"It's been through working together and struggling that we've got to where we are now...that's what I tell the other women."

Mercedes Utuy

This jovial faced mother of five, and grandmother, is a clear leader among the different groups of ixil and quiche women who came down from the mountains to resettle in "El Triunfo" community in the hot southern coastal plains, far away from their places of origin. No stranger to struggling against the odds, Mercedes brought up her youngsters alone after her husband died during the harsh years living in the mountains. During the first difficult months in their new homes, people found it hard getting used to the changes in climate, scenery and way of living. Some families gave up and chose to return north. But Mercedes urged her companions not to loose heart. "Don't give up, we told them, things will get easier," she recalls telling them.

Less than two years later, there is now a hive of activity among the women in the community. They have their own plot of green peppers, a shop run by a group of women is under construction, and a women's collective has been set up for weaving the brightly coloured indigenous dress - and they too will have their own building. Outside support has also been sought for growing other vegetables. "We women meet together to see if we can do something, how to improve our community," says Mercedes.

A driving force behind other women, her basic philosophy is simple: "We are very grateful for what ECHO and OXFAM have done for the community. But without our own collective work we wouldn't have got anywhere. If everyone just does his or her own thing then we can never get anything moving here. That's what I always tell other women - let's buckle down to work if we want to progress. If we stay sleeping on our laurels, then nothing will ever get done."