Chuixil, Guatemala
Status: Completed
The Community
The village of Chuixil is located in the municipality of Joyabaj in the Quiche Department of Guatemala. The community has a population of about 200. When the project started, there was an existing makeshift school, comprised of bamboo walls and a tin roof. The school served about 40 children, and that number was expected to grow in the coming years. Members of the community were extremely vocal in expressing their desire for a permanent structure in which their children could further their education in a safer, comfortable environment.
The Project
When EWB-USA withdrew groups from Honduras, in which we had been working on water projects for years, members of the Honduras program began to search for new projects to work on. EWB-NEU applied to partner with the Guatemalan community in June 2018 and immediately began preparing for an assessment trip for December of that year. Upon completion of the trip, EWB-NEU made a “go” decision for the project that would involve the design and construction of a school building, kitchen, bathrooms, and access road. This was the first time an EWB-NEU program had committed to a structural project, after its long history with water projects. We were very excited to take on this challenge.
The Progress
During the first assessment trip, the team collected soil data, surveyed the site, and visited nearby schools built by other EWB chapters. They gathered input from the Chuixil community through a questionnaire, presented the project at a community meeting, established a formal partnership, and signed an agreement with the mayor and other stakeholders. In 2020, the team completed phase one remotely, constructing a safe concrete school building with plans for electricity, a gravel access road, and a bathroom. Phase two, planned for next summer, involves adding a bathroom with a wastewater management system. The EWB chapter values the partnership and the opportunity to collaborate with Chuixil to meet these community needs.