Childhood is a stage in life marked by curiosity, exploration, and learning, and at Casagua we want to accompany and support that learning through art, play, music, and a love of nature.
Throughout this year, we have had the opportunity to learn alongside the children in weekly workshops on biodiversity, pollination, agroecology, crafts, and much more. We started by planting organic seeds that we watched germinate, grow, and then transform into delicious salads that were enjoyed by everyone.
We also welcomed many friends from all over the world who enthusiastically shared their energy and knowledge at Casagua, leaving their mark, happiness, and inspiration on every girl and boy who danced, sang, laughed, painted, built, cooked, and had fun learning.
The adventure began with Cami and Valen, leaving their colourful artwork in the mural of the hummingbird and the Nebaj belt. Nacho arrived from Argentina and Nati from Colombia, teaching us how to make fun masks and musical instruments that had us singing and dancing while we cooked pizza.
We also made pizza and planted seeds, learning about moon cycles in agriculture alongside solar engineers from Barefoot College Latin America.
In February, we were overjoyed to welcome our dear friends Filipa, Almu, and Ben, who have inspired and supported us so much this year.
Together with Ketzali and the Pantalla Itinerante of Jairo Bustamante’s Fundación Ixcanul, they brought the magic and fascination of art made into images and music. For this activity, we also had the collaboration and good vibes of our friends Bea, Carli, Francesca, and Hugo, who always motivated us with their energy and friendship. We were very happy to be able to coordinate children’s film screenings at the Chajul Community Library and with the Batzul primary school at the Barefoot Centre.
In March, we began preparing the soil for the garden where we would plant the seeds that were already beginning to sprout in our seedbeds. Tomatoes, lettuce, broccoli, and many more were yet to come.
This month we also received a visit from our friend Alyson, who arrived with educational books and accompanied us and the children to the Day of Water celebration, an invitation extended to us by the municipality, where the children were able to express their feelings and give advice on the conservation of our natural resources.
In May, we had the support of two students from the University of San Carlos in Guatemala, who led a workshop on self-esteem and self-care through games, stories, and fun activities. The care and affection of Cate, Joele, Monica, Gigi, Antonio, and Arianna arrived in July to paint, laugh, and continue making lots of art while telling the children about magical places beyond the sea.
July was full of visits and joy. Aisling visited us with great enthusiasm and left her good energy in the garden. Movement, dance, and meditation took us from calmness to dancing and running with Meryem and Alex, with whom we spent magical moments.
The same goes for Darío, who arrived in Nebaj full of curiosity and energy for art classes, ancestral traditions, and playing with the children! Abundance came in September with bright red tomatoes, lettuce, beans, guavas, lemons, and many more fruits and vegetables that are happy to see the sun.
By the end of October, we were already making kites that would soon fly their colors high in the sky and bring smiles to the faces of little children who watched in amazement at what they could create with their own hands.
In December, they continued doing so, this time with Claudia, an expert muralist who creates community art with children in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Thank you, Iris, Elena, Giulia and Arianna, for supporting us during the closing days of Casagua, when we worked with the children to create a mural of Ixchel and Chaac, the Mayan goddess and god of water.
With this mural full of art and good energy, we concluded the presentation of 43 diplomas to the children who participated throughout this year, our first year of workshops in Casagua.
We remember stories like Edwin’s, who first came to Casagua with his dad to help him carry materials during the construction of a floor and wasn’t sure if he liked books.
Just two months after receiving the invitation to participate in the workshops, he had already read many of the books and spent quite a bit of time immersed in the fascinating world of reading, imagining other lives, other stories. Or that of Luciana, the shy girl who at first hid her gaze and whispered her name, and now plays the marimba, sings, and dances while running with her arms outstretched, saying she is a princess, her face covered in glitter and her head held high so that everyone can see her.
It fills us with happiness and motivation to continue next year, to hear Paola say “I can do it” with such confidence, to see Juan take care of Antony and share his toys, to feel the trust in the warm and tender hugs from Dayana or Marta, from Orlando, to hear the mothers say that the girls are always asking when Saturday will come, “we want to go to Casagua, they say”…
That is what we seek at Casagua, for them to see it not only as a place of learning, but also as a safe space where imagination, play, and freedom are essential to help them on their path of confidence and self-discovery.
While exploring the globe, we bake pizzas and cakes, plant fruits and vegetables, learning to share and live together while respecting our environment and nature, valuing our roots and cultures,
imagining and knowing that many worlds are possible and that happiness can be found in a piece of paper, in a crayon, in a garden, in a hug, that it is about giving rather than receiving, and that we do not need a television, a tablet, or a cell phone to spend hours and hours of fun and learning.
Thank you to everyone who joined us from home and from afar. Wherever you are, you will always be in our hearts. Special thanks to our board: Gari, Filipa, Silvia, and Ben—you always go above and beyond, in your diverse roles and lives, to build community, and we are so grateful to share this adventure with you.
Our greatest reward is seeing smiles on the faces of children. Next year, Casagua will open its doors once again to continue learning and teaching. We hope to welcome many more visitors and offer more outdoor workshops. Games, adventures, and many books await us at Casagua.
Because a better world is always possible…
