global village

get involved in guatemala

 

serve globally with B/CS Habitat

what is global village?

Global Village is Habitat for Humanity’s international volunteer program. Through B/CS Habitat and in collaboration with Habitat for Humanity Guatemala, students, community members, BCS Habitat staff members and volunteers from the Brazos Valley can join a Guatemala build team to construct safe, healthy homes alongside Guatemalan families.

why guatemala?

The Current Situation in Guatemala

  • Over 2.2 million housing unit deficit in Guatemala.
  • 843,958 homes with dirt floors.
  • 26.5% of households in Guatemala have a floor deficit.
  • Over 4 million people living in poverty with inadequate housing.

Source: Habitat for Humanity Guatemala

The Problem

Dirt floors are a hidden health crisis affecting millions of families across Latin America. Unlike concrete or tile, dirt floors harbor parasites, bacteria, and disease-carrying insects that thrive in the humid, porous surface. Children who play on dirt floors are constantly exposed to harmful pathogens that cause diarrhea, respiratory infections, anemia, and parasitic diseases. This constant exposure affects not only physical health but also cognitive development in children and mental health in adults, while medical costs and lost productivity compound the challenges families already face.

The Proven Impact

Independent research shows that replacing dirt floors with concrete floors leads to measurable improvements in health and well-being:

  • 49% decrease in childhood diarrheal disease.
  • 81% decrease in childhood anemias.
  • 36%–96% improvement in children’s cognitive development.
  • 78% decrease in infant parasitic infections.
  • 52% decrease in depression and 45% decrease in stress

Source: Housing, Health and Happiness, Impact Evaluation Series No. 14, World Bank

This is why concrete flooring is considered one of the most cost-effective housing interventions available.

what we’re doing in guatemala

B/CS Habitat for Humanity is partnering with Habitat’s Global Village program and local communities in Guatemala to help install concrete floors in homes where the need is greatest. Aside from building concrete floors, we also build smokeless stoves so families can cook without filling their home with smoke. And we try to purchase water filtration systems which help provide families with clean water for up to two years. And if there’s a need, we help build latrines.

Project priorities are determined collaboratively with local families and Habitat partners. Volunteers contribute labor alongside community members, while donations to this campaign are used exclusively to purchase construction materials, including concrete and related supplies.

why global village?

Global Village is built on local leadership, accountability and long-term impact. Projects are part of ongoing housing initiatives — so the work continues well beyond the volunteers’ time on site.

Just as importantly, volunteers return home better informed and better equipped to advocate for safe, decent housing everywhere.

The work being done by B/CS Habitat and Global Village in Guatemala is a permanent improvement to a family’s home and health.

You can make a gift today that buys materials that create lasting change—reducing health risks, increasing safety, and strengthening housing stability long after the work is done.