Counterpart International Praised by Guatemala’s President

Guatemalan President Oscar Berger has praised the work of Counterpart International in Guatemala over the last few years in helping communities find sustainable incomes through tourism and archaeology.

In response, Counterpart president Lelei LeLaulu said he was honored by President Berger’s very kind words and diverted all credit to the Guatemalan community development teams assembled by his organization.

“Counterpart Guatemala has done a wonderful job of listening to their compatriots define the tools they need to build healthy communities and long-term employment by ensuring tourism and what we call ‘ethical archaeology’ are harnessed to benefit the people and the destinations,” he said.

According to Counterpart International, it works with Maya communities throughout Guatemala, helping villagers design and build basic accommodations, tourist trails, visitor centers, white-water rafting and cave exploration trips.

Counterpart International said it has what it called “ethical archaeology,” a program it is implementing with several US universities that is aiming to ensure Maya communities are fully integrated into the restoration of archaeological sites and the conservation of their natural and cultural patrimony.

The training of Maya women and men to the doctorate level is a key element of the ethical archeology approach championed by Dr. Demarest, Counterpart International also said.

“Tourism is the world’s largest and fastest growing industry. Coffee is the world’s second largest commodity after oil. So it makes sense for us to look at incorporating Guatemala’s storied coffee producing destinations into the development of sustainable tourism in the country,” Mr. LeLaulu beamed.