Globally, nearly three billion people use polluting, inefficient stoves or open fires to cook their food.
In Guatemala, more than half of families rely on open fires to cook. This causes the smoke to fill their homes and results in severe health problems.
Approximately, one ton of firewood per person per year is used for cooking and heat. Collecting that much firewood takes time and energy or costs money.
The need for firewood as fuel contributes to deforestation. Guatemala loses up to 2,460 hectares of tree cover annually. As a result, deforestation brings soil erosion, loss of animal habitat, and fewer oxygen-producing trees.
Due to the high rate of consumption, forests and trees become increasingly scarce, and villagers must travel even further to find wood.
DWC’s LIGHT UP GUATEMALA program installs eco-stoves in homes to help stop all the harmful impacts of cooking fires. A vented stove is more environmentally friendly and can prevent a lifetime of health problems, but not everyone can afford one. The stoves use 70% less firewood than open fires. As well, the stove uses local porous stone to filter out the toxic chemicals typically are released into the air during burning.
Your team will be installing these stoves into several homes that have been chosen by our host partner in Guatemala.
DWC volunteers will also mobilize in partnership with Days for Girls. This important organization provides poor women with access to health education and feminine hygiene products that last for 3 or 4 years. A portion of DWC’s project cost supports the distribution of menstrual kits produced by local entrepreneurs.
Guatemala is a developing country where education for female hygiene is limited or does not exist, and families do not have enough money to buy menstrual hygiene supplies. They have other priorities, like buying food for their families.
This project creates a long-lasting impact by helping women and girls manage their periods so they can engage in livelihood activities, offers income opportunities, and is better for the environment than commercial products.
Join us and volunteer to help a family in Guatemala. In Guatemala, DWC works with Open Windows Foundation, our in-country host partner. All beneficiaries and projects are chosen in partnership with them according to local needs and priorities. Poverty reduction is the ultimate goal.
The November volunteer team will travel to Guatemala to work on a community development project in San Miguel Dueñas. San Miguel Dueñas is an agricultural community of about 12,000 people who live 15 kilometres from the tourist city of Antigua.
In general, expect to work 6-8 hours per day. Volunteers usually wake up early, around 6:00 or 7:00 am for breakfast. After breakfast, the team is transported to the project site (usually by private bus) and the workday begins, usually somewhere between 8:00 and 9:00 AM. There will be lunch in the middle of the day, which is either provided by your workplace, host family, or purchased by you. Your workday will usually end around 4:00 pm.
You can expect a warm and humid climate during your stay in Guatemala. It’s an excellent time to visit with temperatures averaging between 20°C to 30°C (70°F to 80°F) making it comfortable for indoor or outdoor pursuits.
There’s lots to see and do. Antigua, where our volunteers stay, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its Spanish Baroque style of architecture and church ruins. The region was hit by several earthquakes in the 1700s (hence the historic ruins). Not to worry, though, there haven’t been any quakes of note in the past couple of hundred years or so.
Past teams have visited a chocolate maker, open markets, monuments, fountains, plant nurseries and even volcanoes. Some have gone for wilderness hikes or ziplining. There are lots of options for your free time.
Carbon offsets are used to compensate for the greenhouse gasses that we create through certain activities, such as flying. For every tonne of carbon released into the atmosphere, an ‘offset’ is a carefully designed project that absorbs or stores the equivalent CO2 emissions. You can choose to offset your own flight, your whole family’s, or do this as a gift for a friend.
Offset Your Carbon Footprint