“We Women Must Keep Going”: Paula Velásquez’s Story

Promoter, Project Harvest – Totonicapán, Guatemala

Paula Velásquez’s connection with Project Harvest began long before she officially joined. “I couldn’t tell you exactly when,” she recalls with a smile. “Since I was little, I used to go with my mother to the meetings. When she couldn’t go, I went in her place. I think I was in sixth grade when I started participating.”

What began as a child’s accompaniment became a lifelong journey of learning, growing, and leadership. Paula’s mother was among the early participants in Project Harvest, and through her example, Paula absorbed the values of community work and improving food security that have guided her ever since.

Sowing Her Own Garden

When Paula married in 2012, she decided to start her own family garden. “I had always helped my mother with hers,” she explains. “So when I got married, I asked my in-laws to lend me a small piece of land. That’s where I started planting vegetables—and not just vegetables, but fruit and forest trees too.”

In her community, as in many parts of rural Guatemala, women rarely own land. Yet Paula found a way to create space for herself and her family through her garden. “I already knew how to plant,” she says. “I was used to it. Having our own garden makes life so much easier—you can just pick what you need: broccoli, cauliflower. It’s right there, fresh and organic.”

For Paula, the family garden is more than a source of food—it’s a form of empowerment. “It helps the men too,” she says. “If my husband doesn’t have money, I can still make sure there’s food on the table. Women think about what the family will eat every day, all year long. The garden gives us that security. Even if it’s just cabbage for a stew, it’s enough.”

Becoming a Promoter            

Paula’s knowledge and dedication did not go unnoticed. Project Harvest invited her to become a community promoter. At first, she hesitated. “I doubted myself,” she admits. “We have more practical experience than theory. But my parents supported me—they gave me the opportunity to go out and work. For me, becoming a promoter meant teaching others what I had learned.”

Her motivation came from seeing how women’s work could transform families’ lives. “It’s not easy for us women,” she says. “Sometimes men leave us money, but it’s never enough. We have to find ways to feed our children. Many families survive only on a little tamalito with salt. But through the project, we learn to work and to support our families.”

Trust and Opportunity

“What I value most about Project Harvest,” Paula reflects, “is the trust they placed in me. Imagine—they come from another country, from Canada, to help people. They work with poor and needy families, and you can see the happiness when those families harvest their cabbage or broccoli.”

She adds with pride, “Project Harvest didn’t see whether I was a woman or whether I had a family—they gave me the opportunity to work. That meant a lot to me.”

Teaching, Learning, and Overcoming Barriers

As a promoter, Paula works with women in nearby communities, helping them to establish and care for their gardens. She knows firsthand the barriers they face. “In our communities, many women can’t go out without asking permission—from their husbands or in-laws. If a woman can’t go out, she can’t move forward. But when she finds the courage to participate, that’s when change begins.”

She continues, “When a woman is afraid, she stays behind—and that brings suffering, poverty, and illiteracy. But when we participate in trainings and meetings, we learn something new, and it lifts our spirits. Even when I feel tired, when I go to a meeting and hear a few encouraging words, I say to myself, ‘I have to keep going. I have to move forward. I have to do this and show that life is full of challenges, but we can face them.’”

Paula also acknowledges the gender barriers that persist in her community. “Sometimes men don’t give women time to participate. They say, ‘What are you going to learn there?’ They’re afraid we might change our way of thinking. They believe it’s the man’s job to provide for the family, and that the woman’s place is at home, caring for the children. It’s been that way for generations, and it’s still hard to change. But we keep trying.”

A Message of Gratitude

Today, Paula continues to work as a promoter and is also a proud mother. “Thanks be to God, we are in good health. I’m happy here with my new baby,” she says. “I want to thank Project Harvest for the opportunity they have given me. Please send my greetings to Don Pablo and to the entire Board of Directors. On behalf of all the women, I send many greetings. We are happy because we are harvesting from our gardens—broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage. The families are eating what we’ve grown. We are grateful for the support you’ve given us.”

Paula’s story reflects the spirit of resilience and transformation that defines Project Harvest’s work in Guatemala: women taking root, growing in strength, and cultivating hope—one garden at a time.