69-Year-Old Professor Embraces Barter To Aid Guatemalan City

Cecilia Campoverde, a professor at Florida Atlantic University, raises money by having local people in her home town donate money for each mile she covers in her 100-mile trek through Boynton Beach Mall which ends November 5.

Campoverde then uses the money to buy various items in the United States which she takes down to El Triunfo, Guatemala. With Campoverde’s help, El Triunfo, or The Triumph (a hilly area east of Guatemala City with 170 homes), now has a school, a clinic and a community kitchen that was built with Campoverde’s help.

To get the most out of her efforts Campoverde says she does not give out charity, but uses a barter system in which people agree to work on projects in return for items she brings down to the city, such as mattresses and clothes.

Contributions and sponsorships for Campoverde’s Guatemalan Project can be made by calling (561) 968-4310.