We are the joint collegiate chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB) for Florida A&M University and Florida State University. For those of you who don't know us, EWB is an international organization that engineers sustainable solutions for communities lacking basic human needs (i.e. clean water, food, shelter). Our current project is a schoolhouse for the community of La Cantun II, which is located in the mountains of central Guatemala. Right now the community has a one-room schoolhouse made of bamboo sticks, tarps, and lamina that’s used by 27 elementary students. There's no outhouse or place for students to wash their hands.
We traveled to La Cantun II this past December to assess the community’s condition. We were given a warm welcome; the community prepared a dinner for us, provided housing, and made an enthusiastic commitment to support the project however they can. The community’s leaders and our team agreed that the new schoolhouse should have 2 classrooms, a kitchen/office room, and a bathroom with a proper handwashing station. The design phase of the project is now completed, and our goal to produce preliminary drawings by the end of the spring semester have also been met. After review by Tallahassee engineers, we will send these plans off to EWB HQ for approval, and if everything checks out, we’ll return to La Cantun II this December to begin construction!!
As the chapter in charge of the project, we are responsible for covering 95% of the project costs, with the community covering the remaining 5% (though they've also volunteered their labor for construction). We estimate that the schoolhouse will cost around $50,000 to build, so we have a lot of fundraising to do! While we seek funds in many places—grants and local colleges, for example—we also rely on the Tallahassee community for support. Whether you’re a business owner or a banker, an engineer or an artist, you can help make this schoolhouse a reality for the children of La Cantun II.
Thank you for your time and consideration, and please share our story!
Photo Caption: Our travel team is standing with community leaders and members on the site of the future schoolhouse.