COMMUNITY HEALTH IN ACTION

Monday, July 20

Today's Journey

Today our team will meet the staff of ODIM Guatemala and learn about the organization's community health programs. They'll share lunch with members of the ODIM staff before learning how to install Onil clean-burning stoves and Ecofilter water filtration systems in homes in San Pablo La Laguna. Thanks to a generous donor, this year's team will help install ten stoves and water filters during their visit.

Why This Matters

Today's work focuses on simple improvements that make a lasting difference in daily life.

The Prayer Partner Guide explains that many families in rural Guatemala face health challenges related to indoor air pollution from traditional cooking fires and limited access to safe drinking water. Clean-burning Onil stoves help reduce smoke in the home, while Ecofilters improve water quality, helping prevent respiratory and gastrointestinal illnesses.

These projects are part of ODIM's broader commitment to community health. In 2025 alone, ODIM staff and volunteer teams installed 180 water filters and 180 energy-efficient stoves, benefiting hundreds of people through their "High Impact Home Improvement" program.

Reflection

Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.

In terms of how March 8 was observed at the departmental level, Rabinal, Baja Verapaz, stands out: there, survivors from the Mujeres Achí case and human rights organizations reinstalled a mural dedicated to the indigenous women who reported sexual assaults committed during Guatemala’s internal armed conflict. The mural is part of the reparations ordered by the courts in this landmark case. Two rulings—issued in 2022 and 2025—convicted former Civil Defense Patrolmen (PAC) of sexual violence and crimes against humanity committed between 1981 and 1985. For the Maya Achí women survivors, the mural symbolizes public recognition of their truth after decades of silence, stigmatization, and denial of the crimes committed during the genocide carried out by the de facto governments of General Romeo Lucas García and General José Efraín Ríos Montt, in power from 1978 to 1983. The mural also represents an act of collective dignity, as the images recall the violence they endured while simultaneously highlighting the resilience of the women who spoke out about what happened, their struggle for justice, and a message for future generations: the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war must never be repeated. The mural was restored after the Rabinal municipal government removed the original painting on July 22, 2025, covering it with yellow paint.