The Project

Project Overview

The Education in Action (EIA) housing project is a cooperative effort with the Comité Campesino del Altiplano (CCDA). The project is made possible through support and generous donations from the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) Social Justice Fund, the World Accord, and countless individuals and volunteers. EIA project volunteers and leaders would like to thank all the donors and fund raising volunteers for making this project possible.

The objective of the project is to build homes for families in need. The project is more than just EIA volunteers building houses in Guatemala. There is also a strong emphasis on cultural exchange. EIA volunteers will take back home with them as much as the Guatemalans will learn from us.

The houses under construction are basic single room dwelling with no indoor plumbing or electricity. It has a concrete floor, concrete and wood walls, and a tin roof. The bottom half of the wall is constructed of concrete blocks while the upper half is of rough lumber. A corrugated tin roof shelters the residents from the rain. Both the local Guatemalans and EIA volunteers will jointly participate in the construction of the house.

Project Area

The is located in the highlands to the east of Lake Atitlan. Project central will be the CCDA office in the village of Quixayá.

The month of March in Quixayá is dry season and it will rarely rain. The humidity is low but the midday temperature will be between 30-35ºC. Volunteers should drink plenty of water while at the project site. By the late evening the temperature will cool down to a comfortable 20ºC for sleeping.

At an elevation of 2000m, volunteers coming from low altitude regions will require a day or two to acclimate to the higher altitude. As keen and excited as you are, please do not over exert yourself on the first day. Give your body a day or two to acclimate to both the heat and altitude

Quixayá is a rural community. Wild and domestic animals are abound. For both health and safety reasons, DO NOT pet any of the animals.

Bottled drinking water is available at the CCDA office. This water is reserved for EIA volunteers. Please remember to fill your water in the morning before departing to the project site as bottled may not be available at the project site.

The CCDA office has a flush toilet but the outhouse is the norm everywhere else. This includes the house where EIA volunteers will be staying. Plumbing standards is different from North America and YOU MUST NOT DISCARD USED TOILET PAPER IN THE TOILET. This applies to both the outhouses and ESPECIALLY the flush toilet. Otherwise, you will have to clean up the mess. There is a trash bin next to the toilet for the used toilet paper.

The Guatemalans seem to cook all day. They use wood burning stoves and ovens and the smoke may become overwhelming on calm days. So be prepared to breath in a lot of smoke.

Resource and Reference

• Buscando otros caminos para la DEFENZA y RECUPERACIÓN del TERRITORIO
  En Guatemala crece y se fortalece una Esperanza
• Buscando otros caminos, para la defensa y la recuperación de nuestro territorio
  I Jornada por la tierra, Comité Campesino del Altiplano, CCDA, del 13 al 17 de abril 2,011.

A hiphop history of Guatemala.