Challenge: I​n a tourist town on Lake Atitlán, 50% of indigenous mayan children are chronically malnourished, and alcoholism is rampant. These are symptoms of the of systemic racism that divides residents and leads to increasing tension within the community. This tension makes it difficult to evolve culturally and adopt new appropriate technologies.
Methodology: H​olistic Action Planning for Innovation (HAPI) is a collaborative methodology for creative strategic planning. This 20 hour process was implemented by local community members including politicians, spiritual leaders, international residents, as well as youth and women from different organizations. Together they identified and prioritized challenges in their community and designed a strategic plan to develop a cooperative that would produce and sell nutritional foods produced using solar technology. The process was co-sponsored by KonojelCommunity center, JUSTA, and ERI Living Lab.
Results: 8 ​sustainable jobs created for indigenous women. net profits of over $500 in the first 6 months. Recipes for sustainable products tested and improved for improved sales and profit margins. Operations manual created and systematized by the members through consensual decision making.