Guatemala: Rainwater Collection

Author(s)

• Thomas Jimenez Nickerson, University of Dayton
• Saehan Lenzen, University of Dayton

Document Type

Report

Publication Date

8-17-2016

Abstract

The ETHOS team travelled to Huehuetenango, Guatemala for 10 weeks during the summer of 2016, where they worked and lived in a youth ranch located in the village of Chinaca. Finca Juvenil is a working boys ranch that houses around 20-25 boys at any given time that come from abuse, neglect, or abandonment. Mark Wakefield, working through Zona Juvenil Youth Organization, is the primary caregiver, and creates a positive home environment for these troubled children that have been left behind by the court system and family. The team contributed to many different projects throughout their immersion, but the main two projects they focused on were construction on a kitchen expansion combined with rainwater collection tanks underneath the foundation, and a rainwater collection system that included various buildings on the land the ranch owns. They worked with an architect, engineer, and builders to start and make substantial headway on building the addition to the kitchen, and completed calculations, material recommendations, and cost estimations for the rainwater collection system. Along the way, they created lasting relationships with the boys at the house and various community members, learned and lived the Guatemalan culture, and experienced working in a country with unique resources and progress expectations. They made significant progress on both projects, along with assisting in many other tasks necessary to keep the ranch running and effectively fulfilling its goals and mission.

eCommons Citation

Nickerson, Thomas Jimenez and Lenzen, Saehan, "Guatemala: Rainwater Collection" (2016). ETHOS Technical Reports. 73.
https://ecommons.udayton.edu/ethos_reports/73