Long Way Home
Why choose Long Way Home?
Long Way Home stands committed to its mission of galvanizing active democratic participation and forging inventive avenues toward economic and environmental justice. Through eco-friendly construction, employment opportunities, and education initiatives, their goal is to empower communities to tackle local and global challenges with ingenuity. The organization's foundation is rooted in the belie...
Long Way Home stands committed to its mission of galvanizing active democratic participation and forging inventive avenues toward economic and environmental justice. Through eco-friendly construction, employment opportunities, and education initiatives, their goal is to empower communities to tackle local and global challenges with ingenuity. The organization's foundation is rooted in the belief that lasting transformations spring from community-specific wisdom. By fostering skills-based education, Long Way Home aims to empower local community development practitioners and cultivate opportunities for progress. Central to their philosophy is the conviction that nurturing youth potential and harnessing waste materials for construction holds the key to sustainable, global change. Guided...
Long Way Home Reviews
Hear what past participants have to say about the programs
Overall Rating
Total Reviews
Good experience
May 15, 2019by: Joshua EnsleyI was given the opportunity to serve the community of comalapa, assist in building a house for one of its people. I was able to love my fellow members of the green building academy, the staff, the other groups that came in, the students of the school, and the workers on the job site. I really loved staying at feliciano's. His family was so welcoming and kind to us. I was sad to leave them too!
It walks the walk
May 14, 2019by: Tamara DonnenfeldIt walks the walk. It reaffirms the Jewish values of being the protectors of the earth, of education, taking care of the needy and opens up our eyes to cultural sensitivities. I have been there before and I was looking forward to returning. Thank you to Sarah and Robin for being the face of this organization. Thanks to Matt, who took the time to meet with our teens to share his dream and his vision. It was an inspiring weekend.
Great experience
May 13, 2019by: Tara CanneyLoved the explanation given by staff and seeing how beautiful the site was, in addition to functional Robin was so on point in her description of what long way home does and it really set the tone for our time there. Sarah did a marvelous job with our group and made our experience volunteering one of the favorite parts of our trip! It would be great to see a class or learn more about the curriculum being taught
Long Way Home Programs
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Of the 97% indigenous Mayan Kaqchikel in the rural town of Comalapa, Guatemala, 57% live in poverty and 27% in extreme poverty. Residents lack ac...
Frequently Asked Questions
Interviews
Read interviews from alumni or staff
Mathilde Craker
Participated in 2015
Mathilde is from France, and studied an Arts and Sciences Undergrad in Marseille and Calgary, before earning a Masters in the Management of Cultural L...
Mathilde Craker
Participated in 2015
I had the chance, via my boyfriend who was Guatemala, to discover this beautiful country for the first time. I was so marveled and excited and thrilled by what I had briefly seen, that I wanted to see more, and be, in a way, a part of it. I've always wanted to be abroad, to live abroad, to work abroad, and to be useful! I am from France, and sometimes, I get overwhelmed by how individualistic and "babied" French citizens can be. So, voilà, everything inspires me to go abroad. Still now.
Matthew Paneitz
Interviewed in 2019
Matt first went to Guatemala in 2002 as a Peace Corps volunteer. At the end of his service, the director of a local NGO requested Matt’s help in trans...
Matthew Paneitz
Interviewed in 2019
What inspired you to travel abroad?
I started LWH in 2004 to fulfill my moral obligation to those in the world in desperate need of the basics for survival. Guatemala is one of the poorest countries in the world, so one does not have to look far to find where one is needed. Because of my Peace Corps service, I landed in San Juan Comalapa and lived there from 2005 until 2017 (that is 14 years including Peace Corps years). After building Parque Chimiya, our pilot project, we saw just how much we could accomplish with so little and saw the direct effect first hand.
Lauren Wang
Interviewed in 2019
Lauren works in strategizing how to develop Long Way Home in the long-run, whether it's through income sources and fundraising, or through internal pr...
Lauren Wang
Interviewed in 2019
What inspired you to travel abroad?
I was inspired to work for this organization because I found their approach to development to be unique and highly beneficial in the long-run. As a grassroots organization, we started off working locally, but are slowly expanding to other parts of Guatemala. We are not throwing money at a problem, but collaborating with the community in a democratic way, and supporting them in solving their own problems. We are leaving tools and values around sustainability and democratic education that we believe is making systemic change in Guatemala.
Awards
Check out awards and recognitions Long Way Home has received
