Long Way Home

Why Guatemala? As the third poorest country in the Western hemisphere, 65% of our community in Comalapa survives on less than $2/day. Daylight hours are for working to put food on the table, leaving a shortage of time to devote to education, play or leisure. Recognizing that the community lacked a place to rectify this imbalance, Long Way Home (LWH) has spent the last five years turning an underutilized piece of land into a full-service recreational park, recycling center and organic garden. Through the focused energy of over 600 volunteers, Parque Chimiyá is now a place where the community learns, plays and congregates year-round.

In Guatemala community and agrarian life are primary. Large, interdependent families dominate the social fabric and work together to solve problems with the materials at hand. LWH is honoring this tradition and working with the community to find more innovative ways to re-purpose what others might not see as valuable resources.

We all have things we care about and often feel compelled to give back, sharing our blessings. Long Way Home staff and volunteers love Guatemala's ancient beauty, warm family life, and modest, hard-working people. We are compelled to help in any way we can. We are confident that our contributions are helping to support a different, less destructive path out of poverty. Our use of green building methods can make a difference in the development of Guatemala and the future of our earth.

Still wondering what fighting poverty through education in Guatemala has to do with you? Political, social and natural systems connect us all. World Bank estimates that those in poverty will be the first harmed by the destructive results of climate change. As global citizens we have an opportunity to effect change in communities that lack the basic infrastructure that we may for granted. We greatly appreciate financial commitments to our organization. Remember, it's not just a tax deduction, it's an investment in a better future for us all.