Project Parque Chimiya at San Juan Comalapa

Start Date: February 1, 2005
Main Contact: Chuwi Tinamit, Valeriano Pichaya (E.D.)
Project Manager: Mateo Paneitz, E.D.
Current status: Nearing Completion

Purpose

In Comalapa, as in many Guatemalan communities, funds are scarce for development projects such as large public works, infrastructure, and other highly visible “bricks and mortar” ventures. Projects like youth programs are often overlooked, which is probably a factor in the rising prevalence of gangs in rural towns.

Less dramatically, but equally importantly, a lack of recreational opportunities for youth fails to channel their creative abilities in productive ways. It is a missed opportunity to build civic ties between young people, ties that would have a significant impact on community capacity. The purpose of Parque Chimiyá is to bring together young people, families and everyone in Comalapa for educational activities, community building, and increased environmental awareness.

Description

Long Way Home built its first project, Parque Chimiyá, as a service to the community of Comalapa, Guatemala. Located one mile from Comalapa’s town center in the village of Chimiyá, the park is the first of its kind in the area, a beautiful and safe place where children, families and any individual or group can come for educational, recreational and sports activities. While the construction of the park’s infrastructure is complete, we are still working on smaller construction projects and programming.

Parque Chimiyá is the principal center of operations for Long Way Home in Guatemala. Although we are now working in a variety of nearby locations, the park houses most of the Long Way Home Guatemala staff and volunteers. It has also become a resource center for local development, a place where the Guatemalan people can get involved in development projects within their own community. Long Way Home’s role in the Parque Chimiyá project is to oversee all park operations, to fundraise for and manage park construction, and to lead educational initiatives.

Features

Soccer Field
Basketball Court
Playground
Gardensand Nursery
Community Kitchen and Picnic Area
Nature Trail
Classroom
Housing
Water and Electricity

Parque Chimiyá was conceived in 1990 when a local community development organization, Chuwi Tinamit, purchased the land on which the park now stands. The land was underutilized, owing to the significant budgetary and staffing constraints of Chuwi Tinamit. Mateo Paneitz, the founder of Long Way Home, began collaborating with Chuwi Tinamit in 2003, and together they began planning to revitalize the dormant project.

When Long Way Home assumed primary programming and execution responsibilities of the Parque Chimiyá project in early 2005, the little that had already been built of the park’s infrastructure had fallen into disrepair. Renovating the volunteer and staff housing on the property was the first priority. Once the first Long Way Home volunteers had furnished themselves with adequate living quarters, they were able to turn their attention to other aspects of the park project.

In addition to the construction of the soccer field and extensive work on the reforestation program and gardens, 2005 saw the launch of the Long Way Home internship program, where students can earn college credit for their volunteer work. In 2006 we overhauled the plant nursery, began hosting more educational programs at the park, installed electricity, and constructed a community kitchen and picnic area. The addition of running water, a basketball court, and an open air classroom came in 2007, leaving only a few finishing touches to be added in 2008 for the completion of Parque Chimiyá.

Education

Once the park became officially open to the public, Long Way Home kicked off its educational and recreational programming for youth. The interns and volunteers at Parque Chimiyá work in several local schools, sometimes bringing school groups to the park. The park has become the “home base” for Long Way Home’s educational outreach programs, and it is the site of many physical education and sports education activities.

Not only do local Guatemalans benefit from the Long Way Home educational project, but our staff and volunteers also have an amazing opportunity to learn from the people of Comalapa. Volunteers at Parque Chimiyá can learn Spanish, Kaq’chikel (the local Mayan language), weaving, tortilla making, not to mention the everyday learning that takes place from living in a small indigenous Mayan community.

Adding to the educational experience, children visiting the park have the option of collecting trash in lieu of paying an entrance fee. Young people learn about using discarded items as construction materials while helping to clean up their own community. We anticipate that Parque Chimiyá will have such long-term outcomes as improved physical health and self-esteem of local youth, less gang involvement, and cultural exchange and friendship between locals and international volunteers.

Sustainability

Parque Chimiyá earns enough money through entrance fees ($0.26 per person, $0.07 per child when school groups visit) to pay for its utilities each month. These entrance fees are also sufficient to pay the weekly salary of the local caretaker who oversees the park’s use and contributes to its maintenance. Since the project is generating enough income to support its activities, Parque Chimiyá is a financially sustainable project. The soccer field, tree nursery, basketball court and community kitchen are the features that generate the most income and make the largest contribution to the park’s sustainability.

The staff of Chuwi Tinamit, the local organization that founded the park, are all community members themselves. Therefore, the project arose from within the community and the local people have been involved every step of the way. The participation of nearby schools in the park’s programming is also evidence of the community taking interest in the project. The park is therefore sustainable in the sense that it is not reliant on people outside the local community for its continuation.

Environmental Contribution

The environmental contribution of Parque Chimiyá takes place through its reforestation, gardening, and educational outreach projects. Long Way Home strives to involve young people in each of these projects, so that the effects will be long lasting. Additionally, any visitor to the park will immediately appreciate the beauty of creating a natural area filled with plants and recognize the benefit to be gained by properly disposing of garbage.

Economic Contribution

Parque Chimiyá contributes to the economic development of the local community in several ways, most directly by providing employment for a local indigenous man who works as its caretaker. LWH also hires part time help throughout the year to supplement the existing work team. In addition to increased sales at the convenience stores closest to the park, food vendors frequently come to sell when large groups are using the soccer field.

The long-term contribution to the local economy will come from educating and empowering the people of Comalapa. Health, education, and environmental awareness are key factors in breaking the cycle of poverty. Long Way Home aims to target these factors through the programming at Parque Chimiyá, thereby making an impact on local poverty. By building community and family cohesiveness and inspiring wider participation of the people in the development process, Comalapans will be empowered to make changes within their own community.

Collaboration

Although Long Way Home staff and volunteers have contributed the majority of labor hours needed to build and run Parque Chimiyá, collaborations with a variety of organizations in Guatemala and the United States have made the park a total success. Visitors to the park have the opportunity to see local, departmental, and international groups collaborating on a socially conscious project. The local people appreciate our efforts and are inspired to get involved themselves.

Chuwi Tinamit. As the owner of the land Parque Chimiyá sits on, Long Way Home obviously couldn’t have done any of this without Chuwi Tinamit. While the park is just one of their many community development projects, Chuwi Tinamit has provided great support to almost every aspect of its construction and programming. We always aim for Parque Chimiyá to reflect the Chuwi Tinamit motto, “Health and education for everyone.”

AIR (Alliance for International Reforestation). A US based organization with a program office near Comalapa, AIR donated materials for the Parque Chimiyá tree nursery and plants for the botanical garden. They also provided training for 4 LWH volunteers over a 3 year period on reforestation, and continue to be an invaluable source of knowledge for our gardens, plant nursery and protected forest area.

Engineers Without Borders. Long Way Home’s relationship with Engineers Without Borders began with their installation of a running water system for Parque Chimiyá. They now continue to work with us on water projects in nearby communities.

The Técnico Maya School. When Long Way Home started its educational outreach program, Técnico Maya was one of the first schools to get involved. From growing a school garden plot to geography lessons, Técnico Maya has always been interested in our offerings. By welcoming us into their classrooms, they continue to provide our volunteers and interns with an opportunity for local community interaction.

Others. The contributions and donations of countless individuals and organizations are what made Parque Chimiyá possible. From local artisans participating in park fundraisers to school groups coming to participate in Parque Chimiyá activities, every aspect of the project has been a group effort.

Click here if you would like to help donate toward the develpment of this project or just make a general donation to the vitality of the project. Long Way Home appreciates your contributions and interest in helping make the world a better place.