Help School fight Climate Change w/ Green Building

With our school year coming to an end the students recently completed their building projects! All together with the support of donors, teachers, community members, volunteers, and especially students, we have completed:

• Two smoke-safe stoves by the 7th graders;
• Two smoke-safe stoves by the 8th graders;
• Two smoke-safe stoves by the 9th graders, to address smoke inhalation, (respiratory illnesses) and deforestation;
• Two water tanks by the 10th graders, to address a lack of water storage; and
• One dry compost latrine by the 11th graders, to address the lack of sanitation.

These projects benefitted nine families in Comalapa. These projects also enhanced the student's education, providing a practical and hands-on way to experience and apply concepts learned in math, science, social studies, and art classes. These projects were possible due to a $5000 grant from Mite.org,  We are also celebrating three Hero School graduating classes in November. Congratulations to the:

• 14 students graduating from primary school,
• 13 students graduating from secondary school, and
• 9 students graduating high school.

As the holiday season approaches, GlobalGiving offers a matching campaign to maximize donations. On the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, December 3, 2024, any donation made during the 24-hour GivingTuesday period, regardless of the amount, will be amplified.

Our goal, as we're registering students for the next school year is to find a donor to support every kid coming into Hero School. During the 2024 school year, we had 178 students and in 2025 we're expecting more. Help us make this a reality by raising awareness of our project amongst your friends by donating on GivingTuesday. It takes about $440 per student, per year to keep our school running. 

Thanks for another great year! 

Long Way Home

Links:

• Get to know us!
• Volunteer with us!
• Donate here!

We did it again!  In April 2024 Long Way Home''s flagship education center, Hero School, teamed up with Ecohab.org to transform tires, ecobricks, and glass bottles into the off-grid marvel that is now the Aguas Calientes classroom. In early 2024 the Hero School teachers visited 4 communities that demonstrated a desperate need to improve and expand their school infrastructure.  After extensive consideration, the Hero School teachers settled on working in the small village of Aguas Calientes. Aguas Calientes is located about 10 miles from Comalapa and is part of the Comalapa municipality. The Aguas Calientes middle school teachers explained that they have students waiting to enroll but that there is not enough space.  An additional classroom would allow them to enroll another 20 local students. That settled it and Hero School committed to pooling all available resources to build the classroom. Our first call was to Ecohab.org, specialists in off-grid infrastructure, design, and implementation.  Ecohab invited 15 of their full-time crew and another 11 people signed up for the Green Building Workshop.  When combined with the Hero School builders and volunteers we were a solid crew of 35.  

For one month the team worked Monday through Saturday to build this classroom. Throughout the month the Aguas Calientes middle school students jumped into the fray and provided invaluable support around the construction site while simultaneously learning the tricks of the green building trade.  And the vibe around the job site was enthusiastic. Everywhere you looked there were smiles.  Each day we could see the progress and each evening we relived the day's successes. 

And yes this classroom is run with solar power! This is the only solar panel in the village!

Unlike so many well-intentioned construction projects, we finished what we started in the time allotted.  On the last day the Aguas Calientes teachers and students, the Ecohab builders, the Hero School crew, representatives from the Ministry of Education and all of the international volunteers broke bread to celebrate our united victory. Please visit lwhome.org to sign up for our next great adventure and please don't forget to donate!

Links:

• The Aguas Calientes Classroom is Finished. Take a Tour!
• The Classroom Design
• Sign Up Today for the Green Building Workshop