Appropriate Technology in Guatemala

DIY Renewable Energy in Guatemala

Xelateco - Home grown appropriate technology in Guatemala.

My favorite Tech blogger and NPR correspondent, Xeni Jardin, is finishing a week long series of reports from Guatemala. Yesterday she reported on a group of American eco-engineers, the Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group (AIDG), who is working with a number of Mayan villages to provide the basics of clean water and energy.

Xelateco is the name of the workshop in the town of Quetzaltenango (or Xela for short). The American group AIDG is working with tech-minded Guatemalans to build eco-friendly devices. The workshop is a small business supported by the U.S.-based nonprofit.

What separates this enterprise from so many “Gringos Without Borders” is that AIDG provides knowledge and assistance with the goal of having the local group become independent.

In my travels to Guatemala and Central America over the last 30 years I have seen many short sighted but well intended projects come and go and leave circumstances on the ground largely unchanged. AIDG deserves your attention and your support.

Xeni has a unique voice in the Tech world. Check out her report here.