SCAW BLOG: GUATEMALA, 2026: OCTOBER 13
During our time here, I have noticed how vibrant the community is. We have been invited to a party to celebrate the opening of the Main Street that has been under construction for over a year. We have experienced fireworks for the celebration of All Saints Day, there has been a parade of the Church statues, and a 40 km bike race to raise funds for a road safety Initiative for children. We also shared the facility with children practicing chess.
This area of Guatemala is primarily inhabited by Mayan people who speak Poqomchi, one of the 21 dialects of the Mayans of Guatemala. Many of the parents sign for their child’s registration for a bedkit with a thumb print. The small children often spend their first year of school with a teacher who can speak their language and gradually introduce Spanish. Coming to the big community centre with hundreds of strange people was a challenge for parents and children alike. Having their picture taken was a novelty for many.
Many mothers waiting for their child to receive the bedkit carried their babies in a traditional wrap. We rarely heard any crying! The mothers are very gentle and calm with their children. Although the women are often short, they can carry the heavy bedkit on their head with a baby on their back and walk away smiling.
Teachers accompany their students to the distribution. On Sunday, the principal and all the teachers travelled two hours each way to assist their students. What dedication!
Team Guatemala, 2026
Seeds of Innovation for Sustainable Development 🇬🇹 + SCAW 🇨🇦
SCAW BLOG: GUATEMALA, 2026: OCTOBER 12
The geography of Guatemala is very mountainous and travel can be a challenge for many people as they do not have personal transportation. After landing in Guatemala City our team of 6 flew on 2 small planes to the city of Coban which took 40 minutes followed by a 45 minute drive to San Cristobal. The other option would be to drive from Guatemala City to San Cristobal which is about 10 hours on a good day.
San Cristobal is the primary site of our bedkit distribution and is comprised of approximately 60,000 residents. Most of the streets are quite hilly.
Some of the children receiving a bedkit travel as far as 2 hours to San Cristobal via municipal bus. They then travel home with their bedkit and a parent either by bus or arrange a ride with neighbours and then walk a distance to their home.
Although we are near the end of their rainy season it is quite cool in the morning and at night. The hooded sweatsuit the children receive as part of the bedkit helps keep them warm and provides full cover to protect them from mosquitoes. The mosquito net in their bedkit will help protect them from Dengue fever. As we walk around town we often see children wearing their new sweatsuits.
Team Guatemala, 2026
Seeds of Innovation for Sustainable Development 🇬🇹 + SCAW 🇨🇦
SCAW BLOG: GUATEMALA, 2026: OCT. 11
We finished our third day of distributions at San Cristobal, Guatemala. Five hundred and ninety-one bedkits were given out to children in record time in a smooth and efficient manner.
This would not have been possible without the tremendous help of the volunteers. These kids were from fifteen to eighteen, and were energetic and quick to learn their assigned duties.
Our Volunteers
They helped with everything from administration, handing out the clothing for the children to dress in, assisting children when needed, getting school supplies into their backpacks, getting them into the right position for picture taking, assisting handing over bedkits and finally, making sure the child connected with the right parent or guardian. This area is of great importance and it was most beneficial that the volunteers spoke Spanish and were able to communicate with the children and able to pronounce their names correctly when calling for the parents.
Lining up for picture taking
Assigning changing rooms
Parents/Guardians lined up to get their child
As you can see, to get a child in and out takes many hands and a special thank you goes out to Noe (our guide) for getting alĺ the volunteers (approximately 60 over the course of the distribution period) and being at our beck and call both before the SCAW team arrived and ever since.
Our many blessings to each and every one of them.
Team Guatemala, 2026
Seeds of Innovation for Sustainable Development 🇬🇹 + SCAW 🇨🇦
SCAW BLOG: GUATEMALA, 2026: October 10
Wow! We were so impressed to see the young volunteers all set up and we had a steady flow of excited children and their teachers all day.
Each child received a track suit, girls in hot pink and boys in navy or grey. It was a real pleasure to see the pride of the boys and girls as they realized that they now had a hoodie, something warm to wear on the cold mountain nights.
The mosquito nets were well received as the beautiful untouched forests guaranteed mosquitos from dusk to dawn. There were three lined notebooks, a number of pencils and a pencil sharpener, and a pen that we squeezed into their pink or blue backpacks, along with a grey blanket. Each large, thick mattress had a colourful printed exterior and was luckily tucked into a waterproof reusable bag.
Luckily, because this afternoon we had a torrential downpour that was so heavy and prolonged that the community centre in the large municipal office building we were in had water quickly oozing in under each door and some windows. We had to quickly adapt our process to keep the waiting parents and siblings dry.
It was amazing to see the mothers, some carrying a younger sibling, take the huge mattress onto their heads and leave with their happy children.
Team Guatemala, 2026
Seeds of Innovation for Sustainable Development 🇬🇹 + SCAW 🇨🇦
SCAW BLOG: guatemala, 2026: October 9
The SCAW team received a warm welcome to San Cristobal today. We were greeted by hundreds of excited children waving blue, white and red balloons representing the Guatemalan and Canadian flags.
This was followed by live music, a performance of traditional dance, singing of the Guatemalan and Canadian national anthems and listening to endearing words from the town's mayor and the Minister of Education for the municipality.
It was a wonderful first day - particularly for the 310 children who received a bedkit. Details to follow tomorrow about the bedkit contents.
Team Guatemala, 2026
Seeds of Innovation for Sustainable Development 🇬🇹 + SCAW 🇨🇦
SCAW Blogs: Guatemala, 2025: October 16-18
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 🇨🇦
SCAW Blog: Guatemala, 2025: October 14
Today was our first day of three days of distributions in San Juan Cotzal. At 8:30 AM we arrived at the local recreation centre which was filled with children, parents teachers and volunteers, all anxious for the opening ceremonies and the distribution.
The ceremonies began with the procession of the flags of Canada and Guatemala followed by the SCAW team with an honour guard of 6-7 year old smiling children dressed in their new fleece outfits waving balloons and Canadian flags.
This was followed by the singing of the national anthems of Guatemala and Canada and then addresses by the local SOS coordinator Isabela, the local coordinator of Education, and the Mayor. Then we were entertained with traditional dancing and singing by a group of young girls and one boy in traditional attire. This boy stole the show with his talent and stage presence. We can only imagine the performer he will be in ten years.
We then set up for the distribution of 250 bedsits in the morning. We had been concerned about the weather because it was raining when we awoke in the AM but it did settle in the morning. During the early afternoon there was hard rain shower for a short period which did not affect the distribution of 350 bedsits.
By the time we finished for the afternoon it had cleared and we walked about 1.5 km, almost all uphill, back to our hotel. This gave us a chance to see everyday life in this community and to get some fresh air. It was time for a short rest, then supper and early to bed as we will be busy tomorrow.
Team Guatemala, 2025
Seeds of Innovation for Sustainable Development 🇬🇹 and SCAW 🇨🇦
SCAW Blog: Guatemala, 2025: October 13
Today, we left San Cristobal to travel by small coach to San Juan Cotzal for the second half of our distributions. Before departing we were treated to a lovely breakfast at our hotel by the very supportive mayor of San Cristobal, Mr Celso Gue Gua. He shared his passion for education and his enthusiasm for SCAW’s work.
The trip was 121 km through the mountains - over a mix of paved, gravel and washed-out roads. The elevation changes and hairpin turns made for both spectacular views and nail-biting moments. A short stop for lunch in Nebaj allowed us to stretch our legs and see the central square complete with an underground parking garage. It was a long trip made enjoyable through our good spirited team.
Upon arrival we said “adios” to Noe, our San Cristobal host and “mucho gusto” to Isabelle who will host us in Cotzal. Together with their teams, they have done an extraordinary job preparing for the distribution of 4,000 bedkits to be evenly split between the two regions.
We can’t thank them enough!
Team Guatemala, 2025
Seeds of Innovation for Sustainable Development 🇬🇹 and SCAW 🇨🇦
SCAW Blog: Guatemala, 2025: October 12
Today we began with breakfast and then a short ride to the San Cristobal Municipal Center where children and their parents were assembled to receive the 1000 plus bedkits we were distributing. Our young volunteers and their supervisors from SOS were there earlier and already had many children registered and about 50 changed into their new clothes and ready for the distribution when we arrived.
Our SCAW team of six is supported in San Cristobal by about 20 youth and their supervisors. These amazing young people are mentors and mentees with with the Canadian supported SOS program here, in which high school students support elementary students in their studies and encourage them to continue their education beyond the grade 6 level. The youth ranged in age from 11 to 18 years. They performed various tasks including lifting the heavy bedkits and carrying them to the waiting parents, comforting and supporting children, registering the children and, most importantly, translating for us from English to Spanish and Mayan dialects.
One young man who we both worked with for translation told us he improved his English by watching TV in English and listening to music. He delighted in conversation about his future and his desire to study Tourism next year as he just finished High School. The smooth running of our distribution was made possible because of the bright, smiling cheerful youth and their supervisors who were always supportive to us and respectful of the children.
Team Guatemala, 2025
Seeds of Innovation for Sustainable Development 🇬🇹 and SCAW 🇨🇦
SCAW Blog: Guatemala, 2025: October 11
First Day of Bedkit Distributions in San Cristóbal, Guatemala:
Today in San Cristóbal, Guatemala, I witnessed something extraordinary. My first day distributing bedkits with Sleeping Children Around the World (SCAW) unfolded like a well-executed plan amidst smiles, enthusiastic hugs and genuine warmth.
As we arrived, the air buzzed with anticipation. Children lined up with radiant smiles, their eyes wide with curiosity and gratitude. Their manners were impeccable - each “gracias” delivered with sincerity that moved us all. Mothers stood nearby, wrapped in vibrant shawls woven with intricate patterns, layered over blouses and flowing skirts that told stories of heritage and resilience. Their pride of family was unmistakable.
Under the expert guidance of our seasoned trip leader, what began as a bustling scene quickly transformed into a finely tuned operation. Over 1,000 bedkits - each containing a mattress, blanket, mosquito net, school supplies and clothing - were distributed with care and efficiency. Student volunteers, brimming with energy and ingenuity, adapted swiftly to every challenge. The girls reorganized queues, held the hands of little ones and ensured that bubbling energy was managed between kit handoffs. Meanwhile the boys demonstrated strength and compassion lifting the large kits onto the waiting heads of proud mothers - or carrying them out for those parents who needed a little help.
What struck me most was the harmony. In a place where resources are limited, generosity flowed freely. Every smile exchanged, every kit handed over, every photo captured was coming together as one appreciative community.
This wasn’t just aid - it was connection. A reminder that dignity and joy can thrive in the simplest acts of giving. I felt humbled and inspired. Tomorrow brings more kits, more faces, more stories - but today will stay with me forever.
Team Guatemala, 2025
Seeds of Innovation for Sustainable Development 🇬🇹 and SCAW 🇨🇦