HistoryThe grassroots of the organization are to be found in the early 1990s
when different community groups were trying to unite their endeavors in
order to obtain a better standard of living by cultivating their land
(again) and thereby contributing to a positive economic and social
enhancement of their livelihoods.
Their needs were met by the assistance of the "Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung“ (KAS) – a German political foundation offering civic education programs worldwide. KAS interest in the region started in 1992 and consisted in contributing to a process of sustainable development and to a reduction in both, the poverty level and extreme poverty. Under the umbrella of ASIES – Asociación de Investigación Economica Social – independent committees in 6 villages along the southern shore started with their work and KAS was supporting this by granting and managing micro credits to certain projects and farmers. KAS’ main focus lay in the education and vocational training of ASIES’ members – who to a great deal were farmers and artisans – and in the commercialization of their products. After a couple of years where first initiatives and projects were successfully realized on a micro level, the beneficaries of the region as a coffee growing land became the major focus in 1998 and consequently in 2000 FEDEPMA was officially installed, and started it’s work in 2004 with the following associated organizations: - AMO – Asociación Maya de Oro de la Aldea Cerro de Oro (Santiago Atitlán) - ASEVA – Asociación de Servicios Varios (Santiago Atitlán) - ADENISA – Asociación de Desarollo Nimajuyú (San Pedro La Laguna) - ASOAC – Asociación de Autoayuda Chinimayá, (San Juan La Laguna) - ADIPP – Asociación de Desarollo Integral Pauleño (San Pablo Laguna) - APROESA– Asociación de Prodcucción Ecolológico y Ambiental (San Juan La Laguna) The year 2007 saw a major restructuring of FEDEPMA going hand in hand with a broader financial engagement of programs initiated by the European Union and finally led to the following associated organizations: - AMO – Asociación Maya de Oro de la Aldea Cerro de Oro (Santiago Atitlán) - ADENISA – Asociación de Desarollo Nimajuyú (San Pedro La Laguna) - ASOAC – Asociación de Autoayuda Chinimayá, (San Juan La Laguna) - COPIMEL – Cooperativa Apícola (xxxxxxx) - ALAS – Asociación Mujeres de Soya (xxxxxx) Throughout the years FEDEPMA worked on the means of it’s goals and other international organizations like HELVETAS (2009-2012, Switzerland) and PROSOL (2012-2014, Canada) took their shares in contributing to this development by strengthening FEDEPMA’s administrative, financial and technical capacity in order to reach it’s objectives and meet the demands of associated and non-associated parties. Within different projects, programs and time frames financial and technical assistance as well as training to the small manufacturers associated with FEDEPMA likewise to those not associated was provided. Furthermore the establishment of an adequate coordination between FEDEPMA and other local institutions, including local governments and development councils have been fostered. Along the way of this engagement the subsequent sustainable respectively productive projects can be found: - Coffee: cultivation, production and commercialization - Organic Fertilizer: production of the type “lompricompost” - Honey and polls: production, processing and commercialization - Textiles with natural coloring: production and commercialization - Soya products: processing of soya into comestible goods - Community Tourism: agricultural tours |