As I lurched over the bumps in the dirt road in the back of the tuktuk, I glanced around eagerly, looking for anything I might recognize. The mountain, wispy clouds stretched over the thick foliage, which rose over the farm fields to the right of the road looked familiar, but once we’d passed through the gate onto Community Cloud Forest Conservation (CCFC) property, the views had changed.
It was November of 2025, five years after I had intended to return to CCFC to volunteer with the Women in Agroforestry Leadership for Conservation (WALC) program. The first time I’d visited, I’d come during spring break in 2019 with Dawn Bowen’s Grassroots Development in Guatemala geography class from the University of Mary Washington. In those six years the change in tree cover is astounding.
WALC’s goal is to address climate change and cloud forest deforestation by focusing on the education of women and girls. The girls in the program, aged 12-28, participate in a range of classes and activities designed to build self-esteem and leadership skills and become positive changemakers in their communities.
What impressed me most about the WALC program was how by this point in its evolution (18 years after Rob and Tara first conceived of it), it basically runs itself. All the teachers and coordinators for the program are WALC alumni, and even some of the courses have been designed by the teachers. It’s an excellent example of how sustainable development must be tailored to the specific community it serves and the specific challenges they face.
I was just happy to be there and help in whatever way I could. I quickly found my niche as a documentor, taking photos and posting on the CCFC social media accounts. I loved having the chance to interact with the girls. I was even able to interview a few first time and returning participants to hear firsthand the impact of the program on their lives. Having worked with Girl Scouts around the world, I found the young women of the WALC program were very much like girls anywhere else: smart, funny, strong, hard working, silly, curious, kind, optimistic, and full of potential.
The challenges facing these young women include difficulty continuing education after the sixth grade, malnutrition, lack of opportunities, and changing climate. The WALC program addresses these problems by teaching about nutrition, health, agroecology, water conservation, soil health, biodiversity, climate change, women’s leadership, and more. Not only do girls that go through this program gain more opportunities by continuing their education, but it also helps them to imagine the possibilities of many different futures, providing wonderful role models in the teachers, coordinators, and guest speakers.
Each participant left with eight tree seedlings with which to start her parcel, knowledge of conservation and agroforestry, and confidence and leadership skills to bring back to her community. Upon completion of the program and reporting on her parcel, each girl will earn a scholarship to help her continue her education.
Returning home to Colorado after attending both the November and January WALC sessions, I’m heartened to know the future of the villages, Guatemala, and the world is in the hands of these thoughtful young women.
Krista Beucler is a writer, artist, and traveler passionate about adventure, the outdoors, photography, cats, and gluten free food. She graduated from the University of Mary Washington with a BA in English: Creative Writing, a double minor in Spanish and Museum Studies, and a certificate from the Peace Corps Prep Program. She earned an MFA in creative writing from Drexel University. Her interests are as eclectic as her qualifications.
