Report

I had arrived in Noh Bec in the stifling heat of a Mexican summer. The heat was hotter than the habanero peppers that accompanied every meal I ate. My hammock became irresistible; swinging in it I could feel the slightest breeze cool my sweat-filled pours. Most of my time in Mexico, however, was not spent in a hammock, but rather out in the community of Noh Bec, a pueblo of 2,000 people situated on the Yucatán Peninsula. Conversing with local people, and working alongside the women artisans in their workshop, I began to comprehend some of the economic and social dynamics that influence community projects.

The Forest Management Trust, a non-governmental organization based in Gainesville, Florida had asked me to help them evaluate a women artisans project that had been ongoing for approximately six years. The project has three interlocking goals: promotion of certified sustainable forest management; community development through forest-based enterprises; and empowerment of women.

The women woodturners of Noh Bec convert a variety of woods from a certified forest into utilitarian items that they sell locally and regionally. The objectives of my evaluation were to develop a thorough understanding of why the project is not self-sustaining at this time, identify what is required to make the project self-sustaining, and determine the role of The Forest Management Trust in the future of the project. In addition to the evaluation, I also conducted workshops for the women artisans on various subjects such as how to calculate production costs, examine markets, and establish a project plan. My priority was to spend time with the women woodturners, attempting to understand the constraints and opportunities they face in operating a craft business.

Conversation came sporadically. The hum of the spinning lathes and the sound of the tools piercing tropical hardwoods meant more than a craft operation. Although a few minutes away from their homes, the workshop, a simple open-air, wooden structure brought the women woodturners far from what has been typical in rural Mexican communities.

In a pueblo where women have traditionally worked in the home, the workshop is a place where women are making their own rules, in a trade that has always been a man's world. In between my sanding down the bottom of wooden bowls, I heard stories of life. Births and deaths, sickness and baptisms, good crops and poor crops, divorces and love stories. Shy at first, the women gradually opened their lives to me and I realized what a positive force a common meeting ground could be to share the daily triumphs and travails of life.

I also began to comprehend that such places can potentially create conflict within families, communities or among individuals. Past project participants, community members and the women artisans shared with me why some past members had not remained with the project. Husbands had not approved of their wives working outside of the home, young children needed to be attended to, or hard earned money had not been evenly divided.

The project faced other challenges beyond retention of women. For example, they had not established their products in nearby marketplaces and therefore had no consistent sales of products. The first step in procuring a place to sell their products was for the women to get to know their market. The Forest Management Trust's Mexican partner organization, Tropica Rural Latinoamerica (TRL) and I arranged for the women to get to know their potential customers as well as their competition by hosting a two day visit to nearby markets on what is known as the "Mexican Riveria".

Moving north on the Caribbean coast, the women interviewed tourists and spoke with shop managers. Some of the women had never been to the nearby tourist towns. Although an immense learning experience for the women, it was also a delightfully fun trip. Simple things that I take for granted became sheer excitement. For example, many of the women had never seen an escalator. Getting on one, elicited nervous giggles, and eventually excited laughter when one member of the group was left at the bottom. Eventually a passerby grabbed her hand and convinced her to jump.

One of my personal challenges involved becoming intimately familiar with a project, but not being in a position to actually change the project. In the role of an evaluator, I was identifying weaknesses and strengths and making suggestions, but not actually implementing changes. At times, this was a most frustrating role to be in, but at the same time one of the most valuable.

As a mere observer, I probably witnessed things about the project that I would have missed if I were managing the project. Since my role in the project was not to change anything, I focused simply on noting all the details of what was going on around me, permitting me not to get caught up in "what should be", but rather "what is". In my future work, I hope these skills will allow me to step back and see projects I become involved in through "new" eyes.

Each day, as the sun began its descent, I would take my daily walk out of town. The narrow, paved road made its way towards the forest, heading past the tiny stores that reopened for the cool hours of the evening. My feet would step quickly, drawn by my eagerness to lose myself in the sounds of the forest.

The cry of the howler monkey is one of the most unforgettable sounds of Neotropical forests. It reminds me that there are still wild places, where monkeys leap, toucans fly, and pumas roam. And indeed, on most evenings, I was privileged to hear the howlers roaring in the distance. At dusk, the snakes would slither in front of me, and once a stealthy fox managed to slip across my path. The swallows would fill the skies in their last attempt to gather food before settling in for the evening.

When I was finally drawn to my sleeping mat, sleep would often evade me. Lying awake, with the moonlight slipping through the fruit trees, I would think of the women of Noh Bec and how lucky I was to get to know people willing to face challenges and opportunities gracefully, with smiles and strength.

Photo Gallery

While visiting potential markets for their craft products, the women gathered for a short break to visit the turquoise waters of the Mayan Riveria.

A typical house in the village of Noh Bec, Mexico. Note the Coca-Cola sign in front of the house signaling that the beverage is for sale within the house. Unfortunately, the house I rented did not have a thatched roof. Such roofs are extremely effective in maintaining coolness during the oppressive heat throughout the day

Doing the laundry and dish-washing are time-consuming tasks. Oddly enough, on some days they were a welcome distraction because the water served to cool me down!

Members of the Women Artisans project stand in front of their workshop with some of their woodturned projects. These women take post-harvest residuals from a certified forest and convert them into utilitarian products such as bowls, rolling pins and candlesticks. They are attempting to find a stable market in the tourist towns, which line their way along the Caribbean coast, south of Cancun.