Superfeet and MTI in Guatemala

Superfeet and MTI in Guatemala

At Superfeet, we believe every person has the power to change the world around them.

Driven by that belief, and our commitment to help others both near and far create their own strong foundations, each year we send a team of Superfeet employee-owners to travel with Medical Teams International (MTI) to work on community impact projects in Central America.

This year, the team traveled to Guatemala to help the folks from MTI work towards fulfilling their mission to prevent and treat diseases in children under the age of 5.

MTI Superfeet team

The Superfeet team had the opportunity to do some incredible work — changing the lives of villagers and, in turn, having their own lives changed.

The Work in Guatemala

The Superfeet + MTI team traveled to the Cumbre Del Amay region of Guatemala, where 50 families live at around 6000 feet elevation, approximately 25 miles from the nearest town. Access to clean drinking water in this region is extremely limited — residents often walk for two hours to collect water each day.

MTI Superfeet Guatemala

While there, the team helped construct rainwater collection systems to improve immediate access to healthy, uncontaminated water. Work included pouring concrete to construct water-collection cisterns, and installing gutters and piping to direct the rainwater to the cisterns.

MTI Superfeet

Superfeet MTI

Superfeet MTI

Impact of the Superfeet + MTI Trip

While there's no doubt the team's work made a big impact on the villagers' lives, our team members returned from their trip equally impacted by the people of Guatemala.

MTI Superfeet 1

Here's what some of our team members had to say about their trip:

"The gratitude [the villagers] showed us for being there was like nothing any of us had experienced before. The community of family and network is phenomenal and completely second nature for them. The kids run around in and out of each other's homes, the women cook meals together, the men do extremely hard physical labor for each other without batting an eye or asking for anything in return. It was beautiful. Here in the US, we jump in our cars to go get an egg rather than asking our neighbor for one. And if we do have a relationship with our neighbors, we feel indebted to them. It was very refreshing seeing this." — Megan, PVC Specialist

MTI Superfeet 2

"I was surprised how emotional this trip was for me. By the end of the week I couldn't talk about my experience without crying. This was an incredible experience — both humbling and rewarding." — Hope, Sales Rep

"From our work on the water systems, to bonding with the beautiful children, we had an amazing crew that will forever be linked together as we 'reshaped our hearts' in the mountains of Guatemala. I hope everyone has a chance to experience that." —   Neill, Operations Manager

To learn more about Medical Teams International and the work they do both at home and abroad, visit www.medicalteams.org. For more about the Superfeet Be The Awesome initiative, and our commitment to giving back, go to www.superfeet.com/en-us/be-the-awesome

October 23, 2017