Renata

Staff Spotlight: Renata Aleman on working for her Home Country

September 30, 2022 By Renata

Each time I visit Nicaragua, it is very special in its own way. Whether it’s because I’m seeing family members, or because I am reconnected with my roots, the food, the beautiful and kind people of Nicaragua. Traveling there this Spring as part of my work was a different experience, it gave me a better understanding of the importance of clean water and the commitment community members have to their children’s education and futures.

I was aware of how remote the communities where work were located on a map. I was aware of how hard life is in Nicaragua. Until I traveled to the very remote communities where Project Schoolhouse works, I couldn’t fully appreciate how remote, and the lack of any clean water anywhere. We traveled for hours by truck to one community; the roads stretched for miles in uneven ground to reach communities. Most community members travel by horse or walk. I saw how far away and how hard the people travel to go to their jobs, go to school. I spoke to community members and learned from them directly about their lives, how hard they worked on projects, what a difference having access to water in their homes makes, and their wish for their children to get an education.

It solidified how important it is for me, as a Nicaraguan-American, to be part of the Project Schoolhouse team and its work. Clean water and education are just the start for children in the communities where Project Schoolhouse works. It’s a starting chance to focus on their education. Being someone who is from Nicaragua who gets to work from the US to help those still in Nicaragua is a huge privilege, even more so now that life has gotten much harder in Nicaragua.

The days were long, the meals were delicious, but most importantly, I witnessed the commitment of the Nicaraguan people to better themselves and their futures. That’s what makes me proud to be a Nicaraguan.

Texas Enactus & Project Schoolhouse Build A New Rainwater System

July 10, 2022 By Renata

It was a pleasure to travel to Nicaragua in June 2022 with a multi-disciplinary student group from the UT- Austin Texas Enactus team. In partnership with Localized Water Solutions and Project Schoolhouse, the students worked for months to build a prototype of a remotely-monitored rainwater catch system on the UT-Austin campus. On this June trip, they collaborated with the Project Schoolhouse head builder in Nicaragua to modify the design for locally available materials and installed a similar system at the school in the community of San Isidro, Nicaragua. This rainwater system will give Project Schoolhouse a tool to bring clean water to schools and homes faster and more economically as we raise the funds needed for full topography studies and the fully distributed water systems that are the longer-term solution we have historically installed.

I had the opportunity to chat with two senior Texas Enactus students about the trip that both agreed was the experience of a lifetime.

Matt Zhang, the lead engineer for the UT Texas Enactus team, described his experience as amazing. Though the Texas Enactus students worked for months prior to the trip to build a prototype on the UT-Austin Campus, building it in Nicaragua was much different. For the in-country prototype, the students had to work alongside the Project Schoolhouse head builder, Manuel, to adapt the system to work in Nicaragua. They measured and studied the components that would need to be adapted in an area where there’s very limited electricity and resources.

Matt describes working with Manuel as a great experience, constantly amazed at his ingenuity. He wishes he spoke the language so he could talk to Manuel on a deeper level, but the language barrier prevented it. Matt recalls that if they had a problem Manuel could work it through and adapt it and he was so impressed by Manuel’s ingenuity.

It was nice to have someone with so much knowledge if I had a problem. He could make it happen and make it work.”

Matt and Board Member and UT Professor Dennis Passovoy

I asked Matt about living in a community with no access to clean water even for a short few days. Matt says that it was like nothing that he had ever experienced. “It’s very in your face. There was no access to clean water. It breaks my heart that the world keeps moving on and communities keep trying to catch up. I think that’s why the projects are so important. They go fetch water before the projects come in and don’t get a lot of education. Life is the same from generation to generation.”

When I asked Matt to describe the community, he responded with admiration. The community came together and helped with meals and to take care of the UT students. “There were rotations for some of the women in the community. They would come in early in the morning to start cooking for us; the men hauled clean water from a nearby community so we wouldn’t get sick, and helped with pouring concrete and other parts of the rainwater installation. The amount of work they do, everyone is working all day. They pushed us to keep going.”

Later, I spoke to Abigail Mihalic, Project Manager for the UT Austin Texas Enactus team. She also described the experience as amazing. Abigail noted that while the UT students spent time building a prototype on campus in Austin, nothing could have prepared them for what it would be like to build it on site.

“We didn’t know a ton going in. We built a prototype on campus and thought it would work perfectly and that was not how it went in Nicaragua. It did turn out for the better. We changed the design from 4 small to 2 large barrels. We redesigned on the fly and spent three hours at the hardware store to substitute for locally available parts. We went back to the hardware store to figure out more parts. There were lots of bumps but the building process was great. It was very rewarding. We would wake up with the sunrise and get right to work. Manuel and the community members were amazing. They were welding and gluing PVC. We were in charge of sifting the sand used for filtration – it was hard work but it was so rewarding. We owe a ton to Manuel and Jairo (Project Schoolhouse team). They were really amazing and helpful and it was just great.”

For Abigail, it was really eye-opening to experience living with limited access to water. She described that even though they were only there for ten days and they had help fetching water, the families that live there go every day to drink from the watering hole. It solidified how important Project Schoolhouse’s mission is and how the rainwater system can be a fast solution to implement.

Her favorite moments were: the first day when they had some down time because we got to talk and play every day with the students and the community members, and the food, “The soups were heavenly.”

When I asked if there was something to tell our supporters:

“It was a great, crazy experience – sleeping with the bats that were flying over us at night; meeting everyone in the community, and joking around with everyone. Work over the year in preparation was abstract, but being in the community and seeing what the situation was, the lack of access to water, and how the rainwater system could be a sustainable solution that could be spread to multiple communities quickly, was so rewarding. Hopefully, we can keep working on this project. I am grateful to Selina, Tab, and the Project Schoolhouse team; and the UT Austin Enactus team was there for us and made it happen; So grateful we made it happen and so blessed for the help.”

Both Matt and Abigail have graduated from UT Austin but when I asked what was next, both shared their enthusiasm to keep refining the rainwater system as a priority. Matt mentioned that probably all of his friends and family were sick of him retelling his stories from his time in Nicaragua. They recalled how special the last day in the community was. They were finishing the water system. The children and the teacher of the community of San Isidro made posters showing their gratitude. “The work came to fruition, it started raining.”

Lessons Learned: Update from our In-Country Interns

July 12, 2021 By Renata

We last heard from Adriana Banchs and Aaron Wheat, Project Schoolhouse Interns, in our April newsletter. In the April video, Adriana and Aaron gave an initial report of their activities after just two months in Nicaragua. After completing a semester-long internship in May, the two are now back in the United States. A few days ago, I chatted with them about their experiences in Nicaragua, what they learned and their overall assessment about the specific ways Project Schoolhouse works in advancing our mission of building new schools, providing clean water, improving sanitation, and helping students continue their education. In speaking with these two young folks, you could sense the excitement in their voices about not only what they learned and the ways it will shape their future professional plans, but about the important work Project Schoolhouse is doing in Nicaragua.

Adriana, a public health major at the University of Texas at Austin, had many options in terms of international internships but was particularly drawn to Project Schoolhouse because of her intersecting interests of global health and working in Latin America. Her main tasks in Nicaragua involved data collection through face-to-face surveys of community members where Project Schoolhouse works. “But I did so much more,” said Adriana. “I took photos and even did some project management–tracking materials for projects, some accounting work and running errands…to get materials needed for the projects.”

Aaron, a civil engineering major–with interests in public health–at the University of Texas at Austin, was initially slated to study abroad in Peru in the summer of 2020, but that opportunity was canceled due to Covid-19. Given his interests in public health and civil engineering, Aaron’s Public Health Professor suggested he research Project Schoolhouse. After attending a Crash Course and viewing several videos, Aaron reached out to Project Schoolhouse. His main tasks in Nicaragua involved documenting and supporting the work being done to build water systems. “I was in the field almost the entire time, four out of seven days I was probably sleeping in a hammock at the school…and during the day working with the construction crew that installed the water system.”

Adriana’s data collection efforts were focused on issues related to schooling. In particular, Adriana was focused on establishing accurate school attendance rates, finding out the reasons some students are not attending school, as well as whether students have plans in the future to continue their education after primary school. One of the principal goals of her data collection was to document whether a school being built in a community-led to greater attendance. Another goal was to establish baseline data about whether the after-school clubs led to higher levels of school attendance.

Adriana’s data collection involved capturing individual census data that included name, gender, age, etc. This initial data collection was followed up with more in-depth, face-to-face interviews around hygiene, health and education. She also helped to conduct focus group interviews. “We interviewed groups of women because some of them didn’t speak up as much initially and we wanted to get their voices heard.” Adriana’s work will establish a solid data baseline that Project Schoolhouse will be able to draw on to better assess outcomes. In Adriana’s words, “data collection is an investment in time and after a few more years of data gathering, we’re going to see some good trends.”

Aaron’s principal task was to write a report of the gravity-fed water system being built in Mancera Central. “When I first arrived they were finished with the spring capture and they started work on installing the mainline. I documented the entire process and helped with the construction.” Aaron also beta tested a survey instrument called mWater. mWater is a free data management platform used in over 180 countries to map and monitor water and sanitation sites. “So, I would drop [geo-located] ‘pins’ at every school and water resource and then I filled out a survey that kept information on the community the water source served. For example, population, number of households, the site status, etc.”

In addition to documenting and assisting with the water project in Mancera Central, Aaron also helped to construct a database, or spreadsheet of the information gathered by Adriana, Norma, and Maria Ines. “It took form pretty nicely,” Aaron said about the database, “and it started to show some trends. I could tell Selina was pretty excited about it.” These data-related efforts of Project Schoolhouse are crucial because accurate and timely data related to water, sanitation, and education is often difficult to retrieve from the varied “siloed” agencies of the Nicaraguan government. According to Aaron, “now Project Schoolhouse has their own data of the areas they work in to compile a clearer picture for the donors to see that their money is truly making a difference.”

When asked about the most important thing she learned from her semester-long stay in Nicaragua, Adriana stated,

“The number one thing I gained from this experience involved the local people. The project coordinators, the students, the community members…they were the ones that affected me the most. Maria Ines and Norma’s passion over what they are doing, the love for their work. It was also really cool to see the scholarship students finishing their degrees. I loved actually living in the communities that we worked with….It gave me a new perspective and it confirmed for me that I want to do this work in the future. I would love to do the Peace Corps after graduating.”

For Aaron, working for Project Schoolhouse was a life-changing experience. Well aware of the United States’ colonialist histories that have played out in Central America, Aaron said that he approached his work with Project Schoolhouse with what he described as a “socially-conscious view.” That is, he arrived in Nicaragua with a well-developed understanding of the checkered history of global development work and what he described as “white savior syndrome.” In his words,

“What does it mean to go into a place that is not your home and how does one approach this work in a way that is sensible, respectful and sensitive to the communities in which you work? Instead of thinking that I wanted to ‘help,’ I thought I want to learn everything I can from these people, because they are the experts about where they live.”

Most of all, Aaron’s work with Project Schoolhouse confirmed that he wants to work as an engineer abroad after he finishes school. In particular, his work in Nicaragua taught him about restorative water design systems that don’t just sustain but give back to the ecosystem.

Both Adriana and Aaron agreed that what makes Project Schoolhouse unique is emphasis on the projects being theirs, the projects belong to the community, not Project Schoolhouse. “That’s what makes Project Schoolhouse special,” stated Adriana in closing.

Aaron in Adriana in the community of El Martillo

Stories From The Field: A Student’s Journey Through Covid-19

July 10, 2020 By Renata

Since March, those of us who could work from home have been doing so for almost 4 months. In other places like Nicaragua, Covid-19 hasn’t reached its peak, and it’s nowhere in sight.

In Nicaragua, work continues due to the lack of safety net for most. People still need to go to work, take public transportation, and live their lives as if there isn’t a global pandemic at large. From the beginning, there were no clear guidelines provided or stay at home orders mandated, nor did schools shut down. Parents had to make tough choices to care for themselves and their families by determining whether to go to school or miss classes by sheltering in place. Fortunately, news about the danger of this virus was widespread and most parents are keeping their children home even without that government guidance being in place. They have been wearing masks, created innovative ways to wash hands, and have been able to take classes online. For one of our students, Mileydi, for whom not going back to school meant falling behind a year, and that was out of the question.

Project Schoolhouse has seen Mileydi grow up, providing a scholarship to help her complete high school and enter her first year of college. Mileydi graduated high school with top honors and is now pursuing a degree in Business Administration at a university in Rio Blanco, which is a 2-3 hour commute by foot from her hometown of Martillo. If this routine was not demanding enough, Mileydi now has to adjust to the unfamiliar situation of taking classes online.

I called Mileydi one morning to hear how her online schooling experience has been going and this is what she told me:

Renata: How did you start taking classes online?

Mileydi: The students took the initiative to push the school to move classes online; we organized and provided a list of students who could take courses online. Some can, though not a lot.

Renata: How have professors changed their method of teaching?

Mileydi: We have this app that we use for classes. We also use WhatsApp. They send attachments of tests and handouts through these apps.

Renata: Do you have wifi? A laptop?

Mileydi: No

Renata: What do you use for school?

Mileydi: I sometimes borrow a laptop if I can, if not I can go to a cyber café or I use my phone.

Renata: How do you use your phone?

Mileydi: I look at the tests, and I can read class notes, or videos they send.

Renata: What year are you in?

Miledy: First year of Business Administration.

Unfortunately, our conversation was a short one as I learned the call was costing Mileydi phone minutes. In Nicaragua, the majority of people do not have a monthly phone plan, they have prepaid SIM cards with limited data usage.

What I found impressive from our conversation was Mileydi standing firm in the decision she took, after much discussion with her parents, to continue going to school and finding a way to do it safely. Mileydi persisted that she would not miss any classes or exams; her recent exams have come back with high marks. It was truly so admirable to hear her explain how she was taking classes on her phone. Despite a lack of resources, such as a computer or at-home wifi, Mileydi has been able to persevere with only a smartphone at her disposal. Not even a global pandemic can stop a girl from getting an education.