Vega is proud to represent a team of Ryerson University students who spent their spring break building a house for a needy family in Guatemala!

Sounds like Vega was a big part of keeping the team going, especially for the vegan members!

News from vegan student Lisa Howey-Louter on their Guatemalan adventure:

Dear Vega,

I just got back from my 10 day volunteer mission in Guatemala. It was
an amazing, eye-opening experience that has left me with a sense of
motivation to do more. I tried to go there with little expectation, and
when I arrived I was totally consumed by all the sights and sounds. I
never expected to meet such giving and welcoming people or see such
appreciation from the organization and the family that we were building
the house with.

We arrived on February 15 in Guatemala City and got transported to
Antigua for a night and then we were off to Panajachel to see some sites
and get to know a bit about the culture. While in Panajachel we took
a boat tour to Santo Domingo, then the next day we went to the town where
we were set to build our house, Retalhuleu. Sunday we were welcomed at
a ceremony where we were introduced to the family in need of the house.
The next day we were going to start building.



The next morning we got to our site and got straight to work. The
foundation was already measured out and ready to dig. We spent the day
digging the trenches to be filled with rocks and cement, and tying wire
around the rebar for vertical supports. By the second day we laid the
first layer of block, which was called the lintel beam. By Friday, our
last building day, we had 6 layers of blocks on all sides of the house.
The mason told us that the family will now get their house two weeks
ahead of schedule.

Each day the family was there to help with the build. They had two
children, 3 and 4 years old, who I enjoyed playing with everyday on the
worksite. On Friday we had a goodbye ceremony with the family and the
Habitat for Humanity affiliate. It was really hard to say goodbye to
the family, just as we were getting over the language barrier and
starting to get to know them. Regardless, I am honoured that we got to
meet and help them out in some way. It is an experience that has helped
me grow and an experience I will never forget.



Everyday we had our breakfast, lunch and dinner made for us, and we were
very appreciative of their effort to accommodate the vegans, but it was
a really hard concept for them to understand. Therefore, we had a huge
need for the Vega bars and Vega powder. They helped sustain us and give
us energy for our labour intensive building days!
Thank you so much for you generous donations.

Sincerely, Lisa Howey-Louter
Early Childhood Education
Ryerson University

Way to go, team!!