Guatemala Program: La Vega del Volcan
In 2012, we began a partnership with La Vega del Volcàn, a small community in the mountains of Guatemala.
Initially, we helped them expand and improve their fish hatchery to increase the yield of fish available to eat and to sell. Due to the community’s location and land, these fish are a major source of protein for the people. During 2012-2013, our chapter redesigned the hatchery’s incubation system and rerouted much of its piping, which greatly increased the number of eggs they could hatch each year.
In 2014, we began a second project. Together with community members and a local contractor, we constructed a community gathering space that serves as a sports field for the children and a market space for regional vendors to gather for farmers markets. During this time, we also designed and implemented a field drainage system for their soccer field, which often flooded during the rainy season.
In spring of 2019, a team traveled to La Vega to construct a weir and a simple filtration system for the fish hatchery intake pipe. This system filters out organic material before it reaches the fish tanks and ensures sufficient water intake throughout the year.
After a remote Monitoring and Evaluation trip in summer of 2021 and nine years of a wonderful and fruitful partnership, we are closing out the projects and handing them over to the community to continue.
Initially, we helped them expand and improve their fish hatchery to increase the yield of fish available to eat and to sell. Due to the community’s location and land, these fish are a major source of protein for the people. During 2012-2013, our chapter redesigned the hatchery’s incubation system and rerouted much of its piping, which greatly increased the number of eggs they could hatch each year.
In 2014, we began a second project. Together with community members and a local contractor, we constructed a community gathering space that serves as a sports field for the children and a market space for regional vendors to gather for farmers markets. During this time, we also designed and implemented a field drainage system for their soccer field, which often flooded during the rainy season.
In spring of 2019, a team traveled to La Vega to construct a weir and a simple filtration system for the fish hatchery intake pipe. This system filters out organic material before it reaches the fish tanks and ensures sufficient water intake throughout the year.
After a remote Monitoring and Evaluation trip in summer of 2021 and nine years of a wonderful and fruitful partnership, we are closing out the projects and handing them over to the community to continue.
Want to learn more or hear about our experiences? Contact Translator Samuel Pacheco ([email protected]) or Co-Leads Gabrielle Hager ([email protected]) and Josh Philip (@uw.edu) for more information!