Last week former RCFC member, Dr Claude Piche, presented a look-back at some of the Rotary projects in Guatemala from 2005-2021. In 2005, Dr Edwin Oliva, a Gualan pediatrician began seeing cases of Dengue fever unlike anything seen there in decades. Knowing Rotary’s involvement in polio eradication, he “googled” to see if RI also be active in dengue. Dr. Oliva’s google search led him to the RCFC, and to club member Dr Dutch Gubler, a world expert on dengue who had initiated dengue education programs in other Latin American countries. Dr Gubler left Ft Collins shortly thereafter and Dr Piche took over the relationship which let to a Matching Grant in 2006 for a community Dengue education program. In June 2006 Claude visited the Gualan community and witnessed their many needs.
In 2007 Rotarians Susie Ewing, Chuck Rutenberg , Betty Brown and Dr Piche, along with several Ft Collins Interactors, worked with local Guatemalan Rotarians to build a Habitat for Humanity home for a needy family (Neca and her son). On that trip they also saw the Dengue education program in action and attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a community diagnostic lab that was equipped through a Matching Grant in conjunction with the FC Breakfast Club. In June 2008, Gualan Rotarians, Dr Edwin Olivia and Maynor Rossal visited RCFC and our District meeting. That year the same RCFC members completed a second Habitat Home in Gualan.
The years 2008-2009 – A computer lab was equipped for the Zacapa Deaf Children’s School with funds from the Cheyenne RC, RCFC, District 4250, District 5440, the Rotary Foundation and clubs in the region in Guatemala. A second computer lab in Sabana Grande was financed with a Matching Grant plus help from several clubs in NOCO and the RC of Chiquimula. In 2009 Los Limones School was built (serving 150 students) by the municipality of Gualan and Rotarians committed to paint the school and repair desks. In 2010 a bathroom facility (clean running water and a septic system) was built for this school by the municipality with funds for the supplies paid for by Rotary.
In 2011 the Guatemalan Dengue Project provided education, community sanitation and insecticide impregnated curtains in several sites in Guatemala. This large project ($95,000) was financed by multiple clubs, districts and the new Global Grant system. In 2016, the Los Lomas Latrine Project built 200 latrines in the small village of Los Lomas. This project was led by the Rotary Club of Burlington North with support from other clubs including RCFC.
Another large project ($89,802) in 2017 - Healthy Schools - Chiquimula (multi-club/multi-district) improved sanitation and purchased equipment for the local university medical clinic. In 2018 the focus was on microfinancing for small businesses run by women and providing “Ecofiltros” for rural schools. Finally, in 2021 the Water for Mayans Project was pictured which was financed by Rotarians providing new and safe sources of clean water. The last slide detailed all the projects in Guatemala from 2005 until the present.
The takeaways - personal contacts led to lasting relationships, which were multiplied by the generosity and leverage of Rotarians in NOCO, locally in Guatemala, and internationally, which changed and (probably saved) many lives in Guatemala for relatively small investments.
In the time left, John Trone and Susie Ewing (both on the Zoom call) shared some of their experiences with these projects and others in Central America.
