By Liz King
Staff writer
November 14, 2008 12:15 am Trash is a problem in many developing countries. It's something Georgetown's Elizabeth Rose has seen firsthand in parts of Guatemala, where there aren't sanitation departments and trash ends up in rivers and streams, creating a potentially unhealthy environment. Rose and her family have decided to help with a solution. They have joined an initiative through the community development organization Long Way Home, which is finding beneficial ways to put trash to work. The group's latest project involves building a school out of recycled trash in San Juan Comalapa, Guatemala, for students in kindergarten through grade 12. "We're trying to clean up the environment and recycle trash into another form that's usable," said Rose, the new president of Long Way Home's board of directors. The new school comes at the request of Tecnico Maya, the smallest and poorest school in Comalapa, a community of close to 40,000 residents. It is being constructed with recycled materials, such as tires and used soda bottles filled with paper and plastic trash. "This is part of Long Way Home's huge recycling effort," Rose said. Although the new school, which will include a vocational program, is being built primarily with volunteer help and recycled materials that come at no cost, Rose said it will need windows, doors, desks and school supplies. To raise funds for the school, Long Way Home is touring North America to increase awareness about the organization and its efforts. A representative will be in Georgetown this weekend to make a presentation during an art show fundraiser being organized by Rose. Long Way Home recently completed a prototype house out of 250 used car tires packed with earth, 6,400 pounds of trash and 636 trash bottles. Construction of the actual school will begin in January. It will take about four years to complete. Long Way Home's first project, a park in Comalapa called Parque Chimiya, began in 2004, and now boasts a soccer field, basketball court, playground, organic gardens and a composting area. There also is a nursery that sells about 10,000 saplings each year with the goal of reforesting the rapidly eroding hillsides. "At the park, there are always people playing on the soccer field and basketball court and people enjoying the beautiful grounds. It's kind of like an outdoor YMCA," Rose said. "Soccer is the national pastime in Guatemala. Now, the community of 39,000 is able to play." Engineers Without Borders laid piping from a nearby natural spring to bring water to the park, which Rose said is kept pristine by three full-time grounds keepers. In order to ensure its sustainability, there is a small admission fee to the park or guests can donate trash-packed plastic bottles in exchange for entry. Rose — accompanied by her husband, Joe Hull; 20-year-old son, Alex; and 17-year-old daughter, Olivia — first went to Guatemala four years ago to teach English with MayaWorks, a nonprofit community development group that markets the work of Mayan artisans who otherwise have no outlet for their handiwork. During the two-week trip, the family met Matt Paneitz, the executive director of Long Way Home, at an Internet cafe. Paneitz told Rose's family about the Parque Chimiya project, and they went to see it. "We were so impressed with what he was doing that we've been returning ever since," she said. "What really impressed us was that a dozen Guatemalan men were hand-planting a regulation-sized soccer field with plugs of grass from their own yards. "The vision of this whole community coming out and planting this field by hand was incredible. The people are so hard working and industrious. They're very poor, but have such a community unity and spirit." Members of Rose's family have focused their energy on different areas of Comalapa. Alex Hull, who is a student at Kenyon College in Ohio, went back to Comalapa to teach soccer and English during the summers, even bringing a high school friend along. Olivia Hull, a senior at Brooks School in North Andover, concentrated on teaching English in the community. Joe Hull helped revitalize the hospital and brought equipment to firefighters there. Two family friends, Amesbury's Ilana Clift, a senior at Phillips Exeter in New Hampshire, and Stephanie Ozahowski, a senior at Hamilton-Wenham High School, have accompanied the family on trips as well. This weekend, locals will have a chance to contribute to the cause. Eleven local artists will join an artist from Guatemala in displaying and selling their art and jewelry, with a percentage of sales benefiting the organization. The fundraiser will also feature Guatemalan food to sample, authentic textiles for sale and a musical performance by a local Latin group, Los Sugar Kings. Paneitz, the founder of Long Way Home, will present a slide show on the organization's work. Founded in 2004, the group's mission is to break the cycle of poverty in developing communities by creating educational opportunities, cultivating civic interaction and encouraging healthy lifestyles. "We're very proud of our park, and we'll be very proud of our school once that's accomplished," Rose said. As president of Long Way Home's board of directors, Rose must make two-week jaunts to Comalapa twice a year. Despite completing a weeklong intensive Spanish class before her most recent trip last month, it didn't help Rose with her communication skills. But the language barrier hasn't stoped Rose and her family from being invited into many homes during their visits. "One family we stay with has three generations of family living together. They make 70 tortillas a day; that's their family meal," she said. "It's so different from life in America, from my life" She added, "We've been there so much, we've made a lot of friends." IF YOU GO What: Art show and sale to benefit Long Way Home When: Tomorrow and Sunday, 3 to 7 p.m. Where: 90 Pond St., Georgetown How: Call 978-352-6804 or e-mail elizrose213@yahoo.com.
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