By Genevieve Croker | Director of Operations
As the dry season winds down, Long Way Home is gearing up for a productive summer. We are currently more than halfway through with construction of the first three of eight primary classrooms. Using a method called "superadobe," LWH crew and volunteers are sifting, mixing, hauling and tamping modified dirt into polypropylene tubing to form dome-shaped rooms for our students. In an earthquake region, stability is key. Barbed wire is laid between each course to further reinforce these buildings. Once the shells of the building are complete, we will be able to spend the rainy season working on finishes and preparing the buildings for the 2014 academic year.
We would be unable to move forward with our project without generous donations of time and money. In addition to several stellar individual volunteers, we recently hosted two awesome groups: FIU's Hillel Student Group and Living Waters. Choosing to spend their spring break engaged in service rather than vacationing, these young men and women put many sweaty hours into supporting our team in laying the foundation for the three classrooms. This group was amazing and full of spunk!
Living Waters for the World is a program of the Shenandoah Presbytery of Virginia and has partnered with over 500 organizations worldwide to provide clean water and training in communities with contaminated water sources. Their aim is to remove bacteria, parasites and similar disease-causing organisms and therefore improve health. In April the groups spent eight days installing the filtration system at our school complex and training the staff, teachers and students in operation and maintenance of the equipment. The clean water will serve as an income source for the school in addition to ensuring our children are drinking and brushing their teeth with free, clean water.
In addition to our online fundraising campaigns, Long Way Home is occasionally able to visit our supporters and partners in the United States. In April our Executive Director and I drove nearly 4,000 miles meeting with universities and groups in Oregon, California, Arizona and Colorado and attending events hosted by volunteers and board members. It is such a treat to re-connect with folks who are engaged with the project from afar. The opportunity to share our mission with new friends is energizing as well! Hearing the gasps and exclamations that accompany our slideshow really reminds us that we are turning trash into treasure.
A warm thank you for the donations of time, money, raffle items, lodging and event space. Without the generosity of people, both old friends and new, we would not be as successful as we are!! It is a pleasure to work on your behalf for the community of San Juan Comalapa, Guatemala.
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