Today was the first day of a life-altering experience. On this day we were introduced to the five day mission that we have been waiting for. Moving forward, the trip will encompass a full immersion into zone three, the poorest part of Guatemala. We will work at a nursery for infants and toddlers, as well as a school for the first through sixth grades. The trip also consists of the construction of a much needed house as well as a technology room for the elementary school.
We started the day with a fantastic meal of pancakes and yogurt. We then went to visit various sites in zone three and began meeting the people with whom we will be working. We first went to the Fransisco Coll School, the elementary school, and were invited with an extravagant passage of children singing and giving us beautiful hand made bracelts as well as a beautifully handmade wall decoration.
We met a few teachers and after visiting the school, we experienced one of the most difficult parts of the day.
After the school, we went into the neighborhood that makes up zone three. The zone was very similar to the Favela in Brazil, and was all kinds of unfathomable. We were invited into three different homes which ecompassed the size of a living room or kitchen. The house, which was barely four walls and a ceiling, was made up of essentially one room with a bed and housed an average of eight people. We were invited to two other houses, which were very similar to the previous house.
After the neighborhood, we stopped by a nursery which took care of kids between the ages of 1 and 7. This nursery was a great step-up from the Coll School, having been built and founded a few years ago from the efforts of others donations. We were introduced to the staff and shown the facilities that we will be working with for the remainder of our trip.
After we visited the nursery, we went to a cemetary that held several large tombs dedicated to the specific families of those who were buried. When we reached the back of the cemetary, we were shocked to see the garbage dump. The dump was essentially an enormous ravine dug into the ground, filled with piles upon piles of waste and building material. What shocked us the most was that for the citizens of zone 3, this was their livelihood and their employment.
We returned to the Coll School to do some contruction on the second floor technology lab. We organized building material and cleaned up previous messes. We also set up the supplies necessary for our construction work later this week.
We then went to the building that houses the Paso y Paso program, which was a part of the International Samaritan program. At the "high school," we met the members of the Paso y Paso program (which means step by step). The program is designed to assist zone three children in their studies and provide them with the best oppurtunity for a sustainable job. We interacted with the students despite some language barriers, learning about their lives.
Upon arriving back at the retreat house, we had a nice dinner and a long, deep reflection about what we experienced today and what we can do moving forward. We are anxious to get immersed in the work and hopeful that we can complete what we need to before we depart in a few days.
- Sagar Agarwal and Bilal Yassine
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