Launching a vegetable garden project in Guatemala to diversify local diets and giving children in Peru a voice by letting them create a magazine. Two initiatives study coach and Creative Business lecturer Bregje van der Heijden was part of after she completed her Latin American studies. It led to unforgettable experiences. “That was the first time I was doing something that was in tune with what I really wanted to do.”

A passion for Latin America
It’s 1995, when Bregje van der Heijden wonders what study program to choose. Not an easy choice, but there had always been a strong attraction to Latin America. On top of that, Bregje realizes she has a talent for languages and there is something about native Americans that spark her interest. The decision is made, Bregje moves to England and obtains her Bachelor’s degree in Latin American studies at the university of Essex.

The love for Latin America grows and six years later the moment is finally there: Bregje packs her bag and moves to Guatemala. “When I got off the plane, I loved it straight away. Everything was so colourful, it was amazing!” Through a Dutch contact, Bregje became part of several supporting programs for parents in a town called Alotenango.

Listening to the community
It was a good start, but soon Bregje realizes she wants to move in a different direction. “There were a lot of volunteers coming and they were all doing the same thing.” Countless conversations with parents followed. “I really tried to work with the community there and listen to what they needed.” The conclusion of those conversations: the monotonous diet needed improvement. A pilot with twelve families followed, green houses were built and a large variety of vegetables were cultivated.

Lessons learned in Guatemala
It’s safe to say that Bregje’s effort made a positive impact on the local community, but she got a lot more in return. “I learned to be humble and that you can be happy with small things. I also learned to pro-actively listen to people. It’s very easy for us to go in and sort of say ‘you need this, you need that’, but that may not at all be what people want.”

Giving children a voice in Peru

A couple years later, Bregje returns to Latin America. This time not to Central America, but to Peru in South America. She arrives in Cusco, the former capital of the Inca Empire. This time, Bregje works for an organisation called Pasa La Voz, which means spread the word.

The foundation was set up to help children from deprived areas. Some faced challenging family situations, whilst others lived in shelters or on the streets. “A lot of these kids were ignored in a way, not taken seriously and they weren’t listened to. So, we really wanted to create a medium to give them that voice.”

Creating a magazine was the vehicle to do so and workshops were organized to help the youngsters. The main goal was to give children self-confidence and it worked. “They were so proud! They didn’t think they could do this. They were just blown away with what they made together.”

The magazines would even cross borders and get translated. Subscribers in the Netherlands would receive their own Dutch version, which generated income to continue the good work of the foundation.

The magazine got even so successful that a similar project was launched in the city Rotterdam in the Netherlands. “We often go to developing countries and we say ‘let’s do a project here and there’, but now it was the other way around. It was sort of reversed development aid.”  

Advice for students

Living and working in Latin America has taught Bregje numerous lessons, which are of great value when she helps students nowadays. Some of those lessons are to keep an open mind and not to plan too much. “Nowadays, a lot of students feel the need to already know what their life is going to be like. This creates a lot of pressure for them. I would say leave things to coincidence and trust that life will take you somewhere.” Something that Bregje did herself and describes as ‘riding on the waves’.

Watch and listen to the complete interview above.

The Sound of Latin America

The interview was part of the radio show The Sound of Latin America, which is a weekly radio show celebrating the beauty of Latin America. Each week we’ll dive into the richness of Latin American culture, including beautiful traditions, inspiring stories, and, of course, amazing music! Tune in, every Monday at 4 PM, to HUB radio!