MOOSE JAW — Hundreds of Guatemalan schoolchildren — including young girls entering puberty — now have access to modern bathrooms thanks to the Wakamow Rotary Club of Moose Jaw.
Club members held an online meeting recently with their partners in the Central American country to celebrate the completion of the six-year project. The initiative saw Moose Jaw Rotarians provide financial support — with help from four other Saskatchewan clubs — while their Guatemalan counterparts constructed the venues.
The total budget was US$317,750 (CDN $454,570.51), which allowed the Neuva Guatemalan Rotary Club to build 24 washrooms in schools across the country.
Glenn Hagel, Moose Jaw Rotarian and the project’s international club lead, explained that the group initially partnered with a club in Chuchuca, Guatemala, in 2015 to support the construction of classrooms, kitchens and playgrounds in schools there.
However, during that partnership, the Canucks learned that many schools have “horrific washrooms” — outdoor biffies — that make Canadian porta potties “look like castles here,” he said.
Moreover, they learned that Guatemalan girls quit school once they started menstruating because they have no safe, secure or clean place “to deal with reality.” Menstruation is “a taboo subject” there, so neither young girls nor their mothers receive accurate information about that bodily function.
“If you believe in gender parity in education, then in Guatemala, you have to believe in washrooms,” Hagel said. “It’s a funny-sounding statement in Canada, but in Guatemala, that’s a big-time reality.”
This situation prompted Hagel and fellow member Marian Kettlewell to connect with other clubs in southern Saskatchewan to see if they would contribute money annually to build modern washrooms at that school.
The other clubs agreed and began making donations.
Two years later, the Neuva Rotary Club reached out and asked if the Moose Jaw club would help build washrooms in 24 schools across the country, Hagel continued.
“I checked (and) Chuchuca School was on the list, and I said to them immediately, ‘Chuchuca School is on the list and you have a partner,’” he chuckled.
Rotary clubs in the district and across Canada and the United States began donating money, with those donations reaching US$317,750, including Rotary International providing a grant of $135,750.
Hagel noted that this grant was the biggest one the international organization had ever provided to the district.
“So, we’re very, very proud to have been engaged in that with Nueva, Guatemala,” he said.
Wakamow Rotary Club signed a memorandum of understanding with its sister club in Guatemala in 2018, and, in 2019, construction began. Chuckling, Hagel added that construction would have finished sooner if not for the coronavirus pandemic.
This work occurred through an initiative called the “,” which aims to improve schools and learning opportunities for Guatemalan students, most of whom are of Mayan ancestry and from “extremely poor families,” Hagel said.
Public education ends in Grade 6 for most students, while youths from wealthier families attend private institutions for middle school and high school, he continued. This makes education “a very precious commodity,” so Rotarians attempt to help poor students build a firm foundation for their futures.
A major issue that Guatemala faces is a high rate of illness and death because of poor hygiene practices, considering most homes lack running water or indoor toilets, the Moose Javian pointed out. Until recently, most schools lacked such infrastructure as well.
Besides building bathrooms, this project also included educational training about menstruation for girls, their mothers and their teachers, along with basic sexual education for all students, Hagel said.
Furthermore, students ensure there is toilet paper in the stalls, that the taps are functioning and that mirrors are in one piece. Their parents also support the maintenance of the washrooms, which helps those who have no indoor plumbing at home understand this infrastructure and overcome their fear of using it.
From this initiative, some Guatemalans have started a community washroom, while some parents have begun thinking about installing plumbing, Hagel noted. Also, students are contributing to the improvement of community health by learning about proper hygiene, while, with more education, they can help reduce poverty in their country.
“It’s a phenomenal feeling (to complete this project),” Hagel added.
Wakamow Rotary’s relationship with the Neuva Rotary Club also evolved during the six years, as the groups initially communicated by email before meeting eight to 10 times annually by Zoom, the Moose Javian said. Furthermore, while Moose Jaw members are satisfied with having provided funding, they are thrilled to have become friends with their Guatemalan sister club.
Hagel added that it’s satisfying to be a member of an organization that “can be part of literally building a better world” and that makes others’ circumstances better through education.
Editor's note: This article has been updated to correct the name of the Guatemalan Rotary Club and the school.
