When well-known travel author, activist, and media personality Rick Steves went to Central America to film segments for his new public television special, \u201cHunger and Hope: Lessons from Ethiopia and Guatemala,\u201d he called on Augsburg staff\u00a0to provide expert guidance and introductions to community leaders and regional organizations committed to ending hunger and extreme poverty. That\u2019s because Augsburg\u2019s Center for Global Education and Experience has a vast network in Guatemala and has offered educational programming in the country since 1985.<\/p>\n
One of the key people Steves spoke with during the production of his television special was Fidel Xinico<\/strong>, director of Augsburg\u2019s CGEE Guatemala programming. [Editor’s note: Xinico<\/a> passed away in September 2020.] Xinico set up Steves\u2019 trip logistics from Guatemala and served as a cultural guide and language translator. He is a trilingual Guatemalan citizen of the Kaqchikel Maya ethnic group. Susan Peacock<\/strong>, a CGEE program coordinator based out of Minneapolis, connected Steves and Xinico and helped shape the direction of the television show. Augsburg is now planning a travel program for the general public that will take participants to inspiring destinations in Guatemala.<\/p>\n When non-essential travel resumes, travelers will get an inside glimpse of Guatemala and visit many of the same places depicted on \u201cRick Steves Hunger and Hope: Lessons from Ethiopia and Guatemala.\u201d<\/p>\n From the charming colonial city of Antigua, to Lake Atitl\u00e1n and its surrounding volcanoes, to the colorful tapestry of Mayan history, there is an abundance of things to do, see, and learn.<\/p>\n Registration open for:<\/p>\nParticipate in CGEE\u2019s newest trip: Hunger and Hope in Guatemala<\/h3>\n