La Red del Sueño Guatemalteco
Help raise $300,000 to secure a space for DESGUA to continue its AMAZING WORK!!!
Just over twelve years ago, grassroots community organization DESGUA wanted to create opportunities for returned migrants and struggling locals, a way to let go of the ever elusive American Dream, and take hold of the potential reality of the Guatemalan dream.
First known as Cafe Red , a restaurant, then La Red Kat , a restaurant, store, and educational center. “k’at” and “red” meaning “net” or “web” in their respective Maya K’iche and Spanish, now simply La Red, the net in Spanish.
La Red exists for and by the work and teachings of migrants, mayan elders, local youth, artists, educators, farmers, and small family businesses alike.
Whereas today’s social political conditions have left local farm communities struggling to compete against transnational corporations, and lacking in the educational and economic foundations to detour the youth from migrating.
We connect consumers and producers, as well as potential students with potential teachers.
Folks learning and sharing on subjects from cooking, carpentry, languages, Mayan astronomy, Mayan epigraphy, to supporting the reintegration of the returned migrant with their family and community, and the decolonization of our past, present and future. By gathering these, our social resources, we create educational and economic resources for those struggling to be valued for their labor and knowledge.
Located in the southwestern highlands of Guatemala, Xela Qutzaltenango, second to Guatemala City for largest population in Guatemala, Xela is a hub for its neighboring towns.
Its location and space lends itself to holding classes, workshops, and support groups, in person and virtually.
La Red has initiatives like Cooking for the Guatemalan Dream that has offered educational scholarships to young people and a place to start working, gain experience and confidence to develop their path to greater educational and professional experiences.
It has been and can continue to be a space to learn, practice and develop a trade or skill.
Despite the pandemic, La Red has continued to be of use in community efforts, as it was the central location to store and distribute goods during Guatemala’s lockdowns. It hosts special events for organizations, and flea markets to support local family businesses and startups. It continues to be a space to launch and develop projects and programs for innovative Guatemalans to find their Guatemalan dream.
DESGUA’s board recently came to a unanimous vote to buy the space, as after ten years of renting a space and spending most of our budget to do so, buying the space would be an investment toward our communities near and far, securing a space would secure our work for longer than we can see today.
Your contributions will help us purchase the house, where DESGUA can continue to administer the space, being the organization that has and continues to be guided by the people and culture it aims to help thrive.
Guided by the precolonial wisdom of our ancestors and the post capitalist worldview for tomorrow, as proprietors, we would continue connecting roots to fruits, indigenous abuelos to the growing number of chiltepes in the diaspora.
La Red, the net can be autonomous and strong enough to keep supporting local community efforts, developing international solidarity practices for social economic equity, and a more conscious global community for generations to come.