My DWC Experience in Guatemala

The experience in Guatemala was incredible, and provided a lot of help for the local community, while simultaneously providing a life-changing experience for our team of university students. After Tropical Storm Agatha hit Guatemala, the community of San Miguel Duenas (where we were scheduled to be building a house) was severely damaged. In the end we did a broad range of tasks, such as repairing homes, repairing schools, interacting with local kids and youth, and generally just helping where we were needed. We were partnered with a local organization called the Open Windows Foundation, founded by an amazing woman who directed our groups work. We were lucky enough to stay in her beautiful colonial house just outside of Antigua, where we enjoyed great accomodation and good meals. Our group was also lucky enough to save some leftover budget money for traveling and we got to see more of what Guatemala had to offer. Overall, we had some struggles and a few hard times regarding the work, but everyone came out of this experience with an extremely positive view.