Poverty Reduction Through Masonry Training in Chiquimula, Guatemala
Thanks to the Rotary Clubs of Chiquimula and Burlington North who sponsored and implemented this 69K project.
Our Fort Collins Club has worked in this area for many years and was happy to contribute financially to the project.
• 60 villagers, 15 from each of 4 mountain villages in the Chiquimula region of Guatemala, will receive full training in the skills of construction, focussing on masonry, over 11 months. Each participant will also be provided with all the necessary tools for the masonry trade.
• As part of the training, a basic building module will be built, in each of the 4 villages, to be donated to a needy family in that village or possibly be used as a village communal building.
• The primary purpose of this project is to provide these villagers with a skill, in high demand, that they can use to earn a much better income for their families. On average a mason will bring in more than double the wage of an unskilled farm or coffee worker.
• These Mayan villages in this region have high rates of poverty and low employment and as a result, high malnutrition. Finding a decent paying job has been extremely difficult during the pandemic and many villagers are relying on government programs, which are few and far between.
• The request for this has come from the villagers themselves. Further studies have demonstrated that building construction, particularly masonry will be in high demand for a significant period in the future enhancing the sustainability of this project. It is also planned that the participants will engage local people, as masonry helpers, who also get wages higher than farm workers.
• In one of the villages, COVID has recently forced masons, from outside the village, to stop a significant building project. With these skills and tools residing in the villages they will be able to do this kind of work themselves, bringing benefits to the whole village. On average, these 4 villages have 356 families each and approximately 2,000 people each.
Rotary Global Grant GG2234780
Read MoreOur Fort Collins Club has worked in this area for many years and was happy to contribute financially to the project.
• 60 villagers, 15 from each of 4 mountain villages in the Chiquimula region of Guatemala, will receive full training in the skills of construction, focussing on masonry, over 11 months. Each participant will also be provided with all the necessary tools for the masonry trade.
• As part of the training, a basic building module will be built, in each of the 4 villages, to be donated to a needy family in that village or possibly be used as a village communal building.
• The primary purpose of this project is to provide these villagers with a skill, in high demand, that they can use to earn a much better income for their families. On average a mason will bring in more than double the wage of an unskilled farm or coffee worker.
• These Mayan villages in this region have high rates of poverty and low employment and as a result, high malnutrition. Finding a decent paying job has been extremely difficult during the pandemic and many villagers are relying on government programs, which are few and far between.
• The request for this has come from the villagers themselves. Further studies have demonstrated that building construction, particularly masonry will be in high demand for a significant period in the future enhancing the sustainability of this project. It is also planned that the participants will engage local people, as masonry helpers, who also get wages higher than farm workers.
• In one of the villages, COVID has recently forced masons, from outside the village, to stop a significant building project. With these skills and tools residing in the villages they will be able to do this kind of work themselves, bringing benefits to the whole village. On average, these 4 villages have 356 families each and approximately 2,000 people each.
Rotary Global Grant GG2234780
