FUNCEDESCRI’s field staff consist of eight members who spend most of their time in Campur, Cunén, and Nebaj. The field staff is in constant, direct contact with our partner communities. Most of our field staff members are from the regions in which we work. This connection facilitates trusting relationships between FUNCEDESCRI and the families in our partner communities. In addition, many members of the field staff have significant experience working with farming communities through their work at FUNCEDESCRI and other organizations.

Our staff works in a sustainable way with our partner communities. Communities approach FUNCEDESCRI for support when they feel that they could benefit from the accompaniment we provide in achieving food security and food sovereignty. When communities begin working with FUNCEDESCRI, they complete a process of self-evaluation. The communities themselves decide what their highest priority needs are in order to solicit help from FUNCEDESCRI. If a proposal is accepted, FUNCEDESCRI commits to the process of supporting that community. FUNCEDESCRI does not give away anything for free but rather invests in training sessions and workshops that empower communities to lead their own community development. If a project requires funding, FUNCEDESCRI usually looks to both the municipality and the community itself to provide a portion of the finances necessary. FUNCEDESCRI makes sure to accompany communities through their process of community development and never does a training session or provides funding without following up with that community. By always being in direct contact with the communities, FUNCEDESCRI continuously learns from our community members about their culture, beliefs, and challenges. This allows our organization to constantly tailor our engagement and refine our organization’s best practices in order to responsibly meet the needs of our communities.

Our field teams work directly with the administrative and program staff that are based in San Lucas, Sacatepéquez. An important part of the coordination between these teams is the group meetings that we have every six weeks at FUNCEDESCRI´s headquarters. The field staff come to San Lucas for two weeks at a time in order to update the entire staff on the work each team has accomplished during their time in the communities, deliver reports, share best practices, coordinate activities for the following six weeks, participate in group professional development sessions, and collaborate to set goals for the organization.