It is one thing to obtain a cultural education by seeing pictures of other peoples and their practices, but an entirely different thing to become immersed in a foreign environment to experience your area of study from the viewpoint of another culture.

The Guatemala study tour/work practicum program offers SAIT students the opportunity to work alongside individuals from a different tradition and, therefore, begin to understand another culture viscerally. This program enables students to learn cultural appropriateness, whether it be architectural design or engineering practices.  It is imperative for our architectural and engineering technologist students to be exposed to civil design in its simplest form, design whose core purpose is to shelter and protect. International humanitarian design is a growing industry, and our program avails a valuable resource, market, and skillset.

This program is a philanthropic effort. Our students will raise funds to finance the construction of a home for an impoverished family in rural Guatemala. Our fundraising goal is $25,000CAD – an amount sufficient to change the lives of multiple families forever.

Guatemala is a beautiful but impoverished country. Over half of the population lives below the poverty line and over 20% are living in extreme poverty. Many do not have access to water and sanitation services, and a staggering portion of the adult population are illiterate.

The organization that SAIT has partnered with is called Mayan Families. This registered non-profit was established in 2007 and has since grown to become an organization of over 300 staff and countless volunteers who deliver community development programs and emergency aid in the Lake Atitlán region.

Thanks to donations and volunteers, Mayan Families is able to:

-          Sponsor over 3,000 students each year, covering school fees, supplies, uniforms, health care, and more
-          Provide access for nearly 3,000 people per year to preventative healthcare and specialist services
-          Improve overall health by installing over 800 fuel-efficient stoves and water filters every year
-          Feed over 500 malnourished children, orphans, and elderly, five days a week, year round
-          Give dozens of families a safe space to sleep by building homes and making home repairs  

Last year, we ran a successful campaign, raising enough money to build a house for the Sicajan Xoc family - the people you see below standing at the entry to their new home. The money and labour we provided has removed a tremendous burden from these people and we need to do it again!



Our fundraising and volunteer team is comprised of SAIT instructors and students from the Architectural Technologies program. This year’s selection process for this tour was a difficult one, as there were dozens of applicants and a very limited number of spots available. As such, only the most dedicated individuals were selected to participate – each of whom has expressed genuine passion to fund-raise for this charitable cause, and who many of those reading this already know.

Our departure date for this trip is February 16th, 2019. We have begun raising funds already. We are determined to surpass our goals and give generously to this charitable cause.

Along with the grateful families of Guatemala who benefit from generous donations, we tremendously appreciate your contribution.

Any amount is considered significant. Past donors have contributed anywhere from $5 to $1,500. If you can't donate money to our campaign, don't hesitate to reach out to us via this GoFundMe page to ask us about in-kind donations that we may be able to accept.

Your donation has a powerful and positive impact directly on the lives of those less fortunate. Without your support, this endeavour would not be possible. From all of us at SAIT, thank you!



2019 SAIT Architectural Technologies Students and Mayan Families