Santa Apolonia Electrification Project
Guatemala
Engineers Without Borders Marquette worked with the Hogares Santa Maria de Guadalupe, an orphanage in Santa Apolonia, Guatemala, to reduce their monthly electricity bills. Santa Apolonia is a rural town, located near Tecpán, the breadbasket of the region. The Hogar is currently home to 27 children and is run by the Sisters of San Francisco. The orphanage was originally built to house children displaced from the Civil War of the 1990s, but today it supports children that come from broken families due to abuse. The Hogar provides housing, food, and classes including art, music, carpentry, sewing and farming for the children.
Over ten years ago, EWB-Marquette worked with the Hogar to implement a Solar Pump; however, the costs still burdened the orphanage. Our chapter collaborated with the community to implement a cost-efficient water and electrical systems so they can invest more in the livelihoods of the children.
The scope of the project was to reduce the variance and overall cost of the monthly electricity and water bills of the orphanage. This will allow more monetary resources to go towards the children and their future and ensure the continued success of the orphanage. By working with the Hogar, EWB-Marquette hoped to ultimately strengthen the next generation in Santa Apolonia and continue raising a legacy of skilled, educated, and well-adjusted adults. We are glad to have recently concluded the post-construction work for this project, and we look forward to hearing how the system will benefit the orphanage!
If you'd like more information regarding this specific project, contact the project leads.