News From the Field

Wrapping Up 2022 and Looking Forward to 2023! 💧

December 22, 2022 By Selina

Bilampi, Bocana de Paiwas: We completed a water and latrine project in Bilampi, which began in 2021. This was one of the most extensive, fully-distributed water projects in our history, including 22 km of hand-dug trench to lay the water distribution lines to reach every home, plus two churches and three schools. It’s really a beautiful part of the country, further east than we’ve ever worked, in the region of Bocana de Paiwas. We’re grateful to Rotary International and several Austin-area Rotary Clubs who supported this project.

*Children in the community of Fatima, Bilampi, with clean water at their school!*

*Community member, Bilampi, Nicaragua, with safe water in her home.*

Rosario Las Vegas: In July we broke ground in the community of Rosario Las Vegas on a fully-distributed water and latrine project. We’re grateful to The Burdine Johnson Foundation for their support of this project. We expect to turn on safe, clean water in homes by Christmas!

Image: Community members trenching for the main conduction line in Rosario Las Vegas, Rio Blanco.

San Isidro, Rio Blanco: Lastly, in partnership with UT Austin Enactus and Localized Water, we installed our first rainwater catchment system at the school in the community of San Isidro. This project was a pilot to test out a solution that gets safe water to schools in a quick, low-cost way while we work our way through the multi-year pipeline of communities waiting for the fully-distributed system we typically install.

*Left to right: Community members in San Isidro with the UT Students, UT Team working on Rain Water Project.*

We are particularly proud to have completed all of these projects while navigating the ever-changing complexity of the local government laws and regulations. We are optimistic that we’re through the highest of these hurdles, allowing us to refocus on the projects and programs that are so crucial to the communities with whom we partner. Huge thank you to our local team who has worked tirelessly through these hurdles and uncertainties with persistence and tenacity. I wanted to share a couple of photos of our team at work. The treks into these communities are long and arduous; these projects would not be possible without their dedication.

Left to right: Our head builder Manuel, with his trusty T-square. Maria Ines, Cristian, and Norma escorted by a community member.

Looking ahead to 2023:

I had the opportunity to travel extensively in Nicaragua this summer, my first trips since covid lockdowns, and I can say the need has never been greater. We plan to partner on new schoolhouses in Rosario and Bilampi and in a third community, a fully distributed water project. Your support makes these projects possible – thank you. For any questions or a more detailed update, you can always reach me at selina@projectschoolhouse.org.

With gratitude and best wishes in the New Year!

Selina Serna
Executive Director

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Greetings from the Executive Director

September 30, 2022 By Project Schoolhouse

It was so energizing to be able to travel back to Nicaragua for the first time since 2020, and we covered a lot of ground this summer! Our in-country team was proud to show all of the project’s progress since we were last there.

Thanks to financial support from the West Austin Rotary Club and Rotary International, we have finished a water and latrine project in the community of Bilampi. The little boy in this photo lives in that community and he no longer has to carry water from the local river in that container on his horse – he has clean running water at his school. This community is so spread out that most children get to school by horseback. The teacher meets those who travel longer distances each morning and rides with them to school. The far distances between homes meant that the community hand-dug 22 kilometers of trench to lay the distribution system – they worked for almost a year, and now all have water in their homes. We always say that, through their volunteer labor, the families are the biggest donors to these projects, and this project was the perfect example.

This community of Bilampi is featured in 2 new short films we produced over the summer, with some amazing Nicaraguan filmmakers with whom we are fortunate to collaborate. We’re excited to premiere these short films at Cien Amigos 2022 on October 27th, in person in Austin, Tx and live streaming everywhere! Cien Amigos (‘100 Friends’) is a chance for those who care about this work, like you, to invite others who might be interested in learning more. Free to attend, enjoy a delicious Nicaraguan dinner and watch short films that beautifully demonstrate the importance of these projects. This is our only fundraiser of the year, and the success determines the scope of work in 2023. We hope you can join us and bring new amigos!

Gratefully,
Selina Serna

Greetings from the Executive Director

July 10, 2022 By Selina

Just this week we are wrapping up the water and latrine project in the community of Bilampi, Bocana de Paiwas which started in 2021. This is the most spread out community water project in our history and the families worked so hard to get water to every home, in total hand-digging 22 kilometers of trench to lay the water distribution lines to reach every home, plus 2 churches and 3 schools. We hope to return to this community in late 2022 to build new schools for the children, replacing the dilapidated wooden huts in which they currently study, one of which is dangerously close to collapsing. I fear for the safety of the children but the only option is to study outdoors..

In April we broke ground on a fully-distributed water system, latrines, and a new school in the community of Rosario Las Vegas, Matagalpa. This community is all the way around Mount Musún, the mountain around which we’ve been working for the past 15 years. It’s emotional, actually, to have made it all the way around this beautiful mountain (photo above) and continue the circle back to our home office in Rio Blanco, passing all of the projects we’ve built in past years. There are many more communities off the main road waiting to partner with us, but this feels like such good progress.

Finally, in the first 2 weeks of June, I traveled with a group of UT Austin students and their faculty lead to install our first rainwater catchment system at the school in the community of San Isidro. The students first built a prototype on the UT Austin campus, then worked with our head builder in Nicaragua to modify the design for locally available parts. We envision this low-cost, quick-to-install solution as a way to get clean water to schools first, while we complete full topography studies and raise the funds needed for the fully-distributed water systems we traditionally build in the hundreds of communities still needing clean water. It was great to see the success of this project and so inspiring to witness the generosity and ingenuity of the student group.

Gratefully,
Selina Serna

Project Update – December 2021

December 17, 2021 By Project Schoolhouse

In 2021, for the first year ever, we worked in three communities, two water projects, in the communities of Mancera Central and Bilampi, and one School project in the community of Malakawas. We also initiated a pilot After-School Club in the community of El Aulo! The projects will bring clean water and education to over 650 people!

Mancera Central Water Project: Benefiting 50 families
Currently completing the final suspension bridge, which will complete the water distribution system. The next item would be to build the latrines in each household!

Malakawas – School: Benefiting 60 families
School is complete except for hanging the classroom divider which is already constructed. We will be handing the keys to this new school in the next few days!

Bilampi – Water Project: Benefiting a community with 43 families, 2 schools, and a church

Spring Capture & Tank 100% are complete! The distribution system is 70% complete. There is 6.5 km more pipe to get into the ground. This will take two months to complete at this pace (100-150 meters per day). We estimate the water portion can be completed by early February and the latrines finished by March 2022.

A New After-School Program in El Aulo

July 12, 2021 By Project Schoolhouse

While we build school buildings, the Ministry of Education employs and pays the salary for the teachers and sets all curriculum requirements. Typically, one teacher tries to teach 40 children, grades 1-6, in the same classroom. Schools are under-resourced with inadequate materials, overcrowding, and no extra-curricular activities to keep students motivated and engaged. Widespread poverty, low levels of adult literacy and lack of economic activity necessitating an education are demotivating to school attendance.

We are currently piloting after-school programs to provide children with opportunities that encourage them to stay in school. The goal is to create healthy, dynamic, and stimulating environments that respond to students’ interests (i.e. sports, arts, academics, leadership and service, science, and technology) and develop core life skills to help them succeed in school and beyond. These programs are led by university student volunteers, providing role models for the younger children, strengthening the social fabric by mobilizing students, teachers, parents, and volunteers, as partners in development. The longer-term goals are to see increased school attendance, higher promotion rates and an increase in adult community engagement in the schools. We are particularly focused on providing female university student volunteers to lead the Clubs, providing female role models and encouragement to stay in school. Sequenced after a water system and school project, the Club has the opportunity to tutor the children who have fallen behind, helping them catch up in their studies and on a path towards educational success. The Club is so well received by the parents, teachers and children. Here is an update of the first session, from Norma, our Programs Coordinator extraordinaire!

“We start the opening of the club at 1 in the afternoon. Giving thanks to God for allowing us to be in the community together with the boys and girls, and to be able to start this new program with the aim of reducing school dropouts, also helping these children in their classes where they have more difficulty through these clubs.As we began, a moment of joy was shared with the little ones. You could see the happiness, playing and dancing among them. Having the presence of 35 boys and girls, from first grade to sixth grade, we divided them into two groups, Jasmina and Josseling working with the fourth, fifth, and sixth graders as they worked on the reinforcement of mathematics. In the beginning, a review was made of History, Spanish and Mathematics to see the level of knowledge they have and it was then that we realized that these children have difficulty in division and multiplication.

Something very important was in realizing that they do not know the multiplication tables, which would make the mathematical exercises easier. So, we began practicing the tables by making a flipchart to have in the section for practice. Cristian and I work with preschool, 2nd and 3rd grade school children who cannot read.

These children have great difficulty in writing and have not yet learned to read. The preschool and 1st-grade children were grouped together and enjoyed stories being read to them, with the books in the new storybook library.

I worked with the second and 3rd grade children. They have difficulty, they do not know all the letters, it is difficult for them to form words, I made cutouts of the letters of the alphabet on colored sheets so that the colorful letters catch their attention. They also have difficulty in Math, not everyone knows the numbers or multiplication tables. There was a moment when we were also playing with dynamic songs.

There is much to do with these children, and we hope we can achieve our goal to help them overcome the struggles that lead them to stop coming to school. You can see the difficulty the children have. I think it is because of the teacher’s time, she works with six grades together, so she does not have time to teach each grade individually.

These two days the participation and dedication of the children was excellent. They are enthusiastic and happy. You can see that they are interested in learning and practicing and excited about this opportunity. “

Le queremos agredecer a nuestra coordinadora, Norma Valdez por su trabajo con este proyecto.

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

Impact Report

July 12, 2021 By Project Schoolhouse

Despite persistently challenging conditions in Nicaragua, Project Schoolhouse has managed to keep moving forward with all of our planned projects for 2021.

For the first time ever, we are working in three communities simultaneously to bring water to over 90 families and a school to the community of Malakawas.

In the community of Mancera Central, the community has completed the spring capture and the main water line down to the water storage tank. This was a difficult capture process because the spring is located far up a steep mountain and the materials were difficult to transport by hand and horse. There are also a large number of suspension bridges needed to traverse complex geography down from the spring.

Using funds from a Global Grant from Rotary International, we are building a community water system in a community called Bilampi in the municipality of Bocana de Paiwas. Anchored by the West Austin Rotary Club in Austin Tx and the Matagalpa Rotary Club in Matagalpa, Nicaragua, this is a $90,000 grant that will cover 100% of the expenses for the project. This water system actually pulls water from three different springs, requiring three separate spring captures. As with Mancera Central, this community has finished trenching the main water line and is working on construction of the water storage tank.

Both Mancera Central and Bilampi should have water running to every home, school, and church in the communities by the end of 2021.

Last year we completed a water system in the community of Malakwas and this year we are working with the community to build a new elementary school. The project is going quickly and the metal superstructure, the floor, and the roof are now complete. The students in Malakawas will be able to finish this school year in a brand new school!

All in all, these three projects will touch the lives of over 150 families.

We are also thrilled to report that our first After-School Club is up and running and doing a great job of increasing the access for students in El Aulo to additional instruction and instructor attention. Twice a week the students get to stay an extra two hours to continue studying core subjects with local volunteers and Project Schoolhouse team members. We hope to implement this program in more schools as resources become available.

While continuing our work through the covid epidemic has been challenging, we’ve managed to continue to increase our impact and reach across all our projects and programs. Our teams have grown over the past two years both in Nicaragua and in the USA and this success is undoubtedly due to the hard work of these skillful team members as well as the donors who support this work.

Thank you to everyone.

-Tab
Director of Operations

The new elementary school under construction in Malakawas.

This is one of three separate spring captures in the community of Bilampi, Nicaragua. Water is flowing downhill to the water storage tank.