Dina Xitamul, left, with women from her community, our agronomist Yami, left, and Director Maybeline, right.
Meet Dina Xitamul, a leader in her community.
Dina is a mother of two girls and a one-year-old baby. She lives high on a hill in the Payajuj area of the Chuchexic community, where she inspires other women in her community with her example.
She and her sister Elma, also a graduate of the program, have a very close relationship. Their mother migrated to the U.S. when they were young, leaving them to grow up together, and leaving Dina as the head of household at an early age. They are often seen together and care for each other’s children. And both joined the training program in 2023. Dina was pregnant at the time with her third child and couldn’t begin her farm until 2025.
Although she is a homemaker, her leadership extends far beyond that: she has received training through another organization and is now a coach and mentor for women who are still illiterate. With patience and kindness, she teaches them to take their first steps in reading and writing, and several of our beneficiaries attend her classes.
Her dream of having a vegetable garden was put on hold two years ago due to her pregnancy, but today, with her baby in her arms, she has enthusiastically resumed this project and is eagerly awaiting her first harvest. Dina also loves animals: she raises ducks, chickens, and rabbits, and has a cow that provides her with fresh milk.
Dina shared her vision for her farm, one that produces healthy vegetables for her children, and demonstrates the benefits of hard work that can have almost immediate benefits. But she also sees it as an opportunity to help her community. She is a natural leader, well spoken and gregarious, rare for a woman in a traditional community. She has been involved in her community for many years, and sees her garden as an extension of her commitment to her community.
Dina Xitamul in her own words:
“ViviendasLeón inspired me because it teaches us, first, to care for our families. It encourages us women to have new perspectives, to produce our own food free of chemicals, and to provide healthier meals for our loved ones. Now, I dream of having a garden that produces more, not only for my family but also to support other families. Not by giving away, but by offering products at a fair price, because the time and effort we dedicate to our gardens is also a sacrifice.”
