Rotary-Interact House - Guatemala 2008A team of Rotary and Interact members from Fort Collins returned to Guatemala in June 2008 to help construct our second home in the community of Gualan. This home was built under the auspices of the Central American Lutheran Mission Society (CALMS).
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Habitat House - Guatemala 2007A team of Rotary and Interact members from Fort Collins went to Guatemala in June 2007 where they experienced a week of outstanding fellowship and participated in a hands-on international service project in a country where earnings are often less than $30/month.
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Working with the Rotary and Interact Clubs of Gualan, Guatemala, Rotarians Claude Piché, Susie Ewing, Chuck Rutenberg and Marge Norskog; Interactors Kara Wolley, Anna Beucler, Lindsey Pointer and Brieana Kirkpatrick and Rotaractors Jessie Fiser and Nick Ewing helped complete construction of a house for a very deserving family in Gualan. 
The home was built for the very poor Canan-Martinez family consisting of stepfather Chilo, mother Nora and children Luis (14 yrs), Rosa (11 yrs), Zayda (9 yrs) and the youngest Josué (7 yrs). 
Born with hydrocephaly and spina bifida, Josué has had several surgeries to correct the hydrocephaly and treat his spina bifida. Fortunately, Josué can walk (with some difficulty) and he is incredibly intelligent. When asked what he really wanted in his future, he responded “I want to be President and I want a real house so that I don’t have to walk in dirt.” 
Construction of the home was a collaborative effort as the team of Rotarians and Interactors from Ft. Collins worked very closely with the local stonemasons and the Interactors from Gualan. They also got to work side-by-side with Chilo and Luis who came to work on the house every day.
The Rotary Club of Fort Collins paid for the home construction and collaborated with the Foothills and Breakfast Rotary Clubs to subsidize the travel expenses of the Interact members. CALMS scheduled the construction so that the home it could be completed while the team was in Gualan. 
This home is built with cindercrete blocks and a metal roof and has ~600 sq. ft. with 3 rooms and a bathroom. It normally takes approximately 3 weeks to build one of these homes so the Rotarians and Interactors arrived to help with the last week of work. 
Working with the Rotary and Interact Clubs of Gualan, Guatemala, Rotary Club of Fort Collins members Claude Piché, Susie Ewing, Chuck Rutenberg and Betty Brown, Interactors Melissa Yurash, Jessie Fiser, Shawn Matsuda and Christina Paul, and family members Nick Ewing (Susie’s son) and Johanna Muller (Betty’s niece) worked long days in hot, humid conditions to complete construction of a Habitat for Humanity house for a very deserving family in Gualan.
The home was built for the family of Ana America Vasquez. Ana and her husband Byron have worked long hard hours to save enough money to buy the Habitat home. Thanks to the efforts of Habitat for Humanity Guatemala and to Rotarians and Interactors in Ft Collins and Gualan, Ana’s dream of one day owning her own home has now come true. 
Construction of the home was a truly collaborative effort as the team of Rotarians and Interactors from Ft. Collins worked very closely with Habitat Guatemala employees, Interactors from Gualan as well as several Rotarians from the Gualan club. They also got to work side-by-side with Ana and Victor who came to work on the house every day. 
The Rotary Club of Fort Collins paid for the home construction and all four of the Rotary Clubs in Ft Collins contributed to subsidize the travel expenses of the Interact members. Habitat for Humanity Guatemala scheduled the construction so that the home could be completed while the team was in Gualan. 
The typical Habitat home in Guatemala is an 800 sq. ft., 4 room house built with cindercrete blocks and a metal roof. It normally takes approximately 3 weeks to build one of these homes so the Rotarians and Interactors arrived to help with the last week of work. Habitat has built more than 25,000 homes in Guatemala and many more are needed.