Comalapa has more than 20 schools serving thousands of children from ages 5 to 18 that need to be taught to make a change in the quality of their natural environment. This is the project where Long Way Home volunteers integrate their Spanish abilities with their desire to interact with children and teach local students geography, reforestation, reuse of trash items and other appropriate topics. Our volunteers also get involved in community groups by teaching various aspects of health education.

Start Date: March 2005
Main Contacts : Local School Directors
Project Manager: Mateo Paneitz, E.D.
Current Status: In Progress

Purpose

To inspire Comalapa's young people to conserve their limited resources and protect their natural environment. To integrate education into every LWH project.

Description

In 2007, we built a new classroom at Parque Chimiya with the objective of using it as a venue for courses on topics including recycling, reforestation, preservation of natural habitats, and composting. We also launched an educational outreach program through which Long Way Home volunteers become involved in our existing network with local elementary and middle schools.

Although Comalapa is an agricultural community in which the people live "close to the land," the ideas of studying the environment and contributing to its sustainability are relatively new to Comalapans. Most elementary aged children here have a general awareness of the importance of a clean environment, but there are few programs that allow children to learn about their natural surroundings and how to preserve them. It is becoming increasingly relevant for community members who depend on a variety of readily available resources (firewood, for example) to practice sustainable methods. We expect that our outreach program will inspire a heightened sense of urgency among Comalapans about environmental stewardship.

• The Parque Chimiya Project
• Reforestation Project and Plant Nursery
• Water Distribution Project
• Técnico Maya Vocational School Project
• Appropriate Technology Project
• Environmental and Health Education Project