Holla for Guatemala!

On these cold winter mornings when I find myself grumbling that the water for my shower is taking a bit too long to heat or the last one to pour a glass from the Brita pitcher in the fridge did not bother to refill it, I remind myself that it could, indeed, be a whole lot worse.

Fifteen area high school students and six chaperones are soon to experience “worse” and spend time making it a little better. On Feb. 17, , a nonprofit organization committed to local, national and international humanitarian service projects, will travel to Guatemala to build a water containment and filtration system for a school in Pueblo Modelo, a remote village which has no running water.

For months, Team Guatemala has sponsored bake sales, car washes and special events to raise the funds necessary to embark on what will likely be a life-changing experience. They will make a lasting impact on the lives of others and, in doing so, perhaps find out a thing or two about themselves.

This excursion will not be luxurious. The group will bunk in an empty orphanage adjacent to a nutrition center which feeds hungry and malnourished children daily. Showers are doubtful, upset stomachs are not. According to the U.S. Department of State, approximately  “51% of the population lives on less than $2 a day and 15% on less than $1 a day. Guatemala's social development indicators, such as infant mortality, chronic child malnutrition, and illiteracy, are among the worst in the hemisphere.” (http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2045.htm)

The experience, however, will be remarkable and, I imagine, unforgettable.

The community is invited to follow Team Guatemala on their adventure at guatemalainfinityvolunteers.blogspot.com as they build, bond and discover that each individual can, indeed, make the world a better place.