Students from the architectural technologies course tour through Guatemala to see how locals tackle everyday challenges differently.

Architectural Technologies students Jude Polsky and Christine Zevnik, along with instructor Marc Bussiere, are in awe since returning from a recent educational trip to Guatemala.
During their two-week stay they first visited specific organizations within two communities before finally connecting with the non-governmental organization (NGO) in Panajachel that they’ve paired with. Their ultimate goal is to design a trade school for locals.
“We were impressed beyond our imaginings at the way they ran their organization, the amount of people that they helped, the amount of Mayans who worked with them. It’s quite phenomenal,” said Polsky.
Their first stop was in San Andres, Itzapa, a small town west of Guatemala City where the organization Maya Pedal is located. Founded by local Carlos Marroquin, Maya Pedal creates pedal powered machines, called bicimaquinas, made from donations of used bike parts and local materials.
These hand-made inventions are custom built to serve a specific need, such as shelling macadamia nuts or pumping water from a well. With wells that can reach approximately 200 feet, this invention brings  “gushing” water within 45 seconds.  “It didn’t take very much effort at all. This is something that a child could operate. An elder person could operate. It was very user friendly,” said Zevnik.
Their next stop was a Mayan town in the hills northwest of Panajachel called Comalapa, to research a building project organization called Long Way Home. The project addresses the two main needs of the community, a lack of access to education, and a waste disposal/recycling program.
It utilizes unique building materials for structure walls – old tires packed with dirt or pop bottles filled with garbage and debris placed within a bamboo frame. Other materials, such as plaster, complete the walls and enhance the esthetic look of the building.
Long Way Home is “using all these really inventive ways to form a structurally sound building that is earthquake proof and deals with all these other issues but then also tackles the recycling end,” said Zevnik.
Their first goal once they reached Panajachel was to meet with their NGO, Mayan Families. They viewed the current projects in place and witnessed the level of community participation and involvement in them.
On a research trip to San Jorge, a village beside Panajachel that would benefit from a trade school, the group was strongly affected by a Mayan Families initiative that feeds the elderly.
“One difficult choice they often have to make is whether they are going to feed their children or their parents, and the parents lose because the children are their future,” said Polsky.
Seeing this strengthened their belief that a trade school would help end the cycle of poverty by providing employable skills.
The trade school would also help educate tourists about Mayan culture.
Polsky and Zevnik said the trip was a “travelling classroom”. They learned invaluable skills such as how to deal with a client and how to measure and collect data on a site. They also see endless opportunities for SAIT involvement in the future.
“There is something to be said about having the opportunity to go to another country and experience another culture and the learning that comes from that,” said Zevnik.
For further information on the organizations involved please refer to their blog spot www.panaproject.org.

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