Education Guatemala Project #2402

Help School fight Climate Change w/ Green Building

by Long Way Home, Inc.

Help School fight Climate Change w/ Green Building

Project Report | Dec 4, 2018
Students take over at Green Community Projects

By Thomas Hartig | Communication Officer

1st grade stove project

We thought you would like to know how you have made an impact on our students and community! Our middle and high school students have had amazing success this year, finishing 2018 school strong with their individual Green Community Projects! This is a real highlight of our sustainable schools’ development and we are happy to see our democratic curriculum come to life.

After preparation throughout the whole year in planning and investigating, students and teachers eagerly went to work on their final projects. It was fantastic to see our young students dedicated to helping disadvantaged families in their own hometown of Comalapa.

The 1^st graders of CETC middle school built a smoke efficient stove for an older couple in dire need of a health-friendly method of cooking. Living just a couple of meters away from the school, they can now cook without respiratory-threatening smoke, leaving a dramatic impact on their lives.

Our 2^nd graders built a subterranean water tank to improve water availability for a family in Comalapa. Now the mother can have consistent access to water storage to provide better care for herself and her 5 young sons and daughters.

For the first time at CETC (!), the 3^rd graders started their community project of planning for and building a dry composting latrine. The recipient family lives at the top of a hill and used a simple hole as a toilet. They now have a sustainable latrine system which both produces natural fertilizer for their crops AND contributes greatly to the families hygiene and health.

Last but not least, our first high school class constructed a tire retaining wall to help a family in a nearby community, Xiquin Sannai, protect their tiny house for a lifetime. Their living space was in constant threat by a land hang from a cornfield. Now they can safely occupy their home and protect their chickens and garden without the fear of a landslide.

Thank you for your generous support that allows our students to learn how to tackle issues in their communities, whilst allowing families to benefit from their growth. Our 2019 year students would benefit immensely from an end-of year gift, so they can expand our projects and our impact! We appreciate your support and always enjoy the opportunity to share our stories with you, the people that make them possible.

1st grade stove project

2nd grade water access project

3rd grade latrine project

1st grade high school project

Links:

Democratic Education Model

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Sep 4, 2018
5th Anniverary of our School!

By Thomas Hartig | Communication Officer

Anniversary celebration

Great news from our sustainable school. Wednesday 20th of August we have proudly celebrated the 5th anniversary of Centro Educativo Técnico Chixot together with all our 136 students, their parents and our 18 primary and secondary school teachers.

Each grade prepared little cultural ceremonies and traditional dance presentations thanking for the chance to go to this unique school campus. Teachers and students demonstrated the institutions philosophy to the parents by interviewing children of different grades. The questions asked about “What is democracy for you?” and “Why we need to protect our environment?”, left parents impressed of the vision the students have gained here at Centro Educativo Técnico Chixot.

August is dedicated to the youth in Comalapa and various events on Youth and environmental protection happend. There are several "Colectivas" in town that have come up with activities about violence prevention and environment pollution to reach out to young people of the community. For example, the collective Artists of Comalapa, which currently counts five members and is devoted to art painting. After submitting a proposal to create a large mural, the mayor found a suitable area directly on the marketplace in town. The artists started diligently painting the wall with different scenes showing aspects of life and the environment. Within a week, the artists refined the image sections expressing daliy life scenes and nature as a producer of life. "The Pixcaya River is much polluted so we have decided to highlight a building of Long Way Home as a showcase of sustainable and environmentally conscious life", says Roberto Peren. Last Sunday, at the inauguration ceremony we celebrated with many kids from secondary schools. The painting can now be watched at the daily market shopping.

Thank you for your help in our work. We appreciate your support and always enjoy the opportunity to share our stories with you, the people that make them possible!

Anniversary celebration

LWH Mural painting

1st Green Building Academy

Links:

Centro Educativo Tecnico Chixot

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Jun 4, 2018
Students go green

By Thomas Hartig | Communication Officer

Student writing exam

Hello dear friend of Long Way Home (LWH). Here are the latest news from our sustainable school in Guatemala. In Comalapa the rainy season just hit and we have started to collect rainwater. The water flows into our 42.500 gallon cistern from all the school buildings' roofs and serves our daily needs.

At the sustainable school Centro Educativo Técnico Chixot (CETC), middle and high school students went to the next step of their project-based curriculum. After the students have presented their individual community projects in Xiquin Sanaii in February, they now have rolled out a socio economic and environmental survey in the community. The students analysed the whole village, a total of 181 families and their housing situation. Based on the information collected, each grade now will chose their perfect family for their green building projects, considering infrastructure, domestic appliances, health and general living conditions. The students and LWH staff are very excited to complete the community projects of a smoke efficient stove, a water tank, latrines and a tire retaining wall by the end of the year.

The school year at CETC is now half way through and our students ended their second semester with exams. We wish all our students luck with these exams and look forward to what they have planned for the rest of the year. To improve financial stability of CETC and to improve teaching our students, LWH will soon be offering a school sponsorship program. We invite you cordially to partner with our school and sponsor CETC teachers and primary, middle and high school grades with necessary materials. Just $40/month will cover all the resources one student needs, including supporting the teachers.

Last but not least the LWH crew is thrilled to start the first Green Building Academy 1st July 2018. The Academy offers hands-on learning experiences that contribute to the development of skilled and socially responsible green builders. The organisation and planning to making this event happen is in the final phase.Our construction crew, the materials to build the house and the local family to benefit from a new green building housing are ready. Last chance to apply for the July session is this upcoming Sunday 10th of June. Don't miss your chance and share the Academy Event Flyer with your friends!

Thank you for your interest in our work. We appreciate your support and always enjoy the opportunity to share our stories with you, the people that make them possible!

In Gratitude,

The Long Way Home Team

Teacher and student

Community Survey

CETC student

Students playing gitar

Links:

Attachments:

Green Building Academy Flyer (PDF)

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