María Pacheco: “I want to leave a legacy of a community that believes in purpose, hope and prosperity”

2023-06-27 19:12:00

Maria Pacheco she is a mother, wife and daughter, besides being a Guatemalan passionate about her country, a dreamer and eager to transform the difficult realities that Guatemala is going through. She is a biologist graduated from the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala -UVG-, and studied a Master’s Degree in Agriculture at Cornell University in New York.

After preparing professionally, he returned and She dedicated herself to working in the interior of the country, especially with women and children from rural communities who faced violence, malnutrition, and displacement. María dreamed of restoring the country’s ecosystems.

In 2004 he created his company, Wakamian ethical fashion accessories brand that trains and collaborates with artisans in remote villages, what you are looking for with your company is to connect rural communities to global markets to generate income and transform cycles of poverty into sustained prosperity.

He has received a series of awards such as the Vital Voices Washington Global Economic Development, INCAE Challenge Award, DVF Award, Most Powerful Women Awardand has been recognized as one of the most influential women in Central America.

Does Maria have a moment in her life that she describes as a turning point?

For me yes, when I was 18 years old, I was in university and I began to see the reality of the country. Seeing a child die in my arms changed me, but let’s say, although reality is harsh, the important thing was to identify it and know what the dream is. When you see this reality, you want to run away, to cry, you don’t want to be part of a country that is like that, but when you come a dream of prosperous families, with boys and girls who study, who are nourished, in a place where we care for the earth, that was destiny. The harsh reality with a dream of something big that I was excited to work to achieve every day.

Once you finish your university studies, you return to Guatemala and found Kiej de los Bosques and Wakami, let’s talk a little about that, why do you decide to start a business?

I returned to Guatemala in the 1990s, I was a farmer for 10 years and I started working with the communities, After 14 years working with them I decided to found the company. At the beginning I did it as a volunteer and project, but when I realized the value of markets in transforming realities in a sustainable way, the idea of ​​setting up a company dedicated to this arose. In 2004 they were born in Kiej de los Bosques, then Wakami.

Both projects are focused on providing an opportunity for growth to women and families in rural areas. Why is this important to you?

Perhaps because of the way I was brought up, it is important to me that we all be well. Being 24 hours and 7 days a week working to change a reality is sometimes very hard and one falls, but to think that we are doing something to change and improve, that gives me purpose and gives me peace. I could not be at peace knowing that there is something that must be changed.

What does it mean to you to transform the lives of other women in Guatemala?

Means Give them the opportunity to transform their dreams. When we do dream workshops in communities, the answers we get are: I want my children to have a life different from mine, I don’t want the same thing that happened to me to happenespecially women.

transform realities means nourished children, not that 50% malnutrition that we have. And means boys and girls receiving education; First they told us that they wanted them to graduate from high school, now they are coming out of universities, and that is a development of a country nourished with education. But it’s also nice how we take care of the land, take care of trees, cultivate, recycle, promote cleanliness, culture, regenerate, an active attitude of the communities.

The symbol for Wakami are converted tables of working and prospering moms and dads and playing boys and girls.

From what we have been talking about, the environment is something important to María Pacheco, why?

That is why the company is called Kiej de los Bosques, since I was little I have been with nature, I hug trees and I can feel the earth. They showed me my Mayan nahual which is ‘kiej’, that’s why my company is called, and its representation is harmony between human beings and nature, is to bring the 4 races together, create beauty and harmony from the community.

When they read my nahual to me, I understood that this was my mission.that is the energy that I brought, is that the dream that brought. Nature for me, now that we are with the communities doing organic gardens in this circular economy is something that fascinates me, for me it’s like playing so much that I like (laughs).

In 2016, you participate in Chivas The Venture that allows you to classify Wakami as one of the best global ventures. What do I mean to you?

It still means nerves, they tell me to pitch and I think about it. For me it was very exciting because I didn’t think we were going to get this far, We pitched and we won Guatemala, then we won Central America and then we were with 30 countries in the world. First with votes where we obtained first place and then in Washington we had to pitch in front of Eva Longoria and other well-known personalities.

First, 30 entrepreneurs entered, the next day they cut to 15, the next to seven, and then to five. When I reach five I said goal accomplished (laughs)but it was incredible to be representing Guatemala with Wakami. Grateful to the population and proud to put the country’s name high.

How does María Pacheco prepare for a pitch of this magnitude?

(He remains silent for a few seconds) Wow! I had a lot of help, a company from the country helped us with the presentation and we practiced it; Chivas took us to Oxford to be able to deal with the pitch in a natural way, to tell it as if it were a story.

The last day, and from the presentation we all walked like crazy (laughs) before giving, and you go out with this adrenaline, you give the pitch and you don’t know what is going to happen, right now they call me pitch and I say no thanks (laughs again)but the truth was a pride. Also as a woman to come in third place and be the highest woman in entrepreneurship is incredible.

How do you think entrepreneurship has made you the person you are today?

It’s been an up and down but It has made me grow and believe in myself. Being an entrepreneur is difficult and thinking that, even though there are big barriers, one is overcoming it, growing, the company growing, the team and the impact growing, tells me that I can.. Because you start out believing that you can’t, that’s why I tell all women that you can, it’s a lot of work, but it’s worth it.

What is the legacy of people that you would like to leave to María Pacheco?

I would like to leave Wakami as an example of a company, that by making products that connect rural communities with markets let us achieve social transformations and perspectives, what do we want from each other, that is the part that I love the most.

Through these value chains that connect worlds -which are not often connected- there is a personal transformation of everyone, team, communities, clients, we are all different, but the dreams, energies and challenges are the same. A legacy of a community that believes in purpose, hope and prosperity, which are the three words of Wakami.

You cannot finish this interview without knowing, what do you like to do in your spare time?

What I like the most is being in my gardenplant trees, harvest my vegetables and show all the people who come to my house my garden, even if it is small. All the people who come to my house have to know my garden, and I like to cook from what I grow in it.

I have a green hand. I love to sow, I love the land and I love the soil.