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In the 97% Indigenous Mayan Kaqchikel rural town of Comalapa, Guatemala 64% of the population lives in poverty, 27% live in extreme poverty. Residents lack access to potable water, food, shelter, and quality education. A major shift in these circumstances requires a heroic and collaborative effort. In 2008, our team of educators, builders, volunteers, and administrators established Hero School.
Teaching and learning at Hero School is contextually based and relevant to local challenges associated with environmental degradation. Each year, Hero School students and teachers conduct research to identify the households that are in greatest need of infrastructure, and each year our teachers and students team up with our builders to carry out projects in the community. Our green building projects provide infrastructure that is vital to the well-being of local residents and protects the environment. Green building projects also provide Hero School students with an opportunity to gain practical skills and a deeper understanding of sustainable solutions. This infrastructure includes smoke safe stoves to reduce respiratory illness and reduce the consumption of firewood, water tanks to collect and store rainwater for access to potable water, composting latrines to improve household sanitation, retaining walls to prevent landslides and erosion, and homes that are earthquake resistant.
We call Hero School our flagship school because of its scalability, replicability, and relevance in both Guatemala and around the world. Having been invited to consult on numerous projects around the world, the Hero School green builders, teachers, and students are emerging as thought leaders in both sustainable building techniques and in Education for Sustainable Development. Hero School has trained thousands of people from all over the world to build green infrastructure. 4000+ people are subscribed to our YouTube channel. 175 primary, middle, and high school students attend Hero School and are instructed by 25 dedicated educators. Check lwhomegreen.org to use our green building profiles as a reference for your next green building project.
Visit lwhomegreen.org to get started and then contact matt@lwhome.org
