My friend posted this NY Times video about a Guatemalan man, Eduardo Jimenez, who lived in New Jersey for a decade before returning to Guatemala. Jimenez lives in western Guatemala and speaks Mam. In his village of Cajola, as in so many villages in Guatemala, 70% of the men are gone, left for the US in search of better opportunity.
But after living in the US, Jimenez realized the untapped potential of Guatemala’s women and girls. With the financial support of an American woman, Jimenez set up systems in his hometown to teach women and girls to read and help them begin small businesses. He also set up a school for their children.
I don’t have the energy to debate immigration, but over the years, I’ve visited Guatemala many times and seen immigration’s other side: women and children left behind, living without husbands and fathers.
As I watched the video, I wondered where the government of Guatemala stands in all this: What does it mean when a person believes his best and only chance for success is to leave his family and his country? What action is the government of Guatemala taking to retain its precious resource, its citizens?
Kudos to Eduardo Jimenez for working to improve the lives of his fellow Guatemalans. Wishing him continued success. ~
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