Guatemala
Water System Design
Volunteers work in the Tecpan region with local engineers to assess a community’s water challenges, design a feasible water system and present their recommendations to the community. Volunteers learn about access to water, water source evaluation, and systems design as they contribute to implementing the Holistic Model in rural Mayan Guatemalan communities.
Engineering Brigade –
7 Day Sample Schedule
Planning your Brigade in Guatemala? Check out this sample schedule outlining the typical 7-day trip your Chapter will attend.
| Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7:00am | Breakfast | Breakfast | Breakfast | Breakfast | Breakfast | ||
| 8:00am | Airport Pick up and Transport to Lodging Facility | Transport to Community | Transport to Community | Transport to Community | Transport to Community | Transport to Community | |
| 9:00am | Community Leader Meeting | Project Mapping, Measurements & Planning | Project Mapping, Measurements & Planning | Project Mapping, Measurements & Planning | Project Presentation Preparation | Breakfast | |
| 10:00am | Depart to Airport | ||||||
| 11:00am | |||||||
| 12:00pm | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch | ||
| 1:00pm | Technical Evaluation & Site Visit | Project Mapping, Measurements & Planning | Project Mapping, Measurements & Planning | Project Mapping, Measurements & Planning | Community Project Presentation | ||
| 2:00pm | |||||||
| 3:00pm | Settle In | ||||||
| 4:00pm | Introduction to Global Brigades | Transport to Lodging Facility | Transport to Lodging Facility | Transport to Lodging Facility | Transport to Lodging Facility | Transport to Lodging Facility | |
| 5:00pm | Free Time | Free Time | Free Time | Free Time | Free Time | ||
| 6:00pm | Dinner | Dinner | Dinner | Dinner | Dinner | Dinner | |
| 7:00pm | Staff Introductions | Reflection & Water Profile | Data Compilation & Design | Data Compilation & Design | Design Presentation Preparation | Final Reflections & Recommendations | |
| 8:00pm | Water System Introduction | ||||||
| 9:00pm |
| Day 1 | |
|---|---|
| 7:00am | |
| 8:00am | Airport Pick up & Transport to Lodging Facility |
| 9:00am | |
| 10:00am | |
| 11:00am | |
| 12:00pm | |
| 1:00pm | |
| 2:00pm | |
| 3:00pm | Settle In |
| 4:00pm | Introduction to Global Brigades |
| 5:00pm | |
| 6:00pm | Dinner |
| 7:00pm | Staff Introduction |
| 8:00pm | Water System Introduction |
| 9:00pm | |
| Day 2 | |
|---|---|
| 7:00am | Breakfast |
| 8:00am | Transport to Community |
| 9:00am | Community Leader Meeting |
| 10:00am | |
| 11:00am | |
| 12:00pm | Lunch |
| 1:00pm | Technical Evaluation & Site Visit |
| 2:00pm | |
| 3:00pm | |
| 4:00pm | Transport to Lodging Facility |
| 5:00pm | Free Time |
| 6:00pm | Dinner |
| 7:00pm | Reflection & Water Profile |
| 8:00pm | |
| 9:00pm | |
| Day 3 | |
|---|---|
| 7:00am | Breakfast |
| 8:00am | Transport to Community |
| 9:00am | Project Mapping, Measurements & Planning |
| 10:00am | |
| 11:00am | |
| 12:00pm | Lunch |
| 1:00pm | Project Mapping, Measurements & Planning |
| 2:00pm | |
| 3:00pm | |
| 4:00pm | Transport to Lodging Facility |
| 5:00pm | Free Time |
| 6:00pm | Dinner |
| 7:00pm | Data Compilation & Design |
| 8:00pm | |
| 9:00pm | |
| Day 4 | |
|---|---|
| 7:00am | Breakfast |
| 8:00am | Transport to Community |
| 9:00am | Project Mapping, Measurements & Planning |
| 10:00am | |
| 11:00am | |
| 12:00pm | Lunch |
| 1:00pm | Project Mapping, Measurements & Planning |
| 2:00pm | |
| 3:00pm | |
| 4:00pm | Transport to Lodging Facility |
| 5:00pm | Free Time |
| 6:00pm | Dinner |
| 7:00pm | Data Compilation & Design |
| 8:00pm | |
| 9:00pm | |
| Day 5 | |
|---|---|
| 7:00am | Breakfast |
| 8:00am | Transport to Community |
| 9:00am | Project Mapping, Measurements & Planning |
| 10:00am | |
| 11:00am | |
| 12:00pm | Lunch |
| 1:00pm | Project Mapping, Measurements & Planning |
| 2:00pm | |
| 3:00pm | |
| 4:00pm | Transport to Lodging Facility |
| 5:00pm | Free Time |
| 6:00pm | Dinner |
| 7:00pm | Design Presentation Preparation |
| 8:00pm | |
| 9:00pm | |
| Day 6 | |
|---|---|
| 7:00am | Breakfast |
| 8:00am | Transport to Community |
| 9:00am | Project Presentation Preparation |
| 10:00am | |
| 11:00am | |
| 12:00pm | Lunch |
| 1:00pm | Community Project Presentation |
| 2:00pm | |
| 3:00pm | |
| 4:00pm | Transport to Lodging Facility |
| 5:00pm | Free Time |
| 6:00pm | Dinner |
| 7:00pm | Final Reflections & Recommendations |
| 8:00pm | |
| 9:00pm | |
| Day 7 | |
|---|---|
| 7:00am | |
| 8:00am | |
| 9:00am | Breakfast |
| 10:00am | Depart to Airport |
| 11:00am | |
| 12:00pm | |
| 1:00pm | |
| 2:00pm | |
| 3:00pm | |
| 4:00pm | |
| 5:00pm | |
| 6:00pm | |
| 7:00pm | |
| 8:00pm | |
| 9:00pm | |
Safety
Volunteer safety will always be our absolute top priority. Global Brigades recently engaged Askari International Security, an industry leader in international risk assessment, to complete a comprehensive risk/safety assessment of all brigade operations. A full explanation of safety precautions and procedures can be found on our “Safety & Insurance” page.
Lodging Facilities
Global Brigades does an annual safety review of all lodging facility partners each year. Lodging facilities provide pillows, bedsheets and towels. Facilities have showers, toilets and sinks with running water (no hot water) as well as filtered clean drinking water dispensers onsite. 24-hour security is provided at all facilities. Conditions are most similar to a comfortable summer camp, with dormitory-style sleeping and shared bathrooms.
Engineering Brigades are assigned to lodging facilities based on proximity to the partner community they will be working with.
Centro de Capacitación Maya Uleu
The Centro de Capacitación Maya Uleu lodging facility is located approximately 2 hours northwest of Guatemala City. Here, brigaders enjoy a beautiful view of a landscape full of lush greenery and distant mountains.
Centro de Retiros Jireh
The Centro de Retiros Jireh lodging facility is located in the city of Chimaltenango, approximately 2 hours northwest of Guatemala City. The facility includes a dining area, outdoor patio, and swimming pool.
Luke R Groder
Merrimack College (May 2023)
My brigade was the engineering one in Honduras. I was so nervous and unsure what it would be like. The experience was absolutely amazing and I was worried about nothing. The GB staff worked tirelessly to make sure that we were all okay and had a great experience. I feel like what we did had a large impact and that everything was super organized and planned out. The compound that we stayed at was absolutely beautiful and was a wonderful way to experience Honduras while working in the communities that GB serves.
Vanessa Lavender
Dalhousie University Engineering Chapter Mach 2024
Participating with Global Brigades in the engineering chapter was a unique way to explore a new country and learn more about myself while also making an impact in a community in need. It made me realize that there is so much hope and happiness in the world that news broadcasting does not share. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work directly with a community and meet some amazing people.
Erika Euceda
Water Council Secretary
First of all, we want to thank Global Brigades and the students from BU and Texas A&M for their important contribution. This study has provided us with the accurate and precise information we need to understand the budget required for our project. We are very grateful to have worked with this engineering brigade; they are very kind, dedicated, and humble people. As a community, we are deeply thankful because we have very limited resources and couldn’t afford to pay for this study. May God bless each one of the members for supporting us.