Turning a crisis into opportunities: How the COVID 19 pandemic enabled the consolidation of the OWSD Guatemala National Chapter
Kleinsy Bonilla, Chair of the OWSD Guatemala National Chapter
[Text in Spanish below / Ver el texto en español abajo]
The launching of the OWSD Guatemala National Chapter has allowed a group of women researchers, scientists and scholars from this country to turn the daring times of the COVID19 pandemic into a process of hope and opportunity. Guatemala is a 17-million-population, Central American country located in the middle of the continent. The isthmus formed by Guatemala along with other five nations form a geographic joint between the more scientifically advanced North America and the scientifically emerging South America. Yet, nearly all Central America territory and its societies are considered scientifically lagging. Several indicators offer evidence of the significant challenges Guatemala faces in order to build a stronger science and technology environment, including the percentage of GDP invested in education, science and technology, the number of full time research personnel, the number of scientific publications, trends in the applications to register patents, to mention just a few. Moreover, access to indicators require additional efforts as the production of good-quality information has not been part of systematic and permanent practices in the country. Furthermore, in the case of the participation of women in science and registries of their contribution to knowledge production and dissemination has been practically absent of relevant reports, media coverage and the national public agenda. That is why the consolidation of the National Chapter of the OWSD for Guatemala represents a unique opportunity to address these shortcomings.
According to the OWSD digital platform, there are registries of Guatemala female scientists holding membership since the 1980s and 1990s. It took over nearly three decades to accumulate the minimum of 20 Full Members required to apply to become a recognized national chapter. Since late 2019 a group of enthusiastic Guatemalan women started the preparations to apply for such recognition, however it was until early 2020 that the process showed viability. Five women took the initiative with two more joining the efforts in February. Then, the seven scientists engaged in an intense campaign to increase the number of members. Some of them residing in the Guatemalan territory while some were living and working overseas, made use of different communication mechanisms holding online meetings, designing strategies and taking actions in preparation to apply for the consolidation of the OWSD Guatemala National Chapter. With a membership of 53 at the time of the establishment in mid-March 2020, the OWSD Guatemala NC was launched offering Guatemalan women with the opportunity to belong and interact within a dynamic scientific community and increase their incidence. As part of the OWSD female scientists, researchers and scholars continue the advancement in their careers and contributing to the visibility of their participation. As individuals and as a community, these women continue their involvement in the development of Guatemala.
The following weeks after the launching of the OWSD Guatemala NC allowed the community to grow organically in number of members and in the reach of their activities. With a steady increment, this National Chapter is among the most numerous in Latin American with over 150 members (as of May 20th). This has turned the Chapter into one of the most solid data bases of Guatemala female researchers and scientists. The experience could be a welcome inspiration to the rest of Central American countries, most of which share similar characteristics. Indeed, the extraordinary times experienced by the entire humanity amid the COVID-19 pandemic call for a more decisive participation of women in science more than ever.