END OF YEAR REPORT FROM GUAMAP BOARD PRESIDENT CHILÁN MUSTAIN

December 20, 2024

Esteemed GUAMAP friends and supporters, it is my pleasure to share the exciting news that has been happening recently.

In line with the decision of the GUAMAP Board in 2023, a plan was carried out to consult the Assembly of Peten Acupuncturists on their views on what the future of acupuncture and their involvement should be in Peten. An assembly was requested and held February 2024 in San Francisco, Peten, Guatemala. The Asamblea de Acupunturistas in Peten voted to train a new generation of acupuncturists and health promoters. At the same time, Manual Caal Caal was also tested and certified as an official instructor.

Candidates for this new training are being selected by the existing Acupuncturists. The majority of the pedagogy of this new curriculum will be handled in house by the official teachers in Guatemala, Alfredo Romero, Juana Manchame and Manuel Caal Caal.

There will also be a mentorship component of the new curriculum. We are ecstatic about this leap forward in sustainability. The education working group has been meeting to renew and update the current curriculum for the new cohort. The education working group consists of Tim Blee, Nanie Carillo, Subhuti Dharmananda, Blake Gentry, and Chilán Mustain. A joint fundraising effort with ASECSA will be carried out as well to fund the training program.

The board met in June to handle several logistical items. Blake Gentry resigned as board president but will continue to remain on the board. We are immensely grateful for his hard work and guidance that he has provided over the years. The board elected Chilán Mustain as the new president. As an acupuncturist of Guatemalan descent, Chilán is in a unique position to support the GUAMAP mission. In the same meeting, the board approved the hire of Ashley Edgette as part-time Program Coordinator. Ashley and Laurie Melrood, alongside our collaborators at Xajun Ulew, organized a successful 30th anniversary celebration this fall.

Recently, Chilán was in Guatemala on business unrelated to GUAMAP and was able to meet with the acupuncturists in Peten and visit the Franciscan orphanage in Dolores. There, he provided pediatric acupuncture treatments to several children and residents as well as pediatric training to one of the GUAMAP acupuncturists and medical staff at the orphanage.

We are grateful for the community of support that has made our work possible this year. Thank you to all our donors, collaborators, and community members from Tucson, Arizona to Petén, Guatemala that keep GUAMAP alive. A special thank you to the founders of GUAMAP, Laurie Melrood, and Blake Gentry for your dedication and continued support.



In Solidarity,

Chilán Mustain L.Ac, MSOM GUAMAP Board President