Spring Break Re-cap

We are back! After three weeks of spring break groups, we had the final week of March off due to Easter. It was a well-timed break, because even though the spring break groups were incredibly enjoyable, they were also extremely exhausting. Ja and I were able to escape to a small island off the coast of Panama for the majority of the week; it was so peaceful and rejuvenating- basically exactly what we needed. But enough about the week we had off; I should probably do a little summary of spring break!

We had spring break groups from four different universities, and they were all so amazing. All the spring break groups were special in their own right and brought a crazy amount of enthusiasm with them to Chaq! We were able to accomplish all the planned projects, mostly without a hitch. Of course, being in Guatemala, we dealt with some logistical issues. But our volunteers took all of this in stride. Here is what we were able to accomplish in just three short weeks: 

                                 construct a fence around a community garden,

                        paint the interior and exterior of the Central school,

 do recycled art projects with students of Cooperativa and Central,

 administer fluoride to grades 3-6 and most of the teachers at all four schools, 

give dental talks to all four schools,

as well as give nutrition talks to both Cooperativa and Central schools, and distribute toothbrushes, toothpaste and floss to all four schools. 

I put together videos from the Vanderbilt and UGA/UNC spring break trips so far. UAB is on its way though! Check out the two finished ones by clicking on the links below:

Vanderbilt Spring Break Video

UGA/UNC Spring Break Video

Now that we are back, Sarah and I are starting to plan for the arrival of summer volunteers. The first batch arrives in just over a month, so we are knee-deep in schedule, budgets, orientation planning, and more preparing for their arrival. We are expecting about eight volunteers per 4-week session, so the site will be packed with volunteers. All these volunteers will be helpful in the new programs that we are planning to offer, hopefully within the upcoming weeks! Possibilities include computer classes for adults and art classes for students at Cooperativa and Central.

Julie