Latrines for Los Mojarras

06/24/2023 – Monica Mason

Mustard Seed Peace Project (MSPP) ended 2022 with the completion of the long awaited well in the community of Virginia, Guatemala!

Keeping that momentum going, we are very happy to report that we began 2023 with the construction of latrines at the school in the community of Las Mojarras. In 2019, Las Mojarras presented MSPP with a request for latrines for their school. This community of approximately 550 people had no bathroom facilities to support the 135 students attending their primary school. The MSPP student club at SIUE began working with our engineering mentors to design latrines that would accommodate the needs of the community while also falling into the guidelines of the local Ministry of Health. Unfortunately, restrictions brought on by COVID brought everything to a halt for the next few years.

By January 2023, things were in place to move forward with the project. Working with a local mason with a family history in the community a completion date was set for February 15th, the 1st day of school in Guatemala. That goal was met!

The construction of the latrines is yet another project defined by collaboration between the citizens in the Guatemalan communities and the Mustard Seed community here in the United States. Much of the credit goes to the community of Las Mojarras who provided up to the minute reporting of financial records and step by step progress of the construction itself, through photographs and videos. This level of active engagement by the Guatemalan community promotes a growing independence which is at the heart of the Mustard Seed Peace Project mission.

The latrines would not have been possible without the financial support of our generous donors, The Greenberg Charitable Fund and Mr. and Mrs. Roy Wall. Thank you so much for sharing in our vision.

What’s Next?

MSPP has some exciting new educational workshops already in the works. We look forward to keeping you up to date!