Community Life:
- Xesajbin was founded about 70 years ago by a family from Totonicapán that bought land belonging to the Municipality of Santa Apolonia. This family decided to name it Xesajbin, which means “place of weasels.” Since then, the village has grown to 50 families.
- 60 percent of the population are Catholic and 40 percent are evangelicals.
- The village is located almost 1.8 miles from the county seat of Santa Apolonia.
- There is a primary school which offers education from pre-school through sixth grade.
- For medical services, people need to travel to Santa Apolonia, using public transportation which is available twice a week.
- The community has had electric service for 15 years.
- Roads are 90 percent unpaved in good condition and 10 percent are being paved currently.
- The families from Xesajbin are mainly engaged in subsistence agriculture, producing corn and beans for their own consumption. They also plant strawberries that represent a livelihood for families.
Integrated Approach to Development:
We began our partnership with Xesajbin in July 2016, and in June 2018 they completed our programs, including:
- Community Mobilization and Empowerment
- Nutrition
- Water, Sanitation & Hygiene
- Food Security (Sustainable Agriculture)
- Family Planning
- Disaster Risk Reduction