycho-emotional well-being, as many are young adults even younger than I am, who are dedicating their lives not only to an experience, but to a cause. This cause is to promote development of post-civil-war Guatemala, and that starts with ensuring a clean residence. Not just one that "meets the basic standards", "has gotten better", or "offers privacy", but that is held to a basic human standard. Having worked in other community volunteer organizations, I was shocked to hear about and see these conditions. A basic acceptable standard is not just privacy, but means not living in the presence of animal and human waste. If Quetzaltrekkers is going to advertise and market that they are a social advocacy group promoting change in Guatemala through the lives of the youth and the community, then the homebase of their volunteers, and the office that their hikers enter into, need to be held to a premium standard of cleanliness and hygiene, This will not only encourage others to visit Quetzaltrekkers more, and bring more clients, but it will also represent Guatemala and truly promote change for the Guatemalan community, as it will garner a respect for this country and its people from the visitors who come to this land. I am willing to fundraise for the possible resources necessary for Quetzaltrekkers to make this change happen, at Casa de Argentina. I expect within the next few months for a cleaning service to be available at Casa de Argentina, and within the next year, for the basic plumbing structures be met, IN EACH ROOM. This will be reported to tourist authorities in both the United States, and in Quetzaltenango.

-I found hair in both the food I ate at the final restaurant, as well as in a cake baked at the office of Quetzaltrekkers. I understand that due to stress, health conditions, and basic human living, that this might be unavoidable at times, however still, having worked in the food and health industries for over 10 years, right out of highschool I understood that food-prep hygiene is the most important thing. I was trained in food handling and preparation services in the United States. When I found what looked like body hair in my vegetarian burger at our final restaurant, I was disgusted and modified. When I communicated this to the guide, it was told to me that it was unhelpful to mention anything to the restaurant as "Guatemala does not have a great importance for regulation" of food safety, and that it "would not do anything". I was also told that the pizza I could ot eat due to a rancid smell and taste, which is why I ordered the vegetarian burger, had made other volunteers sick before, and was simply avoided, instead of brought up to the restaurant. This rhetoric of accepting unhealthy living conditions and food standards, enables and normalizes disorganization, disease, and a dissolution of human civilization as a whole. These comment insulted me, because I have worked personally with my own family in promoting and encouraging a higher standard for food distribution in the municipal of Ascintal, and personally know restaurant owners in El Xab who worked in food management for years in the United States, and now owned their own successful businesses in Retalhuleu, and held their facilities to the same standards of cleanliness and hygiene as found in the United States. Instead of this being reported back to the office by the guide, it was instead reported that because of my unawareness, I had forgotten to pay for a juice I had ordered at that same restaurant, and that my understanding of the importance of supporting a nonprofit was lacking and shocking due to my own success in organizing a nonprofit. This remark further deepened the insult of the entire experience, I was told that is why I did not meet the standards to be a guide, and I simply cannot let these hypocrisies and transgressions stand by without communicating to Quetzaltrekkers directly. This restaurant and residence - El Fondeadero and Casa de Argentina - should undergo a standard audit by Quetzaltrekkers themselves, by a hired representative of food and health safety of Guatemala, and be made aware of the importance of hygiene in the living quarters and in food preparation, for future clients and volunteers, if they are to continue to be used by the organization in the future. 

In closing, I hope to continue working with Quetzaltrekkers, and Escuela de la Calle in the future, to promote change and social stability for the communities of Guatemala, and its future generations. In regards to payment; I do not feel comfortable giving one more cent to the organization until these standards are met. I would appreciate it if someone from the corporate office would contact me, and I do not mean the resident volunteer director, Ms Jackie. This email needs to be presented to the higher ranks of this organization, as it will be posted online, as well as presented to tourist authorities of Quetzaltenango and the U.S. Department of Tourism. I believe in what Quetzaltrekkers is doing, but more importantly, I stand for the people of Guatemala, as a Guatemalan American who is advocating for change and development in this country, outside of my own personal gain, and it is imperative that the organizations advocating social development in post-war Guatemala and marketing services as such, need to be held to a high standard of health and safety, for the hikers and volunteers, on behalf of the people of Guatemala, and that is not what I experienced this year. If the office is willing to contact me, I will discuss ways and methods that I can fundraise for this organization, free-of-charge, to make these changes happen.

Thank you,

Camila Alejandra Wilson

Founder and Executive of EarthThreads International, and the Camiji Foundation.