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 Teaching children to dream is the first step in their believing in a future.
Fotokids was founded by ex-Reuters photographer, Nancy McGirr in 1991, with 6 children from the City’s vast garbage dump. Over the years, the organization has grown to include both rural poor and urban gang areas. Fotokids, including an environmental photo project in Honduras, now serves130 children from 6 distinct communities. Students are given educational scholarships covering primary school through university.
Although documentary photography remains the focus of the project, our Fotokids graduates teach the younger students digital imaging, graphic design, and video.
Besides empowering children to learn a unique set of job skills, self-esteem, leadership and the opportunity to continue their education, many have traveled the world to attend Fotokids exhibitions or give workshops in over a dozen countries.
The student design studio and individual students have worked for the United Nations, director George Lucas, Hispanic TV, designed books and teach for the Guatemalan Ministry of education and published Out of the Dump, Writing and Photography by Children of Guatemala.
Their photography has been exhibited in London, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Medellin, Seville, New York, Washington DC, Houston, Sao Paolo, Caracas, and Paris.
To learn more about Fotokids, please visit their website.
“THOUGH THE PROBLEMS OF THE WORLD ARE INCREASINGLY MORE COMPLEX, THE SOLUTIONS REMAIN EMBARRASSINGLY SIMPLE…” – Bill Mollison, co-founder of the world-wide permaculture movement
The mission of Project Seres is to help at-risk groups in developing countries build resistance to climate change threats using knowledge, tools and resources that are environmentally ethical, ecologically sustainable, and economically affordable. Project Seres is a project fighting the injustices of climate change, and working to create social and environmental equality for all. They work by empowering people through education, providing the tools and knowledge to help them make sustainable, positive changes.
A Centre for Climate Change Education & Sustainable Development: Around the world, climate change is starting to touch people’s lives. The magnitude and seriousness of its impacts varies greatly, but without a doubt it is the poor and vulnerable – primarily in developing countries – that are being affected first and hardest. One of the sad realties of climate change is that the majority of these people are not even aware that climate change exists: while their future is being hotly debated on the world’s political stage, they continue on with the struggle of their day-to-day lives – a struggle which is becoming increasingly more difficult every day. Climate change is not just an environmental issue, it is a social injustice. Project Seres fights against this injustice, working at a grass-roots level with at-risk groups where need is greatest to create social and environmental equality for all.
Seres College: Project Seres will carry out its mission through the Seres College – a centre for climate change education and sustainable development based in Guatemala and serving communities throughout Central America. The college itself will be a working example of sustainable living, showcasing a range of technologies, techniques and alternative agricultural practices that are being used around the world to help people in developing countries adapt and build resistance to climate change. Included among these will be appropriate and affordable renewable energy technology (such as micro-hydro, solar and wind), natural building techniques, and alternative agriculture methods such as permaculture, organic agriculture and agro-forestry.
The college will also provide much needed education and information about climate change and global warming, focusing on the impact that it will have on the communities, lives and futures of people living in the region.
Students: The students of the college (all of which will be full-scholarship students) will be farmers, workers, laborers, mothers and fathers from poor and vulnerable communities across Central America. The material taught in the college will not require any previous education or literacy levels. It will be taught using a hands-on, practical approach that is sensitive to cultural differences and incorporates traditional methods of learning. Training will be provided in intensive three month periods, during which time students will live on-site, participating in the daily running and up-keep of the college grounds and by doing so developing an appreciation of the technologies and methodologies used.
Education and Sustainable Development: During their three months at the Seres College students will learn about climate change and global warming, focusing on the particular threats in their region and identifying associated at-risk areas for their community. Using the sustainable development tools and methods demonstrated in the college, students will be encouraged (and assisted) to develop a Climate Change Adaptation plan for their community, which will be designed to build resilience and reduce the community’s risk in the at-risk areas.
Climate Change Adaptation: Projects will be implemented as a joint effort between the community, Project Seres, and a partner NGO/organization. As a Centre for Sustainable Development, the Seres College will maintain strong networks with other groups working in the field, helping to connect those groups looking to implement specific projects, solutions or technologies with communities that are ready for them. Acting as a networking hub between the community and other philanthropic/aid organizations, the Seres College will help improve communications and information sharing, and also help the existing resources working in the field to be more efficient and effective in their work. Equally as importantly, by implementing projects in which the community (rather than the organization) has identified the need ensures a greater level of community engagement, buy-in, commitment and long-term viability for the project.
International Outreach: The college will run three 3-month sessions each year. During the time when students are not in attendance, the college will be opened up for short-term courses for international, paying participants (such as Permaculture, Climate Change Education and Awareness and Straw-bale Building workshops). Income generated from these courses will be used to help finance the scholarships for the local students studying at the college.
To learn more about Project Seres, please visit their website.
Mobilization, health, rehabilitation, education, leadership…
The Transitions Foundation is committed to making a difference in the lives of Guatemalans who may otherwise have few opportunities to grow, to learn, and to become literate and productive contributors to their Guatemalan culture. They provide rehabilitation, vocational, and educational training to disabled persons through the services offered at Transitions’ training centers.
Program Objectives:
- To provide life-skills training and mobility devices for physically disabled Guatemalans;
- To offer outreach support and medical product availability to disabled persons;
- To operate one special education classroom within a local school in a rural community for physically and mentally disabled children;
- To operate an offset printing and graphics design enterprise, with ongoing disabled student training and employment opportunities, offering printing service available to the public;
- To operate a wheelchair fabrication facility, providing highly individualized wheelchairs and other therapeutic equipment, providing ongoing leadership and technical training; and
- To operate a prosthetic/orthotic clinic with ongoing training and services available to Guatemalans with disabilities.
Workshop: Transitions operates a well-equipped workshop where they manufacture new wheelchairs and repair or modify existing ones. This operation employs 11 technicians, the majority of which have disabilities, who build rugged chairs well suited for the tough terrain of Guatemala. They employ modern MIG welding and other fabrication techniques, and maintain computerized records on each client so they can respond quickly to needed changes or repairs. Funding for much of their equipment, tools, and materials has come from Rotary International Foundation Grants, coordinated by the Portland, Oregon Rotary Club, and many other donors. During 2008, their workshop provided over 100 new and refurbished wheelchairs.
Prosthetic/Orthotic Clinic: Transitions operates a clinic to provide services to children and adults who are in need of a prosthetic limb or an orthotic leg brace. Due to the high number of birth defects and accidents in Guatemala, there is a large demand and need for these services. They work with local Guatemalan certified technicians to evaluate and manufacture the limbs and leg braces their patients need. Patients fitted with their limb or brace can achieve increased mobility and opportunities in their lives.
Since 2002, Transitions has provided care and treatment for over 200 prosthetic and orthotic patients. Many of the patients are children or youth and require ongoing treatment and adjustments to their equipment. Due to the high costs of providing these special devices, new patients can only be helped when defined funding is available.
Training for life: Transitions Foundation provided direct general educational scholarships for 53 disabled people during the 2008 school year. This includes educational costs such as tuition, materials and transportation to and from school.
Special Ed: They also assist low-income, physically and mentally disabled children through one rural special education classroom directed by a qualified teacher and therapist. Special education students receive multi-sensorial exposure, fine and gross motor skill stimulation and academic tutoring. Classrooms are wheelchair accessible, and parents and family members are encouraged to become involved.
To learn more about Transitions, please visit their website.
 Inteligencia Móvil Internacional de Guatemala or “IMI Guatemala” is a non-profit association that seeks to help people with disabilities in Guatemala by providing low cost and locally assembled wheelchairs.
HISTORY: IMI Guatemala is the pilot project of the U.S. non-profit Intelligent Mobility International, or “IMI. The idea started from a collaboration with students from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena and students from Rafael Landivar University in Guatemala City. After a great first 10 weeks, the group grew to include students from another California based university, the Art Center College of Design, and soon after launched IMI.
As the first in-country subsidiary of IMI, IMI Guatemala creates a local presence, allowing for the best possible manufacturing, user feedback and appropriate design in the creation of low cost mobility devices including their first product, an award winning appropriate wheelchair. IMI and IMI Guatemala work together to create and develop an affordable, ergonomic, durable and low cost wheelchair, designed and assembled with wheelchair users from partner Transitions of Guatemala.
VISION: IMI believes that supplying mobility can change lives. With the help of low cost, appropriate mobility devices, those with limited resources can regain mobility and live an active and productive life. Their task is to empower people with disabilities who are living in both urban and isolated rural areas to have the tools to become reintegrated with their communities.
MISSION: To partner with local designers and in-country disability NGOs throughout the world to produce low cost mobility devices, supply training, and offer job opportunities. Every detail of their wheelchair design accounts for the developing world environment for which it was made.
To effect any lasting change in the developing world your product must integrate the following elements: Cost, Quality, and Sustainability. Their wheelchair accounts for all of them:
- X-brace: The function of the X-brace is to collapse the wheelchair so that it takes up less volume for storage and travel. Functionally, the X-brace supports and aligns the two sides of the wheelchair and distributes the forces to its structural members. Their unique design collapses the chair over 1/3rd of its width without compromising strength and at a minimal added cost.
- Footrest: The footrests have been designed to support the users’ legs and lower body while using the chair. In order to fully accommodate the needs of multiple disabilities the footrest position can be easily adjusted to maximize support. This design allows for the frame to collapse using an inexpensive and highly durable system.
- Tires: The terrain in the developing world is rugged and the infrastructure is not accommodating for conventional wheelchair tires. Mountain bike tires are ideal for this environment. Conventional wheelchair wheels have significantly less contact area than mountain bike tires and often little or no tread. Conventional wheels are more likely to get stuck, prematurely wear, and can even endanger the user. In addition to the improved safety and functionality benefits, the tires allow for an air filled ride by absorbing significantly more shock than conventional tires.
- Casters: The caster assemblies are an integral component of the wheelchair and serve multiple functions. The primary function of the casters is to distribute the force exerted on the front of the chair to the ground without compromising the wheelchair’s ability to turn. Their casters are capable of rotating 360 degrees in a smooth, uniform fashion under all user environments- while the chair is moving, stationary, and under considerable force. Furthermore their casters are unique in that their height can be adjusted to customize the angle of inclination of the seat. Integrating this angle adjustment feature allows IMI to further customize the wheelchair for specific end user needs.
To learn more about the work of IMI, please visit their website.
 Hope Haven International Ministries (HHIM) reaches beyond the borders of our nation by extending mercy to people with disabilities around the world. This is accomplished by working closely with relief and development organizations, mission groups and individuals in various countries.
In the early 1990’s, Hope Haven, headquartered out of Rock Valley, Iowa (USA), had an opportunity to get a first-hand look at the living conditions that persons with disabilities experience in foreign countries. Through this experience, a formal proposal regarding Hope Haven developing an international ministry was approved by Hope Haven’s Board of Trustees in 1993 and thus was the beginning of HHIM. Since then, we have expanded our Iowa based ministry to 9 other satellite shops located in Iowa, Minnesota, and South Dakota, as well as two international shops located in Guatemala and Romania. HHIM rebuilds donated wheelchairs, as well as manufactures the Hope Haven KidChair in both Iowa and Guatemala, and delivers them to people in need around the world.
Mission of Hope Haven International Ministries: The mission of Hope Haven International Ministries is to assist persons with disabilities to reach their potential. This purpose is accomplished by providing support for the development of opportunities for improving the economic and social welfare and independence of people with disabilities within countries and cultures throughout the world. This ministry, as with all of Hope Haven’s services, is “a ministry of Christian mercy based on the conviction that God’s Word speaks to and directs all of life.”
Hope Haven Guatemala: In the summer of 2008, Hope Haven’s Director of Operations moved to Guatemala to live full time and operate a new wheelchair manufacturing facility. Hope Haven is now employing wheelchair users and caretakers in this new shop. People are learning new job skills and making a standard wage, so that they are now able to provide for their families and learn new trade skills.
This shop is specializing in manufacturing the KidChair. After challenging the students of Dordt College, located in NW Iowa, to design a pediatric wheelchair to meet the specific needs of a disabled child living in a Third World country, the Hope Haven KidChair was born. With ongoing modifications and additions, as a result of continuous input from Engineers, Rehab Technicians, Therapists and families, The Hope Haven KidChair has evolved into a system which meets the needs of almost any child who requires wheelchair mobility while living in a demanding Third World environment.
Now manufactured in La Antigua, Guatemala the Hope Haven KidChair is being build by Guatemalans with disabilities. These wheelchairs from the Hope Haven Guatemala factory are given free of charge to children with disabilities in Guatemala, Mexico and Central America thanks to foundations, service clubs, churches and individuals that cover the $180 sponsorship per wheelchair.
To learn more about this group, please visit its general website, Guatemalan website (in Spanish), or view a video of the workers in Guatemala.
 The Wells of Hope Group is a non-denominational group founded on Christian principles. They are committed to responding to the cry of the poor and to help them attain for themselves, the basic necessities of clean water, education, and basic healthcare. They live this commitment through various projects that the Wells of Hope Group has embraced in the mountainous region of Santa Maria, Jalapa, Guatemala. A permanent, year round base to support volunteers, maximize services and manage all projects more effectively was created. The camp has been lovingly dubbed “Campo Esperanza”, the Camp of Hope.
Here are a few of the many projects this group is committed to:
Drilling Wells: A person dies every seven seconds due to water related diseases. This staggering statistic emphasizes the urgency for mobilization. Overcoming many roadblocks, hurdles and frustrations, the Wells of Hope Group has successfully transported its own drilling equipment to Jalapa, one of the poorest regions of Guatemala, Central America. As a result, there are now tens of thousands of Guatemalans receiving reliable, clean water directly to their homes. Where there was once no hope, people’s lives have changed dramatically.
Medical Care: Odillia was in need of a hip replacement. The pain would not allow her to sleep at night or walk during the day. She needed $3,000 for the operation, but her financial situation was similar to most people who make up the communities in the mountains of Santa Maria, Jalapa. Her children had all grown up and moved away. Her husband had passed away many years ago. She barely had enough food to survive on. So Odillia gave up the only resource that she had. She sold her three-room adobe dwelling to pay for the operation. Three months later, the pin that had been placed as a joint to secure her hip snapped. She was now in even greater pain than before and she had absolutely nothing left to finance another operation.
Wells of Hope has become an avenue for many doctors from Southern Ontario to come to Guatemala on a volunteer basis and minister to those who cannot otherwise afford medical attention. The Wells of Hope team organizes medical clinics in the rural mountain communities and the visiting doctors spend long days relieving the nightmare of pain that many have been forced to endure. The doctors donate their time, and bring medicine with them. However, there is still a need for funds to pay for operations like those needed by Odillia.
Stoves: The average Guatemalan family relies on wood to cook their meals. Cooking with homemade wood burning stoves presents numerous challenges. The stoves are not efficient, so the women of the household must spend many hours each week searching for wood. The rudimentary design of the stoves causes the adobe huts of the Guatemalans to fill with dense smoke whenever they are put into use. The women who use the stoves for cooking, as well as the young children in their care, spend the better part of the day inhaling the smoke filled air. As a result, a large percentage of these women and children are afflicted with severe respiratory problems.
Using simple designs proven in successful trials, the Wells of Hope Group has begun to subsidize the construction of wood efficient, smokeless stoves. The stoves are constructed using local materials that are readily available. Under the direction of Wells of Hope, local masons have been taught to build the stoves. These masons are then hired by the Wells of Hope Group to construct stoves for families who have been sponsored through the generosity of Wells of Hope supporters.
To learn more about this group, please visit their website. To read about a group of volunteers preparing to visit Wells of Hope, click here.
 Miracles in Action is a Florida based, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that serves poor indigenous communities in Guatemala. Their team of volunteers seeks out underserved pockets of need in rural Guatemala and they research projects that focus on education, vocational training, and sustainable development. “Miracles” board then selects those projects that achieve long-term results, improve quality of life, and allow truly impoverished people to help themselves.
Supporting Guatemalan Cottage Industry: Because they are a volunteer organization, 100% of all donations go directly to their projects. Administrative expenses are funded by the sale of handicrafts produced in Guatemala’s cottage industry. Additionally, the sale of handicrafts provides the Mayan women an opportunity to earn an income from their home while taking care of their children. If not for the handicraft industry, these women would need to work hard labor in the fields picking coffee and corn for 12 hour shifts away from home.
Projects: Their goal is to make a lasting impact on the lives of the poorest of the poor. Here are some of the ways they strive to make a difference:
- Schools and Libraries: Education is the answer to poverty, but it is often out of reach for the poor. “Miracles” buys the building materials and partners with villagers who provide the construction labor to build their own school.
- Offering Vocational Training: “Miracles” has funded sewing, carpentry, and handicraft training programs where poor people learn trades for better futures.
- Student Scholarships: The group sponsors scholarships to primary, basico, and diversicado schools for poor students from rural, mountain areas. Schools are not free in Guatemala — sponsorship pays for tuition, uniform, books, supplies, student follow-up , and sometimes transportation or housing.
- Bringing Water to Villages, Changing Lives: Clean, safe drinking water is a basic human right. Miracles In Action sponsors water systems that bring a water pipe to each home, improving hygiene and quality of life.
- Water Filters: One of the leading causes of death in young children is dehydration and diarrhea from drinking dirty water with parasites and bacteria. Water filters save the lives of children.
- Sponsoring Stoves – Saving Trees, Lungs and Lives: Most Guatemalan Mayan families cook on open fires inside their homes. New safe, vented stoves are designed to use less wood, resulting in less clear cutting of the rainforest. Smoke gets ventilated out of the house and the design prevents children from being seriously burned.
- Teacher Training Program: Miracles in Action has developed a teacher resource center in Patzun area, and plans to use the center as a model for other areas. Teachers can check out educational materials like flash cards, puzzles, story books, transparencies and overhead projectors, CDs with children’s music and stories, etc. Training workshops are offered live over the internet from US teachers to rural Guatemalan teachers using the center.
To learn more about this group, please visit their website.
 Amigos de Patzún (ADP) is a 501 3(c) non–profit which creates educational opportunities for impoverished students in rural Guatemala. They offer competitive scholarships to middle and high school students who would not be able to continue their education past sixth grade. In 2008, ADP also added a teacher training program focused on improving literacy skills in rural primary schools.
Amigos de Patzún is predicated on the belief that education is a basic human right, and can be a catalyst of systemic change and development. ADP was founded in 2001 by three Peace Corps Volunteers teaching in rural Patzún: Karen Towers, Paul Butki, and Jessica Daly. All three were struck by the lack of opportunity for rural students and worked with a local teacher, Anacleto Catu, to start ADP. Amigos de Patzun’s programs now include:
Middle School and High School Scholarships
In Guatemala, less than 5% of rural students will complete primary school and less than 5% of those that do graduate will continue onto middle school or high school. Consequently, ADP provides scholarships for middle and high school students from the rural areas of Patzún, Guatemala who would like to continue their studies beyond the 6th grade. Students are selected through a competitive process that weighs academic achievement, demonstrated financial needs, and teacher recommendations.
ADP scholarships include:
- Full tuition and fees
- Transportation – the bulk of a student’s cost
- Uniforms
- Books and supplies
- Medical Exams
Scholars also receive special tutoring from Peace Corps Volunteers, and participate in an internship program in which they shadow professionals working in their fields of interest. In addition, as part of the terms of the scholarship, Amigos de Patzún scholars give back to their communities. All scholars elect service projects they feel would most benefit their communities. ADP scholars plant trees in deforested areas, plant and cultivate school gardens, and tutor students in their local elementary schools. ADP strives to go beyond the academic needs of the scholars and helps address hardships faced by the families and the larger community. They are making a difference in many rural communities and they are growing every year.
Teacher Training Program
We at ADP recognize that the ability to recruit competitive students from rural communities into a scholarship program operating in highly demanding urban settings is fundamentally dependent on the quality of education rural students receive. Only 2.6% of Guatemala’s GDP is spent on education and rural schools are hurting for materials and support1. Teachers in rural areas receive very little in-service training and often do not receive quality materials or text books for their classrooms. In addition, teachers working in these rural communities almost exclusively live in urban Patzún.
To help address this disparity, ADP is working with a partner NGO, Miracles in Action, on a teacher training project that will equip rural teachers with skills and materials to improve didactic practices, including literacy, and provide certification to improve their professional development. The training includes a rigorous design with input from local teachers recognized for excellence by the Ministry of Education; instructional tool kits; continuous follow-up; and monitoring and evaluation. In addition, in January 2010, Miracles in Action and ADP helped teachers in Patzún launch a teacher resource center which will allow teachers to check out teaching materials to use in the classroom.
The first pilot training took place in July 2008 in two rural communities, El Cojobal and La Pila, and has since expanded to cover more than fifteen rural villages. The program has been a great success and the Ministry of Education has asked ADP and Miracles in Action to expand this program to cover all of Patzún’s rural primary schools.
1 World Bank Education Statistics, Guatemala, 2008.
To learn more about this group, please visit its website. Click here to read about one of this group’s partner organizations, Miracles in Action.
To visit the Reading village website, please click here.
Belief Statement: Every child should be able to grow up free to express their fullest self, give what they have to contribute to their families, their communities, their countries and the world. Access to books, the ability to read, and to think critically and imaginatively are fundamental to the full development of individuals and society.
Vision: Their vision is of a proud and thriving Guatemala that loves to read, where children grow up able to realize their full potential.
Mission: With a focus on children, they work collaboratively with the residents of impoverished villages to create programs that develop a culture of reading.
To read further about some of the children helped by Reading Village, check out their blog.
Scholarships
Public school is not free in Guatemala. In the communities where Reading Village works only 25% of the children study beyond the sixth grade. Reading Village has a scholarship fund you can donate to which has a double impact. It keeps a student in school, and that student gives time in return running reading activities with younger children in the community. Their scholars not only receive funding for school, they also provide leadership training, including field trips outside their community and opportunities to meet other student leaders in other communities. It is their desire to develop these young people into community leaders who will take ownership of creating a new future for themselves and their community.
To visit the Reading Village website, please click the following link.
Farmer to Farmer, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, envisions agriculture that is sustainable and respectful of the earth, that remains in the hands of the people who live and work the land. They support grassroots agricultural projects that are democratically initiated and managed. They affirm the sacredness of the earth and work for and respect the rights of all peoples and cultures to self-determination.
There are currently two work trips in progress, one in the Honduras and one in Guatemala. To read further about the trips, check out the the trip’s blog.
WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW
Currently, their focus is on scholarship support in Guatemala, coffee marketing, and work trips for cross-cultural exchange. See their programs page for more.
They’ve spent a lot of time on the ground in Guatemala, which gives them a clearer picture of what’s going on down there. They’ve had the opportunity to work with many inspiring individuals and groups, such as:
To go to the Farmer to Farmer website, please click here.
 On the shores of Lake Atitlan in the southern highlands of Guatemala, surrounded by volcanoes is nestled Santiago Atitlan, a small indigenous T’zutujil Mayan community. This village of 43,000 residents represents one of the largest Mayan indigenous communities in the Americas. In past five years, devastating natural disasters compounded the bleak pre-existing educational and economic realities of the community and threaten its viability. In 2005, mudslides following Hurricane Stan buried the pillars of this community –the school and hospital—along with scores of homes and residents, parents and children. Four years later, nearly one third of the families still live in plastic tent shelters without clean water, proper nutrition, adequate healthcare or educational opportunities for their children. Nearly half of Santiago Atitlan’s women remain illiterate.
Pueblo a Pueblo was formed to respond to the situation in Santiago Atitlan and other villages like it. Their aim is to contribute to building sustainable, viable and healthy indigenous communities in Guatemala. Their projects are developed in close collaboration with the local partners to respond to their most pressing needs.
Each project is designed to build the capacity of the community to thrive on its own while achieving health, nutrition, and educational opportunities for the children and their families. They help provide the tools so that rather than being forced into a life of poverty, illiteracy and malnutrition, the children and their families can choose how to live their lives. They acknowledge that they cannot solve problems of poverty alone but only through teamwork and mutual partnerships.
Pueblo a Pueblo supports the following key programs:
Child Education Sponsorship Program
The majority of indigenous Guatemalan families cannot afford to send their children to school or to provide them with healthcare. Sponsorship of a child who is attending the Escuela Oficial Rural Mixta Cantón Panabaj in Santiago Atitlan ensures that she/he will receive an education, have the school supplies and books she/he needs and receive proper healthcare — routine care, immunizations and emergency care. Both education and good health will greatly improve your sponsored child’s chance of breaking the cycle of poverty and enjoying a successful future. Cost: $25/month or $300/year.
Mother-Infant Sponsorship Program
In Santiago Atitlán, 190 of every 100,000 pregnancies result in the mother’s death due to complications and 37 of every 1,000 children die at birth. When you sponsor a pregnant Mayan woman and her unborn child, you will ensure that she will receive life-saving medical care throughout her pregnancy and for three months postpartum. When your sponsored child is born she/he will begin life with an advantage that most Guatemalan infants do not have – comprehensive prenatal and postnatal care. In addition, the mother you sponsor will receive training in first aid, nutrition, infant resuscitation, and preventative care. Cost: $25/month or $300/year.
Elementary School Libraries
School libraries are virtually nonexistent in rural Guatemala. Children’s books are luxury items and there is no way for children to explore independent learning, to fill their intellectual curiosity, and develop a passion for reading. Teachers lack the expertise and resources to establish libraries. As a result, even if children have acquired reading skills, they have nothing to read. Pueblo a Pueblo’s most recent project involves developing and furnishing a library for the Panabaj and Chuk Muk Elementary School s. This project is being supported by a partnership between Pueblo a Pueblo , the Panabaj and Chuk Muk Municipal Elementary School s of Santiago Atitlan, the community, and its families. They all work together to ensure greater local responsibility for education and literacy.
Panabaj School Lunch Program
Guatemala has one of the worst nutritional conditions in Latin America (UNICEF 2008) 67% of indigenous Guatemalan children suffer from chronic malnutrition. Chronic malnutrition in mothers results in low birth weight children putting them at an early disadvantage. For three years Pueblo a Pueblo has provided a school lunch program for the 500 primary school children attending the Panabaj School — often times their only nutritious meal of the day. Better nutrition has resulted in improved health and a better attitude towards learning. It has kept the children in school, reduced their visits to the hospital and increased their well being.
Widows Housing Program
Due to the generous support of the Cole Family Foundation, they are able to facilitate the purchase of land and construction of permanent homes for widows in the Panabaj neighborhood. These women lost their husbands in the 2005 mudslides. Children from these families attend the Panabaj Municipal Elementary School and take part in their education sponsorship program.
To learn more about Pueblo a Pueblo, please visit their website.
 Sharing the Dream in Guatemala is a non-profit organization that promotes fair trade with cooperatives and small businesses in Guatemala. They are committed to providing fair wages and employment opportunities to low-income artisans, which will result in creating sustainable markets for their products. Their craft products are handmade by Mayan artisans using many traditional techniques. Purchasing these crafts not only provides work for these artisans, but the profits go to support community development projects in Guatemala.
Friends of Sharing the Dream is a 501(c)3 organization which accepts donations to be used for projects helping the artisans and their families.
A purchase of a beautiful work of art not only provides work for the artisan who made it, but the profits from the sale will go to community projects like the following:
- Providing financial help to the orphanage Casa Guatemala located in the jungle
- Providing educational scholarships for Guatemalan women and children
- Buying school supplies for Mayan children in the mountains
- Sponsoring over 65 elders in Santiago Atitlan with meals and medical care
- Building weaving centers and providing clean water for areas in Comotancillo
- Helping sustain several rural schools
- Establishing workshops and help for over 50 cooperatives/small businesses
Most of the people involved with Sharing the Dream are volunteers.
For more information about Sharing the Dream, please visit their website. For information on a great way to volunteer without ever leaving your hometown, click here.
Bridges to Prosperity…changing lives one bridge at a time
Bridges to Prosperity is a volunteer based charity that seeks to empower poor African, Asian and Latin American rural communities through footbridge building – thereby advancing personal responsibility, community public works, economic prosperity; and access to schools, clinics, jobs and markets.
The most powerful thing we share with others less fortunate is knowledge. Bridges to Prosperity does so by delivering practical knowledge that encourages the poor to lift themselves from poverty on their own. This empowerment of the poor is accomplished through their Community Bridge Building programs, which demonstrate how knowledge and training can fuel positive change in people’s lives.
Community Bridge Building is an incredibly successful way to teach this lesson. For bridges allow people to cross geographical barriers like rivers/gorges/mountains, thereby allowing access to schools, hospitals and markets. It is no wonder that the poor consider bridges “miracles”. But the true miracle is not the bridge itself, but rather the fundamental change in the hopes and dreams of those that they teach to build it.
Guatemala Footbridges The Guatemala program will begin in January 2010, concentrating on the highland department of Quiché, in particular rural communities in the municipality of Uspantán. Quiché is the homeland of the K’iche and Uspanteko indigenous peoples, direct descendants of the Mayans.
The Quiché department, and in particular the very remote Zona Reyna region of Uspantán, is one of the poorest, most underdeveloped, and least accessible areas of Central America, with some villages within the municipality of Uspantán lying up to eight hours away from the town itself. Uspantán was the site of much violence committed during the war, and the emotional, economic, and cultural scars still remain. The town has been experiencing a revival in recent years, with a progressive and well-respected mayor in office who is actively encouraging and facilitating development work in Uspantán’s poorest areas. The K’iche people continue to hold on to their Mayan traditions and their language, which vary subtly from village to village. The Uspanteko population is fast diminishing with an increasing number of young people leaving the area to find work, neglecting to wear the traditional dress and learn the Uspanteko language.
The geographic boundaries of mountains and rivers further isolate communities, and access to medical care, normally a full day’s trip from the furthest villages, can become impossible during the heaviest rains. With the introduction of safe and reliable bridges, the K’iche and Uspantekos will gain the security of being able to overcome their geographic boundaries during times of emergency, and the confidence of having uninterrupted access to their crops and schools.
Bridges to Prosperity is also exploring a series of prototype suspension bridge projects, sponsored by Flatiron Construction Corporation. The first pilot bridge will most likely be constructed outside of the city of Antigua, in the suburb of San Juan del Obispo, and will serve a community of 8000 people.
Click on any project link below to view more details and see photos of the project and people involved.
Project #062 – San Juan del Obispo Suspension Pedestrian Footbridge
Project #065 – La Taña Suspension Pedestrian Footbridge
Project #066 – Salcaja Suspended Pedestrian Footbridge
Project #067 – San Lucas Suspended Pedestrian Footbridge
Project #068 – Palqui Suspended Pedestrian Footbridge
To learn more about Bridges To Prosperity, please visit their website.
 The Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group (AIDG) helps individuals and communities get affordable and environmentally sound access to electricity, sanitation and clean water. Through a combination of business incubation, education, and outreach, they help people get technology that will better their health and improve their lives.
Many rural communities and urban shantytowns in developing countries do not have public services, such as energy, sanitation and clean water. The residents of these communities also tend to lack access to the capital and training that would let them solve these problems themselves. Due to scarce government resources, they often must rely on help from aid organizations or resort to poorly constructed stop gaps.
AIDG believes that in order to develop affordable services for underserved communities, local enterprises need to be fostered and supported. Small renewable energy, sanitation, water, and other innovative firms need financing and training to build the power systems, schools, toilets, water systems, biomass, agricultural processing, communications and other forms of infrastructure that can change the basic standard of living for people currently living in poverty.
The goal of AIDG’s Business Incubation Program is to create independent locally-owned enterprises that can serve the needs of impoverished communities using appropriate technology. Currently the program focuses on business creation in the following arenas: Energy, Water and Sanitation. Future arenas under consideration include Communications, Housing, Transportation and Agricultural Processing.
The AIDG provides each incubated business with:
- Training
- Seed Capital
- Technical and logical support
- Equipment and material procurement
- Aid in business planning
- A 2-year incubation commitment
- Access to a talented base of international volunteers and interns
- Program Model
They operate the Business Incubation Program through five steps: Talent and Opportunity Identification, Investment Lending, Tools and Equipment Provision, Training and Research and Contracted Services.
Talent and Opportunity Identification Starting in 2008, AIDG began conducting business plan competitions in Guatemala and Haiti to identify entrepreneurs for the Business Incubation program. Teams with the most promising business ideas receive 2 to 3 years’ worth of training, in-kind equipment and material donations, an initial start-up grant to help them incorporate their enterprise and begin early operations, and access to low-interest loans ranging in size from $10,000 to $100,000 (median $50,000).
Investment Lending AIDG’s business financing takes the form of grants and low-interest loans. Loan amounts which can range from $10,000 to $100,000, depend on the enterprise’s scale and scope. They offer a very favorable fixed interest rate ranging from 0% to 5% for most of their loans. The loans have very generous repayment terms and schedules to accommodate the enterprises they support, which operate in difficult market environments. Since their goal is enterprise success and not fund return, loans made by AIDG are intentionally below market rate.
Tools and Equipment Provision Most of the enterprises that they aim to incubate require some level of specialized equipment (e.g. foundries, milling machines, computer aided circuit design software). Depending on an enterprises needs, AIDG may provide an additional equipment donation of $2,000 to $25,000 of either purchased or donated equipment to help the enterprise get itself on its feet.
Training and Research Their training involves direct mentor pairing between members of their internship program and member of the enterprise. To date this has revolved around skills assessment and skill building exercises in both technical and business realms, ranging anywhere from electronics to accounting. They are in the process of developing a standardized training curriculum for each skill set. Additionally, they are working with teams of experienced professionals who can come to the field for shorter terms and give very specific skills based training to augment the intern mentorships. AIDG also acts as a research and development arm for their incubated enterprises working to solve individual technical challenges based on customer feedback and ideas about product improvement.
Contracted Services Much of AIDG’s outreach work is done by contracting their incubated enterprises to perform infrastructure projects in local communities. This provides real world environments to train the business team as the enterprise is getting started. It also builds awareness of AIDG’s work and programs in the region and serves direct charitable purposes for schools, daycares, orphanages and other community organizations. During the 2 to 3 year incubation period, their incubated businesses are responsible for implementation and product delivery while AIDG acts as project manager and monitors project quality on contracted work. Outside of this period, the businesses do both project management and execution.
To learn more about AIDG’s work, please visit their website, or blog.
 Chi Chi Amor is a for-profit, ecologically conscientious small business that creates beautiful children’s clothing integrating Mayan textiles with contemporary “western” fashion. As cultural anthropologists, Danielle O’Connor and Shari Feldman are compelled by a profound desire to share the history, compromised present, and unknown future of the Mayan weaving tradition.
Although they take great care to ensure that Chi Chi Amor kids look adorable in this bright and cheerful clothing, it is equally important to them that patrons understand that a child who is wearing a pair of Chi Chi Amor pants, for example, is wearing something that tells a story about the ancient and contemporary indigenous Mayan people. Many of their items are made from pieces of recycled/repurposed Guatemalan “huipil” and “corte”, the traditional shirt and skirt worn by indigenous Mayan women of Guatemala and Mexico. The huipil and corte are woven on a back-strap loom which can take anywhere from 3 months to 1 year to produce one completed textile. They (Danielle and Shari) collaborate directly with several Guatemalan Mayan artisans to find the textiles in the second-hand markets that are used to make many Chi Chi Amor garments and accessories. They also work directly with their Mayan partners to make collective decisions on design ideas, and how the various items might be improved or changed.
The owners take great care to assure that all of their Guatemalan collaborators will be paid for their work according to the prices they set for themselves. With each visit to Guatemala, Danielle and Shari continue to build a foundation of trust to ensure that all Chi Chi Amor contributors are compensated for their artistry, and will be recognized (by name, if desired) for their input on design and artistic creation.
In addition to creating a sustainable and unique market for traditional Mayan weavings, the company works directly with an organization, Pueblo a Pueblo, to sponsor a child’s healthcare and education. Additionally, Danielle and Shari work with their clothing producers individually; bringing them requested items such as durable backpacks for their school-aged children, and school supplies.
The owners are also currently raising money for the woman who dyes many of their items with natural dyes, and her collective; as she works to expand her business.
To learn more about Chi Chi Amor, please visit their website, or blog.
MayaWorks is a 501(c)3 non-profit that markets the work of Maya artisans who otherwise have no outlet for their handiwork. As a proud member of the Fair Trade Federation, MayaWorks pays artisans at prices they set, provides technical assistance and educational opportunities and meets other Fair Trade criteria.
What makes MayaWorks Unique: MayaWorks is much more than just an outlet for Mayan products. The commitment of MayaWorks-U.S. and MayaWorks-Guatemala to the economic development of women and girls goes far beyond the exchange of money for goods made in Guatemala. MayaWorks believes that community development happens through the economic development of women who otherwise have limited ways to participate or contribute to the economic stability of their families. Giving women an opportunity to earn an income from their skills gives them self-confidence and hope for themselves, their children, their family and their village.
MayaWorks provides opportunity and financial support for artisans to gain business and leadership skills. Through meetings and workshops,  sponsored or paid for by MayaWorks, artisans build their business expertise. MayaWorks is committed to the promotion of information about Guatemala through regular communication with volunteers and distribution of information at sales of MayaWorks products. Through MayaWorks tours, U.S. women are introduced to the Mayan women who create the products sold in the U.S. In the hearing of the life stories of the Guatemalan women and visiting in their villages and homes, American women strengthen their commitment and return home to promote MayaWorks with increased passion and dedication.
How We Sell the Work of MayaWorks Artisans: MayaWorks products are primarily distributed and sold throughout the United States by a vast network of volunteer sellers. These volunteers have sales in their churches, schools, community craft fairs and in their homes. Many of their products are also sold in shops and to individuals online who believe in and promote the Fair Trade policies.
Scholarships: MayaWorks believes the education of young Mayan girls is critical to the economic development of communities. These young women will become the primary caretakers of the next generation, making decisions about the education and health care of their children and the future of their families. Currently MayaWorks provides scholarships to 125 girls in Comalapa, Santiago Atitlan, Xetonox, Agua Caliente, and San Marcos La Laguna. These young women have expressed the desire to become doctors, nurses, teachers, and businesswomen. MayaWorks is committed to providing some support as long as these future leaders are in school.
Microloans: Microloans are helping the families of MayaWorks’ artisans to improve their day-to-day life. Small loans help buy pigs and chickens, bulls and strawberries, avocados and sewing machines. The artisan with a microloan can expand the family income in a significant way. This often means a woman can stay at home with her children while she weaves. Microloans can change what food makes up the family’s daily diet. Children can stay in school and not be needed to supplement the family income. Microloans encourage an entrepreneurial spirit and create some surprising results.
To learn more about MayaWorks, please visit their website.
 Synergo Arts is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3), tax exempt organization based in Arizona. Its purpose is to help artists and artisans around the world use ergonomics to maximize health, income, performance, productivity, creativity, and art or craft quality. They do this through a grassroots approach to innovating and delivering ergonomics resources, with a special focus on empowering the millions of artisans in the developing world who depend on their craft for survival.
Consulting and design projects
Synergo Arts’ current main focus in Guatemala is an ergonomic bench for backstrap weavers. The bench enables women to protect their health while producing more textiles of better quality. As a result, indigenous artisans increase their ability to provide for their families, and also preserve their weaving culture.
This project helps local people learn to make and use the ergonomic weaving bench. A start-up kit and tech support from Synergo Arts enhance carpenters’ skills and help ensure that the ergonomic features of the bench are preserved. By making benches, carpenters can increase their livelihood and gain satisfaction from helping their own people. Synergo Arts also offers a train-the-trainer program for backstrap weavers and conducts outreach activities to help local communities build their own infrastructure for fabrication, distribution, promotion, training and micro-finance.
Workshops and Publications
For artists, artisans, art educators, and organizations that support them, Synergo Arts offers customized workshops to expand capacity for using ergonomics.
Research and Development
Synergo Arts is actively developing ergonomics resources across the spectrum of art media and art cultures. They invite community participation in this research and development process.
Synergo Arts envisions a world in which artisans and artists create prosperous, healthy lives through the application of ergonomic knowledge and sustainable innovations.
To learn more about Synergo Arts, please visit their website. For more information on the bench project please read the article, Ergonomics for Creativity, Harmony and Wholeness from the Nov/Dec’08 issue of Fiberarts magazine, and visit the bench project and FAQ pages.
PAVA is a non-profit organization that works closely with rural communities in the Department of Chimaltenango, Guatemala to achieve long-term sustainable development through community-based projects and programs. A full-time staff based in the bustling town of Chimaltenango manages PAVA’s programs, providing technical expertise and coordination for infrastructure projects, environmental programs, and education.
PAVA began work in 1983 in response to ongoing civil violence. Initially, PAVA provided emergency relief to isolated villages in Guatemala. Through PAVA’s efforts food, seed, and building materials reached over 90 hard-hit communities. PAVA took the lead in the country by conducting needs assessments in many areas most affected by the violence and was able to provide effective, focused assistance. Soon afterward, PAVA began to work on development projects that offered these rural citizens longer-term solutions to problems affecting their communities. Starting with those initial villages, PAVA developed a working method of considering project proposals from various rural communities which sought specific assistance in order to achieve clearly-defined objectives. Along with representatives from these communities, PAVA planned and designed the proposed projects.
For over twenty years, PAVA has met with much success by following the principle of community initiated proposals to foster community development and leadership in rural towns and villages in the Department of Chimaltenango. The U.S. PAVA Foundation was organized to support the ongoing work of PAVA Guatemala and became an official 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in November 1986.
In every project and program, PAVA collaborates with its beneficiaries on the basis of respecting local initiative. In working with PAVA, communities learn that by taking the time to organize their efforts and follow through to completion, they can make a positive difference in their community.
PAVA projects and programs include the following:
- School Construction
- Potable Water System Construction
- Bridge Construction
- Scholarship program and teacher professional development
- Environmental education and conservation programs
- Reforestation
To learn more about PAVA, please visit their website.
 HELPS International is a US 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that partners with individuals, businesses, corporations, local and national governments to alleviate poverty in Latin America. HELPS integrated programs include: medical care, education, community and economic development, and agricultural innovations in order to improve the quality of life for the indigenous people of Latin America.
HELPS International was founded in 1984 as a 501(c)(3) charitable foundation in the tradition of service to others. HELPS programs extend a helping hand to people who then learn to become self-sufficient, giving them hope for a better life for them and a future for their children. HELPS offers its programs to all people regardless of ethnicity, social standing, political involvement, or religious belief.
HELPS believes in a world of liberty, stability, and personal opportunity. To achieve these goals, HELPS integrates its programs into the areas of healthcare, education, economic development, environmental protection and other special projects. HELPS works together with other non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and private enterprise, and cooperates with local and national governments to promote sustainability of its programs.
HELPS strives for permanent change in communities through its programs, and promotes mutual respect, responsibility, and partnership with local infrastructure. This integrated approach ensures cohesiveness in cultural, medical, spiritual and economic affairs of the rural population.
- MEDICAL: HELPS has been said to be one of the largest medical relief efforts in the history of Central America. Since 1988, over 140 medical/surgical teams have gone to Guatemala. Each team composed of approximately seventy people provides over one million dollars in direct medical aid to Guatemala. These teams come from all over the US and travel to the remotest areas to provide US standard healthcare to those who have none. This year, HELPS will bring over 1,100 volunteers from the US and Canada who will provide over $11,000,000 in direct medical aid.
- EDUCATION: HELPS International believes that education is essential to the future of Guatemala, and has worked since the early 1980’s with Mayan (indigenous) women and children in the development of literacy and education. Today, the HELPS Education Program has developed into a system of K through Sixth grade education, with scholarship assistance for those seeking secondary education. HELPS continues to make a strong commitment to long-term literacy and education. HELPS School in Santa Avelina and its teacher training and other educational systems are a pattern for the region. This year, HELPS will educate 125 children.
- COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT: The cornerstone of HELPS International’s development philosophy is the belief in an integrated approach with a variety of HELPS programs in order to assist communities in the developing world. HELPS recruits volunteer groups to implement such projects as the ONIL stove installations, school construction, potable water systems, and concrete floors for homes.
- THE ONIL STOVE: For centuries the indigenous population, the Mayan, have cooked their meals using open flame three-stone fires on the floors of their one room homes. This traditional method of cooking is the cause of rampant medical and environmental problems throughout rural Guatemala. After an investigation of the cultural and technological factors surrounding three-stone fires, HELPS International developed the “ONIL” Stove: a durable stove that minimizes smoke and burns, and reduces wood use by 70%. To date 60,000 stoves have been implemented in Guatemala and 10,000 in Mexico. Due to the wood savings, women have two extra days a week in time that are freed up by not having to gather wood. HELPS will run three stove factories with factory personnel and stove technicians for training and inspections.
- ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: HELPS International believes economic changes are essential in order for Guatemala to have real and permanent growth; HELPS, therefore, supports economic efforts that promote opportunity and individual initiative. HELPS programs include: micro-credit loans, and the creation of marketing outlets for the products of Guatemala.
- COFFEE PROGRAM: Guatemala is a place of great beauty and a place that grows simply the best tasting coffee in the world. In an effort to provide economic assistance to the country, HELPS International is now offering its own private labeled Guatemalan coffee. In addition to the great taste, this coffee offers a great benefit: all the profits from the sale of HELPS coffee go to programs specifically designed to improve the lives of the Guatemalan people.
- CORN PROGRAM: HELPS believes that increased yields in the cultivation of corn is key to alleviating poverty because improving corn production equals improving the economy of Guatemala. HELPS, in cooperation with its partner DISAGRO, implemented a corn program in the rural highlands that resulted in increased production and promises to bring real economic change to the region. This year 1,100 families in the corn program will add $400,000 in annual income to the region.
- WATER FILTER PROGRAM: The HELPS Gravity Water Filter is a practical solution to the need for safe drinking water every day in rural communities, and during emergency relief efforts. Safe drinking water is often very scarce, or available at great expense. The gravity water filter uses two containers: a person simply pours the water into the top container where it then filters to the lower container through a ceramic purification element, providing up to 10 gallons of safe drinking water every four hours. The initial assembly is easy and the setup time is about 15 minutes.
Check out their website to read more about HELPS projects; and check out the site links for volunteer opportunities, success stories, the needs of families in Guatemala and Mexico, videos and ways to donate.
The Wisconsin Professional Partners Chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB-WPP) has approximately 175 members and is currently working on Guatemalan projects independently, and with four universities in the area: The Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE), Marquette University (MU), University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), and Michigan Technological University (MTU).
EWP-WPP is currently working on bridge projects in the Departments of Chimaltenango and Quiche. These projects are completed in partnership with local communities and NGOs.
- El Aguacate: EWB-WPP is partnering with the community of El Aguacate (in the Joyabaj municipality, Guatemala), to rebuild a bridge. The previous bridge was built in 1987 to provide El Aguacate and the four surrounding communities access to the surrounding area where they had been previously cut off by a river. The bridge lasted until about four years ago when it began to fail. For a few years the village used tree trunks to provide additional structural support, although the trunks usually washed away during the rainy season. Now, however, the bridge is in such disrepair that it is unsafe to cross, even with the additional support. This bridge is of particular concern because it is the only way in or out for five communities during the rainy season. During the dry season, the communities are able to put in a temporary bridge further upstream. For the other five months, however, the community is cut off from larger markets, medical care and education.
- Rio Chiquito: EWB-WPP has been solicited by the communities of Rio Chiquito and Joyabaj (Guatemala) to provide a bridge design that will replace the existing structure connecting the City of Joyabaj to the northern regions of the Joyabaj municipality. The existing bridge is inadequate to safely carry any loads greater than that of automobile and pedestrian traffic. The new bridge will span the Rio Chiquito between the Village of Rio Chiquito and the City of Joyabaj and will be designed to safely carry automobile, truck, bus and pedestrian traffic. As a result, the new bridge will better connect the northern regions of the municipality with the city of Joyabaj and also allow for the development of a bus route. The bus route will provide increased access to medical care and education for the villagers of the northern region.
EWP-WPP is working with the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) on the following projects in Quiché:
- Tres Cruses I: MSOE and WPP will cooperate on the Tres Cruces I bridge project in eastern Joyabaj municipality in early 2010. EWB-WPP is planning to do excavation and foundation work during their January 2010 trip (while also constructing the bridge at El Aguacate). EWB-MSOE will then complete the structure during late February and early March 2010. The cast-in-place, reinforced concrete T-beam bridge will have a single span of approximately 25 feet, with a clear height of approximately 10 feet. The student group and their mentors from WPP are now completing the hydro design so the structural design can be done during September and October. The municipality of Joyabaj, with which EWB-WPP and EWB-MSOE have completed several bridge projects, identified the Tres Cruces I bridge as one of their top priorities. It will eliminate a two-hour detour between villages at the east end of the municipality and the city of Joyabaj during the rainy season.
- Electrical System: An elementary school in Quiche, Guatemala has been surveyed and MSOE students and professional mentors are working together to design a solar system that will provide electrical power for the school. The electricity will power lights, a refrigerator, and appliances. The system is scheduled to be implemented in March 2010.
The chapter is working with Marquette University (MU) on the following projects in Chimaltenango and Quiché:
- La Garrucha, Guatemala: A 26km water (spring fed) supply project, designed with a 2000 person capacity for the village of La Garrucha with a current population of approximately 1200. Funding for this project is complete and construction is nearing completion. This project was a 2008 Marquette University Civil Engineering Senior Design project.
- La Nueva Providencia, San Lucas Toliman, Guatemala: Electrification project with elements of solar and hydroelectric power. Currently, the most active MU project, the solar system to power the school and community center for the village of La Nueva Providencia has been completed. The hydroelectric system has been started, and will be completed over the next implementations trips. Fund raising for the hydroelectric element of this project is in progress, but not all the necessary funds have been secured. The greatest challenge with this project is the extreme poverty of the community, which has lead to difficulty determining a source of funds for the long-term maintenance and operation of the hydroelectric project.
The chapter is working with University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee (UWM) on the following project in El Quiché:
The potable water distribution and sanitation project in Quejchip, Guatemala, Phase II was finished in July. The project team built a chlorinator at the distribution tank and ran approximately 4 kilometers of buried PVC pipe to 48 houses. Tap stands were built for each household. A village teacher along with the UWM team presented a Health and Hygiene education program for both kids and adults. A Latrine and Hand Washing Station was also built for the elementary school.
The chapter is planning a corn grinder and cane press project with Michigan Technological University (MTU) in Fronterizo/Nueva Libertad, Huehuetenango.
To learn more about the Wisconsin Chapter of EWB, please visit their website, LinkedIn page, or Facebook page. To read about EWB-USA, please click here.
 As Green As It Gets™ is an incubator for small Guatemalan businesses. They provide training, technical services, marketing and financing to hard-working proprietors who need a push in the right direction to lift themselves out of poverty. They place a strong emphasis on protecting the environment and land restoration as an integral part of business management. They help producers develop environmentally and economically sustainable agricultural programs such as intercropping, managed forestry and organic farming.
All revenue from As Green As It Gets product sales goes directly to the producers and their families.
As Green As It Gets is a registered non-profit corporation in the state of Minnesota, USA. The San Miguel Escobar Community Development Foundation is administered by As Green As It Gets. The San Miguel Escobar Community Development Foundation is an approved program of Congressional District Programs; a 501(3)c charity registered under tax ID number 65-0970090.
To find out more, please visit their website.
 The YONOSE Foundation was formed as a non-profit organization to apply basic existing technologies to the solution of problems faced by geographically isolated and/or technologically challenged communities. The problems addressed are focused on health, economic, environmental, and educational concerns. Within these parameters, YONOSE operates to expand the use of renewable resources and economically viable technologies and to foster the independence and self-sufficiency of the populations with which they interact.
Limited scope operations such as they engage in are not common, since it involves modest goals, small populations, and neither patent bearing research nor the mass consumption of goods or services. In this respect, they fill a unique role in developing adaptive methods and serving populations not otherwise served in this way.
In the mid 1990’s, the Mayan communities of Guatemala were being relocated to the coast and mountains of El Quiche. After research into the potential of hydro-electric power from the nearby stream, Yonose chose to install solar panels to power the local clinic. Volunteers with Yonose went back a year later to install the panels, set up the batteries and train community members on how to maintain the equipment.
Yonose also continues to research projects such as the application of new solar-controlled water systems for more efficient use of water resources on remote islands, the use of windmills for production of electric and hydraulic power, and the use of solar power and low voltage electrical systems for household use. The results of their research are meant to benefit whole communities that ordinarily do not have access to the kinds of simple technologies that those of them with easy access take for granted.
At the current time, YONOSE is not active in Guatemala. They do, however have a strong interest in following up there. For more information about YONOSE, please see their website.
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