El Bongo

El Bongo is a town of about 700 people in the the jungle in the east central area of Guatemala.  The people there raise corn for their own use and sell the excess.  They also raise some chickens and pigs.  El Bongo is a sister parish with Trinity Lutheran in Vermillion, South Dakota.

The women of El Bongo make baskets.  They walk two hours into the jungle to get vines.  They bring the vines home, strip and split the bark, and shave strips that can be used for baskets.  They then lay out the base and weave the baskets.  Sharing the Dream is the only outside group working in El Bongo and has been working with the women for four years.