My name is Sigrid Gómez and I live in Mazatenango. I currently serve as an Agroforestry Technician, supporting producers in the departments of Suchitepéquez and Retalhuleu. My main role is to provide technical assistance to producers, deliver diploma programs, and follow up with school communities.
I got to know the Foundation through a colleague who was already working at the institution and who let me know about an opportunity to practice my profession. I submitted my paperwork, was interviewed right away, and — thank God — for almost seven years now I have had the opportunity to actively collaborate with FUNDAP.
What most caught my attention about the Foundation’s work is its focus on serving people in vulnerable situations, helping to improve their conditions and quality of life by providing the tools and knowledge that make it easier for them to reach their goals.
Beyond my role as an Agroforestry Technician, I am a mother, a daughter, a wife, and an entrepreneur. I tend to take the initiative, see projects through to the end, and enthusiastically support the communities that need it; I carry out the role assigned to me with commitment and responsibility.
One of the experiences that has left the deepest mark on my life is seeing the limited access conditions faced by many communities, where even arriving by motorcycle is difficult. Despite this, we are always welcomed by the beneficiaries with warmth and with great motivation to learn and develop projects that allow them to improve their quality of life.
For me, being part of FUNDAP is a great source of fulfillment, since it has allowed me to grow as a woman and as a professional, in addition to providing important support for my family’s economic stability.
The message I want to share with the new generations of collaborators is to do their work with love and commitment, remembering that every effort has its reward and that, in every space where we work, we should leave a positive mark.
A particularly meaningful experience in my journey as a collaborator was supporting a woman producer who received training, technical assistance, and inputs for her crops. Although she initially didn’t have an adequate area to work in, she decided to rent a plot of land and now produces in quantities that allow her to sell her products.
At the end of the diploma program, when we said goodbye to the community, she expressed her gratitude to us through tears — for the support she had received, which allowed her to gain knowledge and achieve greater economic independence to support her family.
For me, FUNDAP represents opportunity, hope, growth, and dignified work.
