Build a school from recycled materials for Maya
Students and teachers from Tecnico Maya School
Students and teachers from the Tecnico Maya School stand in front of their school. They have poor conditions and many months the teachers must go without pay. They are nevertheless a dedicated staff and wish to improve their school. They have asked Long Way Home for help to build a new school and add a vocational high school.
Students, teacher from Tecnico Maya on tire house.
The students climbed onto the tire house knowing that it was a practice for the school that LWH will build for them out of recycled materials such as trash and tires. They participate in the building project by bringing trash-filled bottles to the construction site for use in the walls of the latrine.
Bottles collected by community members line the la
In 2008 community members collected non-perishable trash from local streets and stuffed it into empty liter-sized plastic bottles. Bottle building is environmentally hygienic and also uses old as opposed to newly made materials.
The LWH crew uses mallets to fill tires with earth
In 2009 LWH employed 8 community members who have now learned "green" building techniques. They form the nucleus of a new green industry in Guatemala. With the completion of the Tecnico Maya vocational school in 2010 green building techniques will be taught to a new generation of green builders.
Crew and volunteers fill in the foundation.
The LWH crew and plus groups of international volunteers fill tires with dirt and place them in the foundation layer which is a combination of poured gravel and earth-packed tires.
A view of the foundation of the Tecnico Maya schoo
A view from above of the completed foundational layer of the Tecnico Maya School.
A member of the crew packs the tires with earth.
A crew member is working into the twilight packing the upper layer of tires from above. The school means not only future educational opportunities but also real jobs for today.
A retaining wall is the first order of business.
The lWH crew and volunteers first excavated the land beginning in January 2009 and then began construction of the retaining wall to stabilize the land. Government engineers have been onsite to observe the use of recycled tires in the construction of retaining walls which are badly needed throughout Guatemala.
The first three rooms of the TM School with roof
The first roof was added to the Tecnico Maya School in October 2009. These rooms will become the electrical and wood working shops of the school upon completion.
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