Global Outreach: Guatemala Los Niños

Fordham’s Global Outreach (GO!) program sends teams of students around the country and the world to learn about issues of social, economic, political and environmental injustice through community projects.

Last spring, our team traveled to Guatemala, where we spent their spring break improving primary school infrastructure, building community kitchens and helping create gardens. Our team also learned about the ancient Mayan culture through exploring village life with local community members.

On March 12, our team of 12 students arrived in Guatemala City and hit the ground running. We loaded up the bus and headed to Chipocolaj, where the community greeted us at the town’s school.

Over the next three days, we painted the school’s classrooms, kitchen and bathroom, and made cement to pave a path. The physical progress we made at the school was visible; and we had bruises and paint-stained skin to show for it. As the school changed physically, my team members and I were changing emotionally. By our final day at the school, going to Chipocolaj had become part of our routine. We instinctually filled buckets of water before going to the bathroom; we cleared the tables when it was lunchtime; and we always made time to play after we worked.

Our days in Chipocolaj were split into work hours and learning sessions, which gave us a chance to gain insight into the lives of our hosts. We met a man who recounted the process of trying to immigrate to the United States illegally. The presentations were nothing short of eye opening. It was easy for us to think that all these people needed was help with their school. It was harder to hear their stories of struggle, of enduring physical and emotional pain.

During two days of our stay, we focused on cultural immersion. We visited one of Guatemala’s most famous Mayan ruin sites, Mixco Viejo. While standing on the ruins, looking at the breathtaking landscapes, our guide spoke of the importance of listening to nature, and what it means to be a human living in the natural world. We were overcome with a sense of peace and spirituality. We spent our last day in Antigua, considered the tourist capital of Guatemala. The view on the way up the Pacaya Volcano repeatedly took our collective breath away. The scenery was like nothing we had seen before.



To learn more about Global Outreach, students can visit our website at www.fordham.edu/go or visit the offices in the McGinley Center at the Rose Hill campus or on the second floor of Lowenstein Center at the Lincoln Center campus. Information sessions are held at the beginning of each academic year to provide information about the program and its specific projects.