Our Crowdfunding Groups
We are Projects with Underserved Communities (PUC), a group of engineers and social work students at UT Austin with the common goal of making a positive difference in the world! We range anywhere from sophomores in Mechanical Engineering to seniors in Social Work and everywhere in between! In this service-learning collaboration between the International Office, the Cockrell School of Engineering, and the Steve Hicks School of Social Work, we will work together over the course of the year to design and implement a project for a Guatemalan community in need.
Access to food due to economic restriction is a major problem for the majority of Guatemalans. Guatemala has the highest rate of chronic malnutrition in Latin America and the 4th highest in the world. In rural areas of Guatemala, chronic malnutrition affects 69.5% of children. Because of this, children suffer from long lasting effects including stunted growth, delay in motor and cognitive development, and decreased muscle mass.
To combat malnutrition, we will be working with Asociación Proyecto Uno (AP1), a local Guatemalan non-profit organization, and Garden of Hope, an after-school program in Jocotenango, Guatemala.
AP1 will be the liaison between PUC and Garden of Hope. AP1 and PUC have worked together in Guatemala for the past 2 years, building both a pila for the Aldea Santa Cruz community and solar panels for the San Agustin Malnutrition Clinic. This year marks the third project between AP1 and PUC.
Garden of Hope is an after-school program partnered with the local schools in the city of Jocotenango. Garden of Hope seeks to supplement classroom learning with hands-on agricultural learning, teaching them how to grow nutritional produce. This is incredibly important for the children of Jocotenango because it promotes a healthy diet, alleviating malnutrition. Additionally, it provides children with a green safe space in the highly urban city of Antigua.
In June 2018, our team will travel to Garden of Hope in Jocotenango, Guatemala to build a kitchen! This kitchen will be used to expand the current program to provide meals for the students, include cooking demonstrations, and host events.
This kitchen will be a 10'x12' building with a large, fold-out window so that cooking/prepping can be observed (similar to a concession stand). There will be a rainwater collection system through the use of a gutter to utilize the rainwater for irrigation during rainy-season, sinks with running water, storage to keep food safe from bugs and the weather, and connections for an oven and fridge. We are also committed to exploring sustainable material options in the local community!
We have committed to helping the Garden of Hope achieve their mission by raising $15,000 to design and construct an outdoor classroom for the community to use for their alternative education program. All proceeds will go directly to project expenses! Please consider a tax-deductible donation to our project to help make this kitchen a reality! This kitchen will teach the younger generation how to grow, prepare, and cook healthy food, a skill that these children and their families will use for generations to come. As our project progresses, we will post updates to HornRaiser and social media so you can see how meaningful your donation is to us and how useful it is in improving the Guatemalan community. A simple monetary gift on your part will change a student's life. Please donate today!
UT Disclaimer
No University of Texas at Austin student, faculty, or staff can be required to travel to a Restricted Region (https://world.utexas.edu/risk/policies/restricted-regions). Any participation in travel to a Restricted Region is strictly voluntary, and the participant assumes full responsibility for all risks associated with this travel.
Your contribution will help us level the ground in order to begin construction!
Your contribution will help us purchase concrete in order to create a foundation for the kitchen!
Your contribution will cover the cost of the CMUs, or Concrete Masonry Units. These are the building blocks that will be used to construct the walls of the outdoor classroom!
Your contribution will provide infrastructure for common kitchen appliances like a stove top and sink!
Your contribution will help fund the roof that will allow for continued education in the classroom even during the wet season!
Your contribution will provide new preparations tables and seating areas for the community to learn skills and work with nature in a more conducive to learning setting.
Your contribution will create a sustainable project that will educate this community about healthy, nutritious eating and combat malnutrition for years to come!
