October 16 Blog
The Terrain & Travel in Guatemala
Guatemala is known for its mountains and volcanoes. There is still one active volcano “Fuego” which emits smoke every 15-20 minutes.
To avoid a 6 hour drive we chartered two small planes and flew to Cobán which is a city of approximately 2 million people. The small plane allows you to see the mountainous terrain with steep windy roads. We drove for another 2 hours to reach our destination, Las Arrugas Verapaz.
During our drive we encountered many potholes and partially blocked roads due to fallen rocks and mud slides. It rained at times which created pooling water and further delay.
There is no municipal transportation in towns so residents rely primarily on motorcycles and tuktuks to navigate the hilly streets. Many bedkit recipients used tuktuks. In more remote areas the roads are not paved and are very slippery after a rainfall.
Team Guatemala, 2025
Seeds of Innovation for Sustainable Development 🇬🇹 and SCAW 🇨🇦
October 17 Blog
Home Visits
In the area of Guatemala we visited, there is a prominent Mayan culture and the people in the homes we visited spoke one of the 20 dialects. A local teacher accompanied us to the homes and translated for us.
We walked a steep, narrow and muddy path to a house make of wood with a corrugated metal roof. It had a busy courtyard with free range chickens and turkeys. There is a small cooking area where meals are prepared over an open wood fire. The family had 4 children and one bed with a mattress and a second bed with a wood base but no mattress until the bedkit arrived. There is one very small electric light and no indoor plumbing but the family has a water collection system. The earth floor was carefully swept. The family’s belongings were organized on two small shelves. The mother had constructed a loom using a discarded bicycle wheel and wove traditional scarves, which she sold to help her 15 year old daughter continue with high school.
The second home had one small room with a bed and a tiny lean-to on the side for cooking. The walls were make of old corrugated steel full of holes. This family has one son about 8. The mother was most appreciative of the mosquito net and blanket.
Thank you to the wonderful donors who make this all possible.
Team Guatemala, 2025
Seeds of Innovation for Sustainable Development 🇬🇹 and SCAW 🇨🇦
October 18 Blog
As we complete our distribution of 4000 bedkits to the children of Guatemala, I would like to take this opportunity to thank our hosts and partner coordinators Noe Caal (Alta Verapez) and Isabel Zacarias (Quiche) with Students Offering Support and Guatemala Ground Swell. Their work in assembling a small army of volunteers in their community made for a wonderfully successful experience.
SOS Volunteers
From our initial welcome in the community centre to our final distribution in small village school, we were surrounded by a supportive community. Thank you to the mayors, teachers, parents, and youthful volunteers who made everything work. On every distribution day, our team and volunteers were given a nutritious lunch. Each day we had the pleasure of working with volunteers that treated the children with gentleness and could reassure the young ones in their native Mayan. Children were excited but often very reserved at the camera.
Welcome ceremony
Mothers waited patiently to carry home the bedkit. Many women shifted it to their head to balance it for the trip home.
Some were able to take a tuktuk to carry the load, while others fit tightly into a community bus.
Little girls returned with hand made gifts for the team
The turkey in the family courtyard often finds its way to a traditional soup with special guests being given the wing!
Pamac home
Hill top village
Life at the top of the mountain. Wood is used for cooking
Team Guatemala, 2025
Seeds of Innovation for Sustainable Development 🇬🇹 and SCAW 🇨🇦
