Help build a school in Nicaragua!
By some measures, Nicaragua is the poorest country in Latin America and has one of the poorest educational systems with only 28% of children completing 6th grade.
WOPA recognizes that education is one of the most important factors in providing opportunities that can lift people out of poverty. With your support WOPA will make a difference in the lives of children in Nicaragua.
About the Project
This September WOPA started collaborating with Obra Social El Centro Juan Pablo II, an education center in Granada, Nicaragua. The mission of El Centro Juan Pablo II is to help the neediest, poorest children in Granada so that they can further their eduction.
The children attend the school after classes at the public school are over. The center is open six days a week and is only closed one week out of the year. On days the public schools are closed (holidays, Saturdays, January), the center remains open. When resources are available, lunch is provided for the children. The lunch is prepared at a home of one of the parents and brought to the school where it is served. At the school students do their homework and reinforce what they learn at public school. They also play games, make art, learn English and German, sing, and dance. There are two volunteers from Germany who are there to teach for a year. They also have a Nicaraguan teacher and some other volunteers.
Building a New School
The school is currently housed in
a rented house but they are constructing a new building which will
have more space and be located closer to the homes of some of the
poorest families. In September WOPA purchased 700 concrete blocks
and 30 bags of concrete so they could continue construction - but
there is more to be done. [View photos from the construction on flickr.] We
estimate that it will take an additional $4200 to purchase the
remaining construction materials.
Our Goal
Our goal is to help the school complete this construction by the end of this year so they have a permanent place to call home. WOPA will be returning to Nicaragua in November. You can help us make this a reality by donating today!
Average number years of schooling: 5.7
Internet users: 3.3%
Expenditure on education: 3.9% of GDP
GDP per capita (2008 PPP): $2632
WOPA member Alex with some of the children of El Centro Juan Pablo II
Girls of El Centro Juan Pablo II staging a dance performance.
Lunch being served by a volunteer at the school.
The family of one of the students who attends El Centro Juan Pablo II.