“After the Volcán de Fuego eruption in 2018, Rotary and EWB responded together with the construction of seven pedestrian bridges, which provide community access to health clinics, schools, and markets. Strong partnerships were established with the municipalities, the Ministry of Defense, CONRED, and the Guatemalan Army Corps of Engineers. From this experience, we learned that together we can do more, especially in the most trying and uncertain times.”— UW-EWB Volunteer International COVID-19 Engagement Team
“As of July 9th, Guatemala had 626 health workers infected by COVID 19 among the 46 District Hospitals. We checked with the 11 District hospitals that we have worked closely with and only the Nebaj Hospital reported a single case! The Hospital Administrators credit the access to PPE as a key to this result.” — Mike Paddock, EWB Chief Engineer
In March of 2020, Mike Paddock (Chief Engineer, EWB) reached out to the UW–Madison Makerspace to inquire about the Badger Shield, which created an opportunity for Rebecca Alcock and other UW EWB student volunteers to get involved in providing support for various local stakeholders in Guatemala interested in locally producing PPE. For more about this story, click here
