Twenty University students traveled to Guatemala for seven days to participate in community service efforts in the town of Xepocol during Spring Break. The students, along with three professional staff members, completed the roof of a school that students began building on previous volunteer trips three years prior.
“At the worksite, we did hard manual labor that the people do daily,” Dan Pizzimenti, a sophomore business major, said. “We had to shovel rocks and sand, we were sifting rocks, making and moving concrete, cutting rebar and bending it. It was hot and tough work but working together as a team makes everything bearable,” he added.
Construction for schools in Guatemala promote education for those living at or under the poverty line because it enables the students in the area to learn closer to home. Salud y Paz, the organization the group traveled with, aims to help their country through the help of international hands by building health and education clinics.
According to their website, “Salud y Paz currently operates two health and dental clinics that primarily serve the Mayan population in Guatemala. Seventy-five percent of the rural Mayan population lives in extreme poverty… or approximately $360 per year.” The website adds, “…we have opened a preschool with 50 students who receive early childhood education, as well as nutritious meals and snacks throughout the day.”
Poverty is both widespread and severe in Guatemala, according to The World Bank. “Almost 58 percent of the population have incomes below the extreme poverty line, which is defined as the amount needed to purchase a basic basket of food.”
Erin Hughes, a sophomore psychology major, said the poverty in Guatemala was apparent during the trip since they were surrounded by the people who were living in poverty. “The most influential part is seeing the families of Guatemala who are struggling through severe poverty. A recurring theme for them is how important family and love is in getting through the difficult times.”
“They survive with as low as a dollar a day,” Miguel Rios, a senior health studies major, said. “I remember visiting an extremely poor family’s house in the middle of the mountains and realizing how lucky I am to have the life I have.”
While in Guatemala, the group was able to raise around 3,700 quetzal (the Guatemalan form of money, which is equivalent to $500) for one of the struggling families they met. These funds bought the family new wood framing for their homes, a metal roof and a toilet.
Pizzimenti explained that during a group discussion after one of the work days, he was able to realize the hope they were providing for Guatemala. “Selvin, our translator, said that he saw hope in the future in the kids as they got older… that’s when I realized what I was doing there,” he said. “Although what we did might not have an immediate impact, we’re changing the future of these children for generations to come. We were giving them an opportunity to make a better life for themselves and their families.”
Though the University students worked from early morning until 4 pm each day, they were also able to use their spare time to visit families, churches, markets, and go site-seeing.
To participate in the community service trip, the students competed with other students at the University through an interview process in October with the advisor for the trip, Corey Inzana. After the interview process, students joined in fundraising, weekly meetings, and overall preparation on health and travel before leaving.
“The Monmouth University Alternative Spring Break and its success is fueled by the students and their passion to serve others,” Inzana said. “Each of the 20 people who attended the trip had different motives or personal reasons for wanting to be a part of this experience. However, the common thread that they all shared was the selfless decision to serve others during their spring break.”
The trip, costing around $1,200 per person, was paid for by the students through their own funds and money raised through fundraising at events such as the Holiday Bazaar, the Frozen Fun Run, a Magic Show, and a $5,000 donation from the Student Government Association.
Regardless of the financial aspect, every student selected to go on the trip was able to attend.
Hughes said the experience was worthwhile. “Guatemala has been one of the single greatest experiences of my life. Never have I come away from anything so impactful as this,” she explained. “Despite your circumstances, as long as you have love and family, you will be okay. Knowing how blessed I am is a lesson I will never forget. The people of Guatemala have changed me for good.”
Inzana said the team set out to help others but soon realized “the Guatemalan people actually help them gain a better appreciation of life.”
Dylan Vargas, a junior business major, said, “I will never go a day where I don’t think of them and their appreciation of us, the want for us to be there and the enjoyment they got from us. I will never go a day where I don’t wish I could wake up in Xepocol ready to start my day and see them [the children] and play with them at recess.”
PHOTO COURTESY of Lauren Walsh
