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 ConstruCasa is a non-profit organization offering basic housing to families living in extreme poverty. ConstruCasa always works in collaboration with local social organizations to identify families of exceptional need. Beneficiary families participate in the construction of their home and also pay back one fourth of the total cost of their house over four years. ConstruCasa collaborates with its partner organizations also in other construction projects and community service programs.
ConstruCasa’s mission is to improve the quality of life of the poorest families in Guatemala by providing housing and offering support programs. Additionally, ConstruCasa carries out other construction projects for the benefit of communities. They strive to accomplish their mission through:
- The construction of sustainable houses for poor families;
- Offering additional housing-related improvements including energy efficient stoves and water filters;
- Providing post-construction services including family new-home orientation and instruction, as well as maintenance;
- Cooperation with strategic partners in the areas of education, health-care and jobs programs;
- Consulting and supervision of community construction projects; and
- Encouraging participation of poor families in community affairs.
In March 2009 the completion of the construction of the 300th ConstruCasa house in Guatemala was celebrated in the presence of the Dutch ambassador, representatives of their social partner organizations, the construction workers, and supporters and friends.
To learn more about Constru Casa, please visit their website.
 Dubbed the “Blueprint Brigade,” by Time Magazine, Engineers Without Borders-USA (EWB-USA) grew from little more than a handful of members in 2002 to over 12,000 today.
EWB-USA has over 350 projects in over 45 developing countries around the world including water, renewable energy, sanitation and more. These projects are completed in partnership with local communities and NGOs. EWB-USA helps create a more stable and prosperous world by addressing people’s basic human needs by providing necessities such as clean water, power, sanitation and education. EWB-USA’s strength comes from its over 250 dedicated chapters, including university chapters on 180 campuses in the United States. Because of its strong university presence, EWB-USA is the catalyst for a new movement to educate the next generation of socially conscious engineers deeply aware of the needs of the rest of the world.
EWB-USA partners with developing communities in over 45 countries across the world. Their membership consists of professionals and students from a variety of professions including engineering, health, anthropology and business. EWB-USA members make up over 250 chapters located throughout the USA. Through its projects, EWB-USA provides innovative professional educational opportunities that provide a global perspective. Each EWB-USA chapter makes at least a five-year commitment to a partnering community. With the community’s input, the chapter designs and implements low-cost, small-scale, replicable and sustainable engineering solutions to problems identified by the community. This includes water, sanitation, and renewable energy. EWB-USA members train local community members and local NGO’s to successfully monitor and maintain the projects.
To view a representative list of EWB projects in Guatemala, please click here. To learn how to submit a project application, click here for English, or here for Spanish.
To learn more about EWB, please visit their website.
From Houses to Homes (FHTH) aims to strengthen community harmony in highland Guatemala by building lasting, healthy homes, improving access to health care and education, and inspiring participation between the poor and civil society. From Houses to Homes is a New Jersey-based nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization founded in September 2004 to build homes and improve the lives of the rural poor in Guatemala. FHTH is currently funded through private donations, corporate giving, and contributions from private foundations. Nearly 100% of all donations go toward building homes and providing health and education to revitalize disadvantaged communities in Guatemala.
Home Building: In the poorest areas of highland Guatemala, improper building materials, a lack of appropriate resources, and unsustainable architectures turn houses to foul rubble in the blink of an eye. Many families live in makeshift homes that are constructed of nothing more than cornstalk or cardboard walls with dirt floors. Decrepit housing quashes hope, fuels health problems, and destroys family unity. From Houses to Homes-Guatemala, Inc., recognizes that flourishing homes and thriving communities begin with improving actual home structure. From Houses to Homes works with the poorest of Guatemalan families to build or rebuild houses making them strong, safe, culturally appropriate, and affordable to maintain. These homes become the foundation for a community building process.
Each home costs approximately $1,500. Their homes are 13 x 19 foot homes, made entirely of concrete block, with cement floor, corrugated metal roof, with skylight, a metal door with lock, and a metal-framed window with glass. The home is stuccoed and painted inside and out with colors chosen by the home owner. A plaque with your name will be placed on the home honoring your donation.
How They Select Their Families: There are over one million corn stalk shacks in Guatemala. Some communities consist entirely of these provisional houses which sometime include additional scavenged resources, like corrugated metal siding, scraps of wood, or even plastic bags as siding. All houses have dirt floors, occasionally a bed, and most with leaky roofs. Staff at FHTH try to visit every family three or more times over several months at unannounced times to see how the families are actually living. The only requirement to receive a home is that they are very poor and can prove ownership of the property. They then try to select the families with the largest number of members so there will be a benefit to the largest number of people. A single mother with five or more children will head the list. During their first five years of operation, they have averaged six members per home. This means that FHTH has provided a safe home to approximately 1,680 people.
Health and Education: While home building is their main focus, they recognize that houses just remain structures and communities remain collections of impoverished families without proper health and education. In addition to homes, they believe that providing poor families with better access to healthcare and education most effectively helps address community deterioration in highland Guatemala. From Houses to Homes makes health and education possible by subsidizing health care costs and school registration fees. While they can’t combat this problem in its entirety, they try to assist the neediest families in the highlands.
J. Brian Moran II Clinic in Pastores: FHTH has just purchased a piece of property to build a medical clinic in Pastores. Janeth de Reyes, the Director of the Cambiando Vidas School in Pastores, was kind enough to recruit her son, Emilio, to design the clinic. She also introduced them to her son, Edgar, who is a Doctor to guide us through this project with important information about the community and medical needs of the Guatemalan people. We are extremely grateful to Janeth for her support and guidance.
To learn more about FHTH, please visit their website.
 Pan En La Boca is a not-for-profit corporation that was organized to help provide necessities and services to the people of Latin America who live in poverty. It is a 501(c)(3) public charity. Through its recent endeavors, various groups in Guatemala have received food, clothing, medical care and housing. All of the people who currently belong to the organization are volunteers and 100% of contributions are used to fund the group’s service projects. All contributions are tax deductible.
The group currently partners with and supports Safe Homes for Children, a 501(c)(3) that supports an orphanage called Casa de Sion, in Los Robles near Panajachel. In their most recent volunteer trip, they helped build a new orphanage on the 17 acres of land that Safe Homes for Children bought a couple of years ago. They also built furniture for the orphanage and made their bodega usable. Construction of birthing rooms and a health clinic began in early 2010 through the generosity of Ralph and Sue Severson who donated $2500 which will pay for the birthing rooms and Gary Syman who donated $15,000 for the clinic. The clinic and birthing rooms are also being built on the land owned by Safe Homes for Children and will service both the children at the orphanage and the people of the community.
The groups’ latest project, assembling newborn kits including blankets, diapers and booties, has been chronicled in this article, published by The Danville Weekly. To learn more about Pan en la Boca, please visit their website.
 The Children’s Malnutrition Center of San Juan, Guatemala provides temporary care to infants and young children who are severely malnourished. The children range in age from infancy to 10 years of age. The children come from homes where they did not receive proper nutrition, primarily due to their parents’ lack of means to provide the necessary food and care. Some children are even near death by the time they are brought to the Center.
The children receive housing, daily bathing, medicine, and three meals a day. There is also a doctor who works 2-3 hours of time every day at the facility. A child is discharged from the facility once the doctor determines that that they have regained proper health and that there are proper assurances that the child will receive proper nutrition on a regular basis once they leave the facility.
There are approximately 35-40 children living at the Center. However, they will have the capacity to house and serve up to 200 children once the many repairs and improvements have been made, and additional resources are acquired to hire additional staff to care for the children. Unfortunately, there are only about three staff members available to care for the nearly 40 children during the day, which doesn’t give them much time to provide individual attention to the kids.
The Malnutrition Center was built in the 1950s as a tuberculosis hospital, but was converted to a care center for children in the 1970s. In the 1970s, under the direction and funding of the Lion’s Club of Guatemala, it flourished as it housed almost 200 children. However, since that time, funding from the Lion’s Club has been decreasing and the facility has fallen into disrepair. The facility is in need of significant work in order to improve the living environment and quality of care that is provided to the children.
The Florida Baptist Children’s Homes identified the Children’s Malnutrition Center of San Juan, Guatemala as one of its first international ministry locations because of the extreme needs and because of the potential to improve the quality of services at the Center. The goal is to elevate the quality of care as well as expand the capacity of the Center in order to serve more children. Mission teams mobilized by the Florida Baptist Children’s Homes will work to make improvements to the facility and spend time interacting with the many children.
To learn more about this group, and their project, visit their website.
 Short term construction projects for groups and individuals: As Green As It Gets has a need for short term construction teams or individual workers. They have many projects right now that can use general laborers, mason workers, metal workers and welders, or trainable folks who will get their hands dirty. Projects range from 3 days to 2 months and involve raising roofs, building block and brick walls, pouring floors, welding doors and frames, and similar activities. If you would like to take charge of a project, or will be in Guatemala and want to lend a hand, send an email to info@asgreenasitgets.org.
To read more about this group, please visit their Clinic Link Profile, website, or current newsletter.
 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.
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.
Orphan Resources International (ORI) believes that every child is special and that God has a plan for each of their lives. Their mission and goal is to aid the children of this world, who through no fault of their own, have found themselves orphaned and alone. They wish to show them that God and many other people do indeed love them.
They aim to provide aid to orphanages in Guatemala, with the vision to expand to other Latin American countries. By supplying physical necessities and volunteers, they help with the care of the orphans and improve the facilities so that the lives of the orphans can be improved for as long as they stay.
To break the cycle of poverty, abandonment and despair, they provide spiritual, vocational and personal development training so that the children may learn and fulfill the purpose that God has for their lives.
One of the ways they show them their love is by improving living conditions at the orphanages. They take food, clothes, toys, and work crews into the orphanages to do construction and remodeling projects and also make sure they have time to give plenty of love. They also wish to make people aware that the greatest need these children have is a place to call home and the love of a family. Currently their organization is only working in Guatemala, but the needs of just this one country are staggering. The number of orphans grows daily. Please pray for these children and their organization as they try to reach out to their needs.
ORI takes work teams to Guatemala every month from January – October. Typical Team activities may include construction, painting, house cleaning, yard work, child care, or any other activities which will improve the children’s living situation. Work teams are housed at a mission complex and transported to their work projects on a daily basis. The average cost for a one week trip with airfare ranges from $1,000 to $1,500.
To learn more about Orphan Resources International, please visit their website. To view their 2010 schedule, please click here.
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.
 Beyond the Walls is a 501(c)(3), not-for-profit corporation dedicated to making substantial long-term impact in the lives of the poor and disadvantaged through focused opportunities in their community, their country and their world. They believe meaningful impact is achieved by focusing on the physical, relational and spiritual needs of those they serve. This holistic approach addresses a variety of needs: education, food, housing, medical care, micro-enterprise, job training, and mentoring. Additionally, Beyond-the-Walls exists to encourage, empower and inspire volunteers “to whom much is given” to be the agents of change in these under-resourced communities by connecting them to relational, hands-on service.
In Guatemala City, the group builds homes, pours floors in homes to replace dirt floors, builds community streets, sponsors the education of two classes of elementary children, performs medical check-ups for 250 students and teachers, organizes and runs sports clinics for boys and girls, organizes and runs children’s day-camp programs, provides and distributes food, clothing and school supplies, trains teachers and improves school facilities.
The group will be working in Guatemala City from July 24 thru August 6, 2010. A medical group will accompany them during either the first or second week of that trip. To learn more about Beyond the Walls, 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.
 Hijas™ takes its name from the Spanish word for “daughters,” the demographic they seek to empower through a series of programs designed to provide both immediate and long-term relief. The residents of the Marta and Maria Orphanage in Jalapa, Guatemala come from various family situations, from girls who have lost both of their parents, to girls whose families can no longer financially support them, to girls who have been removed from abusive and potentially dangerous homes.
These girls, who can no longer depend on their families, must learn to depend on themselves. Their goal is to provide an education that allows them to develop the skills necessary to gain confidence, sustain an income and — most importantly — achieve independence. The approach that Hijas™ takes is twofold: first, to teach the girls the hands-on skills of sewing and jewelry making; second, to work with them to create and implement successful business models for selling their own products. By educating these young women at Marta and Maria, they intend to both give them the possibility of providing for their immediate needs of food and clean water, and help break the cycle of poverty and neglect into which they were born, providing for their futures.
The obstacles facing the girls at Marta and Maria are numerous. They confront both daily challenges such as obtaining nutritious food, clean water, and finding safe, reliable transportation to school, as well as the larger reality of widespread poverty. At Marta and Maria, the majority of the food — primarily rice and beans — is provided through donations. A few fresh vegetables are provided by a garden tended by the girls, and they get milk when the orphanage can afford it. Tortillas are made onsite for every meal in a small shack behind the dormitory. The balanced diet, so important to young girls, is made nearly impossible by the financial constraints under which Marta and Maria operates.
They traveled to Jalapa in July to focus on training a specific group of young women to become teachers for the sewing and jewelry projects. They will also be working with them to create and implement successful business models for selling their own products. To continue their goal of providing for the immediate needs of the orphanage, including healthy and safe food preparation and a safe place to play, members of the HEAR Foundation as well as other volunteers will be accompanying their team in November of 2009 to build a new playground and tortilla shed/kitchen for the orphanage.
To learn more about Hijas, please visit their website.
 Volunteer Petèn is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in San Andrès, Petèn (with a US office in Mohnton, Pennsylvania) whose mission is to aid development in Guatemala by training international volunteers to participate in, design, and implement sustainable projects. Their main projects focus on environmental education, general education, reforestation, forest management, medicinal plants, and working with the public library and public schools, but they are open and able to aid volunteers to develop any project that suits their abilities and goals.
In 2008, Volunteer Petèn projects were building the high school and preschool for the town. 2009 projects include building a basketball court for the town. For 2010, they will continue with the Natural Resource Management School and begin to form projects around the school and its students.
For more information about this group, please see their website.
Common Hope creates opportunities so that impoverished children and families can improve their own lives. The heart of Common Hope’s work in Guatemala is education. They provide the necessary resources for over 2,700 children to attend school each year in seventeen villages outside of Antigua and Guatemala City. Common Hope understands that education is about more than books and uniforms – a comprehensive approach is critical to help students and their families to reach their full potential. For this reason they also focus their efforts on health care, housing, and family development.
Education
Common Hope helps students attend primary and secondary school, vocational school, and university. They also provide academic tutoring, special education, job placement services, a day care, and emotional support through youth groups.
Health Care
Common Hope provides basic health care, preventive health care, dental care, prenatal education, a pharmacy, nutrition programs, lab and x-ray services, community health fairs, and emergency care.
Housing
Though Common Hope, families can earn a house that is clean, dry, and safe by working sweat-equity hours. In addition, families can work to earn a stove, latrine, cement floor, and utilities such as water, drainage, and electricity.
Family Development
Each family affiliated with Common Hope develops a long-term, individualized relationship with a Common Hope social worker, with whom they identify obstacles and set goals to create change in their lives. Families also have the opportunity to receive counseling and parenting education, and to attend support groups including Al-Anon.
More Info
To find out more about Common Hope, please visit their website and blog. Common Hope is also active on Facebook and Twitter.
Mayan Families is a small, non-profit group operating in the Highlands of Guatemala. They live and work in the Lake Atitlan region. The group provides assistance and opportunities to the indigenous people of Guatemala, in particular in the Lake Atitlan area, through education, community programs and construction.
For more information about Mayan Families, please visit their website, Yahoo group, or blog.
Here is a sampling of Mayan Families’ accomplishments. This is only a partial list of the numerous accomplishments of Mayan Families over the years.
- School Scholarships- In 2008 Mayan Families assisted over 800 students to access primary/secondary and post secondary education, and in 2009 are hoping to assist over one thousand.
- The Microcredit Loan Project-Numerous Microfinance packages distributed enabling many indigenous women the opportunity to develop local home based business
- The Panajachel Sewing Project- 94 adult female students have completed the Mayan Families 3 month Sewing Skills Course. Many of these students have developed home based businesses with their new skills.
- Classroom Construction: Mayan Families have facilitated the construction and improvement of 7 classrooms in rural impoverished villages to create a better learning environment.
- Community Centers: Mayan families have lead and facilitated the construction of 2 rural community centers. In 2009 these community centers will house various Mayan Families Programs – such as sewing classes for women, after school program, medical and veterinary clinics, early learning center, feeding program, adult education, and library and internet access.
- The Onil Stove Project- Over 1,500 stoves distributed in Panajachel & Lake Atitlan area enabling approximately 7,500 adults and children to live in safe, smokeless houses.
- The Rotary Filter Project- 2,000 filters distributed in Panajachel & Lake Atitlan area providing approximately 12,000 with clean drinking water.
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