Gloucester Court House resident Katie Gilman and her Guatemalan native partner, Erick Torres, are embarking on a project to help those in the Central American country thrive and to help them maintain their rich culture.

The two are in the process of launching agricultural and ecological education programming, known as REISA, which stands for the Network of Independent Educators for Food Sovereignty, starting next month. 

Gilman has a strong passion for the Guatemalan people after traveling there after college desperately looking for some sort of purpose beyond her average lifestyle. “I was awestruck at how kind, joyful and hospitable these indigenous communities were when they lived on dirt floors inside of a concrete room with a tin roof,” she said. “They kept sharing what little food and material possessions they had with me.”

As her Spanish improved, Gilman said she began to get a better idea of where these communities’ sense of richness came fr...