Guatemala

Article

Interview with Alicia Simón Sisimit, Kaqchikel Journalist and activist at DDASO Project

DDASO project team conducting field work

Short description of the Kaqchikel community

The municipality of San José Poaquil was founded on November 1, 1891. It is located in the department of Chimaltenango with a territorial extension of approximately 100 km² and has almost 30 000 inhabitants. It is one of the 16 municipalities that make up the department of Chimaltenango. It is located in the west of the Republic of Guatemala at a distance of 101 kilometers from the Capital City and distance 47 kilometers from the Departmental Capital.

Participatory workshop for Indigenous women on their roles and responsibilities related to water

Group photo of the workshop participants

Interview with Alicia Simón Sisimit, Kaqchikel Journalist and activist at DDASO Project

Short description of the Kaqchikel community

Need for technical assistance to identify new water sources such as springs within the forest, in Guatemala

DDASO project team using drones to identify water sources

Need for assistance to identify more efficient ways (for example, through the use of new technologies) to find unknown water resources within the forest and also be able to determine soil and water quality. This will have the community to have access to safe drinking water.

Safe drinking water is lacking in the Kaqchikel community

Kaqchikel woman using water supplied by the municipality

The Kaqchikel community is facing the challenge of not having access to good quality and safe water for domestic use. The water that is supplied by the municipality for domestic use is not drinkable. Another source of water that the community relies on for domestic use is the river which also has polluted water. In the meantime, assistance is needed for water quality assessments and monitoring as well as water purification so that the community can have access to safe drinking water.

Regional Focus

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Stakeholder

GEO - Global Water Sustainability

Established in 2017 by the Group on Earth Observations - Water Community, GEOGloWS is a voluntary mechanism created by informal agreement among multiple partners from inside and outside the UN system. This mechanism allows for engagement and greater integration with trans-national organizations and agencies with water responsibilities at the National and Local levels.

Global Water Partnership

The Global Water Partnership (GWP) is a global action network with over 3,000 Partner organisations in 179 countries. The network has 69 accredited Country Water Partnerships and 13 Regional Water Partnerships.

The network is open to all organisations involved in water resources management: developed and developing country government institutions, agencies of the United Nations, bi- and multi-lateral development banks, professional associations, research institutions, non-governmental organisations, and the private sector.

Zetina

Isabel Zetina

Intern United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs

Isabel Zetina, from Guatemala, has carved her path through a journey in Earth Sciences. Her academic pursuit led her to the University of Innsbruck, where she pursuit a bachelor's in Earth Science. Fuelled by her passion for understanding Earth's intricate systems, Isabel pursued her Master's degree in Applied Earth Science at the University of Vienna. It was during this time that her fascination with hydrogeology and groundwater management blossomed.

Simón Sisimit

Alicia Simón Sisimit

Staff at the Press Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Guatemala; Kaqchikel journalist and activist

Originally from San José Poaquil, Chimaltenango, Indigenous Kaqchikel woman, she attended her secondary level at the Instituto Normal para Señoritas "Olimpia Leal", in Antigua, Guatemala. Ms Simón Sisimit graduated from the only public university in Guatemala, Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala as a Journalist with a Bachelor of Social Communication Sciences. She is currently a student in Public Management and Juridicality at the National Institute of Public Administration -Guatemala (INAP).

Short description of the Kaqchikel community

Short description of the Kaqchikel community

Related Content

Article

Interview with Alicia Simón Sisimit, Kaqchikel Journalist and activist at DDASO Project

Interview with Alicia Simón Sisimit, Kaqchikel Journalist and activist at DDASO Project

Participatory workshop for Indigenous women on their roles and responsibilities related to water

Participatory workshop for Indigenous women on their roles and responsibilities related to water

Interview with Alicia Simón Sisimit, Kaqchikel Journalist and activist at DDASO Project

Interview with Alicia Simón Sisimit, Kaqchikel Journalist and activist at DDASO Project

Local Perspectives Case Studies

Need for technical assistance to identify new water sources such as springs within the forest, in Guatemala

Need for technical assistance to identify new water sources such as springs within the forest, in Guatemala

Safe drinking water is lacking in the Kaqchikel community

Safe drinking water is lacking in the Kaqchikel community

Map

Regional Focus

Stakeholder

GEO - Global Water Sustainability

GEO - Global Water Sustainability

Global Water Partnership

Global Water Partnership

Person

Zetina

Isabel Zetina

Simón Sisimit

Alicia Simón Sisimit