The Projects:
In Nicaragua, nearly 50% of children drop out of school before
Grade 5. For those without access to education there is little
hope of advancing either financially or socially. In the communities
we work in, the living conditions are basic; houses are made
from scrap materials or modest brick structures with corrugated
roofs. Most families tend to sleep together in one room with
a separate space to cook.
A typical day starts early. You will eat breakfast at your
hotel or with your host family (if applicable) before heading
to the relevant project site, arriving to start work at about
8am. You will then work with the community and other volunteers
until around midday when you will eat lunch. After lunch you
will either continue to work until 4pm or participate in an
activity.
All funding for these projects comes directly from SchoolBOX
and volunteer contributions. This means that YOU are the difference
in SchoolBOX and you make education possible for children
in impoverished communities. Without your help, energy, and
generosity SchoolBOX could not carry out its vision.
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Here is an example of a SchoolBOX
project that you could participate in:
The Jezreel Primary School Build, Managua
The La Primavera neighborhood, situated on
the shores of Lake Managua to the east of the Nicaraguan capital,
is one of the poorest squatter neighborhoods in Central America.
With parents struggling to provide food for their families,
most children begin working at age 7 juggling school, work,
and chores to help their families survive. This volunteer trip
is a fantastic opportunity to make a huge difference in the
lives of 200+ children in La Primavera.
The Jezreel School was founded 8 years ago by Antonia, who began
teaching classes under a tree, out of concern for the fact that
there was no school for the children. In 2007 SchoolBOX secured
them with a building close by and continue to pay the monthly
rent enabling the school to stay in one location. Since this
move, student enrolment at Jezreel has doubled. Now with 200+
children enrolled, they are turning away students as the building
is literally overflowing with eager students.
The entire staff has been working as volunteers (for free!)
for the last 8 years. With a permanent facility they will receive
salaries and support from the Ministry of Education. SchoolBox
will be providing a fixed location and a school that can accommodate
all the primary aged students in the neighborhood.
SchoolBox will be constructing classrooms for all six primary
grades and a pre-school. You will be working alongside the community
to construct the first three rooms, helping them to realize
a dream 8 years in the making. This school will provide the
children of La Primavera with a future through education, which
will help to break them out of the cycle of poverty.
Join us this summer to Make Education Possible!
This amazing new school will be renamed in honour of Brett Bentely
Crawford who was killed in a tragic car accident in 2001. Brett
was a personal friend of SchoolBOX President Tom Affleck and
is remembered for her passion and sense of justice.
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