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 | Nov 7, 2024
School fight Climate Change w/ Green Building

By Mishell Guoz | Outreach Coordinator

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

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Jul 8, 2024
Education and Green Infrastructure in Guatemala

By Matthew Paneitz | Executive Director

Together We Did That!

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!

What A Team!

Hero School Teachers, Volunteers, and Builders

The Tire Foundation of the Classroom

On the Road Again!

Solar Energy Time!

Glass Bottles Make for Great Light.

The Transportation!

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Mar 19, 2024
Starting Another School Year

By Amanda Mallory | Development Director

Student study session on a beautiful day

We've started our school year in January and registered more students than ever. With 175 bright minds enrolled in education for sustainable development at Hero School, our 28 teachers are busy! Our work to enhance curriculum presses on with our internal team, consultations from education experts in Guatemala, and support from you as our financial backbone. While our STEM is enriched with composting and green building projects, our cultural aspects are filled with painting, performance, marimba, and Kaqchikel.

So far we've had an incredible 15 individual volunteers in 2024 and two service here to learn green building. Along with the local green building team they have worked to complete and progress on many projects. Many of our volunteers in the last 6 months have contributed to a tire retention wall that we're happy to say is now finished and prepared to endure the incoming rainy season and support a family home on the side of a hill!

Another community build is completed, providing two families in Paxa area of San Juan Comalapan with improved stoves. Thanks to the help of a service group of 7 women these stoves are more efficient in fule consumption and have a chimeny to vent air out of the home and improve respratory contidions for families. Focusing directly on our campus, we are also significantly further on the teachers lounge, bodegas, and school office. As those are coming to a wrap we're begining to focus on what will be our Green Building Academy project.

The next Green Building Workshop is coming up quickly in April. In this awesome colaboration we'll have Phill Basehart of EcoHab joining us as an instructor and journeying out to the quaint farming village of Agua Calientes to help build a school. Not too far out side of Comalapa, we'll be building this structure start to finish while teaching international and local participants the principles of green building. Check out the link below to see a cool video made by Kate during our last Green Building Workshop!

If you want to start planing a trip to the Long Way Home project site for you or your group message us and we can get you ready.

For all that you share with us, thank you! Gracias! Matyox!

Volunteer group helps build tire retaining wall

Next school building under construction with cob

Students performing in their class presentations

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