Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

• Where do we go?
  • Delegations are trips taken to visit water purifiers that are maintained by our in-country partners in El Salvador, Haiti and Guatemala.
• What are the trips like?
  • The Community Water Team will investigate the effectiveness of the water purification units by conducting communities’ base surveys in the communities where water purification units have been installed.  Other tasks will be assessing the water quality of the source water at the storage tanks and possibly water springs.    In addition our team will practice Spanish, training community water promoter on evaluation methods, learn how to conduct community surveys at several rural schools, building trust and relationship for future evaluation studies.
• Do I need to speak the local language?
  • No, but it is helpful if you try. In El Salvador, the local language is Spanish. In Haiti, the local language is Haitian Creole (Kreyol). In Guatemala, Spanish is widely spoken, but the communities in which we partner speak a local Mayan dialect called Quiché.
• Will I get to have fun and do other exciting things while on the trip?
  • Delegations are not meant to be just work. We get downtime in the evenings to eat with local communities, sometimes play a game of soccer with the kids, and learn more about the local community. Typically, we will have one day where we do something as a group: go to the local market to shop for souvenirs or hike a volcano! Each trip takes its own unique spin depending on the time of year, group capacity and schedule.
• Who will we be working with?
  • Our main community partners are in El Salvador and Guatemala.
    • Centro de Intercambio y Solidaridad (CIS) or Center for Exchange and Solidarity was founded in 1993 after the Peace Accords were signed in El Salvador. They serve as a host site for solidarity groups to come work with community development projects, particularly those focused on women’s empowerment and youth, while serving numerous communities, providing English and Spanish classes, scholarships for high school and university students and much much more.
    • Asociación Unidos por la Vida (ASUVI) or Association United for Life was formerly known as Caritas, a Catholic Charities organization in the Department (State) of Quiché in Guatemala. ASUVI continues on the work of accompanying communities in their development projects, water and sanitation programs, preventative and curative health care education, youth participation and community strengthening.
• Who can go on delegations?
  • Anyone! We welcome all of those interested in coming on the delegations to contact us.  We do ask you to keep in mind that we will possibly be traveling to remote locations of mountainous regions. If mobility or health issues are a concern, contact us, we will make every effort to accommodate you.
• Who leads these trips?
  • CWFW Executive Director, Janet Ray, has led 45 delegations between El Salvador and Guatemala. For CWFW, Janet has led numerous delegations to El Salvador and Guatemala to evaluate the impact of the water purifiers. Krista Dover, International Operations Manager, is based in Guatemala and coordinates logistics and regional planning for delegations. Both fluent in Spanish and somewhat versed in Quiché, they offer stellar leadership and fun, adventurous, and safe environments on delegations.
• How long are delegations normally?
  • Delegations usually run from 7-10 days.
• I have a group I want to take on a delegation, how can I help plan a trip?
  • Contact us! We are more than happy to work with you.
  • What is a normal schedule for a delegation like?
    • Take a look at our most recent delegation to Guatemala! Normally we visit one or two communities each day, depending on the travel time and work needed done at the specific site.
• How much does a trip cost?
  • Costs for delegations vary based on airfare. However, the normal rate for delegations ranges between $950-$1200 plus airfare.
• I’m a student and want to travel, but the price is a little steep for me, is there a scholarship available?
  • We are working on developing a scholarship fund. Unfortunately, at this time we do not have scholarships available to offer. However, we are more than happy to help you figure out how to raise funds in order to go. Please don’t let finances be the “no” factor.
• When we go on delegations, where do we sleep?
  • Delegation accommodations vary based on the regions visited, the time of year, and the experiences we aim for. We have slept on floors of homes, in community members’ homes where they have graciously given up beds for us to get a full-immersion experiences, to staying in hotels. Wherever we stay our aim is security first and we do our best to provide comfortable amenities where possible. However, as delegations are meant to be an immersive experience that is a shared cultural opportunity, we sometimes have to adapt to the environments in which we work. Whatever the accommodations we will do our due diligence and keep you as informed as possible.
• Any more questions?
  • Contact us!