Friday, November 14, 2008

Cleaning up the trash in a Guatemalan town

A great story details one family's work in aGuatemalan village. The entire Rose family from Georgetown, Massachusetts travels to the village of San Juan Comalapa to help the people. They previously built a park/community center for soccer and a nursery, they also help to teach English and have helped refurbish the community hospital.

The latest project is to build a school out of recycled materials. To help raise funds for the construction, an art show is being held in Massachusetts.

We found more details of the project and it's fundraiser in the Newbury Port Daily News.

Rose and her family have decided to help with a solution. They have joined an initiative through the community development organization Long Way Home, which is finding beneficial ways to put trash to work.

The group's latest project involves building a school out of recycled trash in San Juan Comalapa, Guatemala, for students in kindergarten through grade 12.

"We're trying to clean up the environment and recycle trash into another form that's usable," said Rose, the new president of Long Way Home's board of directors.

The new school comes at the request of Tecnico Maya, the smallest and poorest school in Comalapa, a community of close to 40,000 residents. It is being constructed with recycled materials, such as tires and used soda bottles filled with paper and plastic trash.

"This is part of Long Way Home's huge recycling effort," Rose said.

Although the new school, which will include a vocational program, is being built primarily with volunteer help and recycled materials that come at no cost, Rose said it will need windows, doors, desks and school supplies.

To raise funds for the school, Long Way Home is touring North America to increase awareness about the organization and its efforts. A representative will be in Georgetown this weekend to make a presentation during an art show fundraiser being organized by Rose.

What: Art show and sale to benefit Long Way Home

When: Tomorrow and Sunday, 3 to 7 p.m.

Where: 90 Pond St., Georgetown

How: Call 978-352-6804 or e-mail elizrose213@yahoo.com.


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