More than 60 U.S. volunteers ended a week of work in the Guatemalan highlands and gathered for a celebratory banquet recently at the Porta Hotel Antigua. The volunteers were members of Helps International, a U.S.-based non-profit organization, and they were celebrating another successful trip into the highlands to administer medical care to rural poor who otherwise would not have been able to afford it. Although Helps is not as well-known as the Peace Corps, its stature was indicated by the fact that the guest of honor was the new first lady of Guatemala, Wendy Widman de Berger, who arrived to a standing ovation.

More people have seen ‘Gone with the Wind’ than any other movie; an ageless film, it still occasionally pops up in Guatemalan cinemas. On that basis, Vivian Leigh (Scarlett O’Hara) is probably the most famous person ever carried off with the hacking wind of tuberculosis, which took her at 54. Impoverished Central Americans suffering from what used to be called “consumption” might take comfort in knowing this, since both Vivian and Scarlett were well-bred aristocrats who braved sickness without shame.

With his long silver hair, neckbending specs, baggy pants and furious bike peddling, Dr. Gerardo Barreno could easily pass for a young-as-I-feel Panajachel gringo on a fast commute between a reiki massage class and a capuccino break.

“This is a great job, working with a dedicated group truly devoted to helping other people and our community,” says Director Guillermo Hernández of Antigua’s Tourist Police corps. “You know, I’ve a college degree, and I could earn much more at other work but this is something different — and very satisfying,” Hernández adds.

The difficult things in life — to use the expression — are harder than pulling teeth. For Texan Philip Plunk, this has added meaning. Dentistry for rural Guatemalans is nothing you could painlessly imagine; and were it not for Dr. Plunk and others like him, the pernicious little bugs that rot teeth and gums would continue inflicting misery. Dentistry would not exist.

Earlier this year during a flight over Lake Atitlán, Guatemala an Ecuriel B-3 helicopter had technical problems and plunged into the lake. Thanks to the skill of the pilot, who maneuvered the helicopter for an emergency water-landing, none of the passengers were injured.

Had Joyce Kilmer strolled today’s Alameda Santa Lucía in La Antigua Guatemala, his famous odeto- tree would have read, “I think that I shall never see a poem lovely as a tree, surrounded by a wrought-iron grill, filled with blooming flowers. And, I am giving one to someone special for Christmas!”

In 2002, Project Concern International (PCI) El Salvador, together with six local and international organizations, hosted El Re-Encuentro Río Lempa (Reencounter with the Río Lempa). The event was held to bring together people who share an interest in the protection and recuperation of the rapidly deteriorating Río Lempa basin. In 2003, more than 500 participants rafted down the Río Lempa.

Space precludes mention of all those who performed valiantly in the Atitlán Basin during the Stan crisis. Here are a few of the many stories..

An indispensable marketing tool for women in Guatemala is a sturdy basket to carry food home for the family. For Rainforest Alliance the marketing tool is a seal of certification.