Kelly Being Green

Images from Guatemala

2009-04-23T16:56:00.000-07:00

Today is Thursday and we have visited 10 schools so far this week. Half of the schools have received water systems from Water for People and half are in the beginning of the process.

2009-04-20T18:39:00.000-07:00

2009-04-20T18:21:00.000-07:00

Today we visited two schools, Cruz Che III and Chicorral. We observed their water and sanitation systems and observed their hygiene practices. Not all of the children knew when to wash their hands or used the toilets on a regular basis. The second school has a high rate of death among the children because of the water situation. Sanitation in the school is substandard even to Guatemala and 3/4 of the village use open fields to defecate. In all reality there is no clean water in that village or school. We handed out soccer balls to each school. The children were so excited and very excited to get their pictures taken. The love to see their pictures on the digital camera screens. We were given sodas by a group of parents at one school which is an expensive gift for us. Most people live below poverty which is less than $2 per person per day. Most of the people do not have jobs per say. They work in the fields to grow their own. If they live near enough to a city they can take food and textiles to sell. It is very hard to compare the US with Central American rural areas because there are such different standards. Water for People is working at the basics with the villages on how to wash your hands and where to use the "bathroom". I believe that this is a worthwhile effort to help other human beings to have their basic needs met.

Arrived in Santa Cruz

2009-04-19T19:16:00.000-07:00

We are now in Santa Cruz. We drove three hours here over several mountains with very Central American driving. We got to strool through a market and have lunch at one of thier prevolant fast food restaruants. Once we got here we went through several hours of presentations/training. We start tomorrow at several schools. We will be visiting two schools a day in small groups. My brain is kind of dead right now so I do not think that I can give a very good account of my experiences just yet. We are expected to post information each day so I will have many chances to tell my story.

2009-04-18T14:47:00.000-07:00

I have just arrived in Antigua Guatemala. I am here with a group sponsored by ITT Corporate supporting Water for People. We will be moving onto Santa Cruz tomorrow where we will stay for the rest of the week while during the days we will be traveling to schools in Quiche.

A we drove from the airport in Guatemala City to Antiqua there was a stark difference with Honduras. Guatemala has more large businesses supporting the economy and it is apparent that tourism is strong in comparison. Many women are wearing traditional clothing. It is so cute to see the children in traditional clothing and acting just like any other child, playing, crying and teasing their siblings. I have not observed water issues as of yet but I anticipate that I will this week.