Community Life:
- Choantonio was founded 65 years ago by three Maya Kaqchikel families. Since then, the village has grown to 118 families.
- The community grew very quickly, with several families comprised of 10-12 members, but many of the children and women died because of poor conditions and lack of access to resources.
- The village is located almost 2.5 miles from the county seat of Santa Apolonia. The community has always had very strong committees. As a result, the current Development Committee is very active at the meetings held at the City Hall.
- The first infrastructure built in Choantonio was its primary school, which still offers education from pre-school through sixth grade.
- Choantonio’s name comes from the name of one of the first inhabitants who lived in this place in a converging point of the community. The name of that person was Antonio Miza, so people in Kaqchikel named this place “Choantonio,” which means “in front Antonio’s house”
- For medical services, people need to travel to Santa Apolonia, using public transportation which is available twice a week.
- There’s access to water in Choantonio, but unfortunately due to deforestation, in the last five years families are suffering from a water shortage.
- The community has had electric service for 20 years.
- The families from Choantonio are mainly engaged in subsistence agriculture, producing corn and beans for their own consumption without a surplus that they can sell.
Integrated Approach to Development: Choantonio’s Progress to Date
- Community Mobilization and Empowerment: Complete
- Nutrition: Complete
- Water, Sanitation & Hygiene: The potable water system and vented stoves were completed in September 2017; sanitary latrines and gray water filters will be finished in September 2018.
- Food Security (Sustainable Agriculture): Complete
- Family Planning: Complete
- Disaster Risk Reduction: Complete