Launched in 2021, this is the 5th year our After-School Clubs have been operating, with the goal of creating engaging opportunities that motivate students in the communities where we work to stay in school and fall in love with learning.
In many rural schools, there is typically one teacher teaching grades 1-6 at the same time, leaving students with very little individualized attention. Many students who are already struggling with learning, with few electives or enrichment activities available, feel uninspired to continue their studies and drop out of school entirely.
After-School Club Participants
Our After-School Club helps bridge that gap. Through one-on-one homework support, storytime, creative activities, and dedicated mentorship, students receive the support they can’t get during the school day or at home.
The results show positive changes due to the Club: school enrollment has increased, grade averages have improved, and children receive the support they need to continue their studies.
In 2025 alone, we:
Instilled a love of learning in 50 students with the help of 3 teacher volunteers
Served 100 meals, prepared by 10 mother volunteers
“I have been a member of the Clubfor 4 years. I enjoy participatingbecause I learned how to read, write and like to participate in all the activities in the Club. What I likemost about the Club is that I didn’t know how to subtract, and now Ido, and my writing style has improved. My parents encouragedme to keep going!” – Elena P.
As we look back on the incredible progress of 2025, we are also standing on the threshold of a monumental milestone: Project Schoolhouse is entering its 20th year of work. Two decades ago, we began with a simple belief: that every child, regardless of how remote their village, deserves a safe place to learn and clean water to drink. What started as a single project has grown into a movement of “believers”— a global network of donors like you, working hand-in-hand with the most resilient communities in rural Nicaragua.
Your support this past year allowed us to accelerate our pace and deepen our impact in ways we once only dreamed of.
The Ponsoña Powerhouse: We completed Phase 1 of our most ambitious water project to date. By tapping a single water source, we brought clean water to four communities.
The After-School Evolution: We continued our After-School Clubs which show that, by providing targeted tutoring and mentorship, we aren’t just building classrooms, we are ensuring the students have the support they need to succeed.
Looking Ahead to 2026
Our 20th anniversary isn’t just a time to look back; it’s a launchpad. We have a multi-year long wait list of communities ready to pick up their shovels. They have the will; they just need the resources.
Thank you for being part of this 20-year journey. Whether you’ve been with us since the first project, or joined us this year, you are the reason these communities are rising.
Written by Dr. Marilyn Felkner, Board Advisor and Clinical Assistant Professor at The University of Texas at Austin
What gets measured improves; what gets measured and reported improves dramatically. Project Schoolhouse and students in The University of Texas at Austin Public Health Program take it to heart. Since 2019, when Selina Serna and Marilyn Felkner met, and Marilyn discovered that Project Schoolhouse works in the departamento where she had first been introduced to public health 40 years earlier, they have worked continually to optimize measuring and reporting community improvements made possible by Project Schoolhouse.
Students first focused on standardizing the Project Schoolhouse questionnaire with data comparable to that collected by global institutions such as WHO and UNICEF. Next, they converted to digital data collection, making it easier to collect data in the field and transfer data from Nicaragua to Austin. During the Fall 2025 semester, students analyzed data from 8 communities comparing education and family health before and after PSH projects. Next semester, the students will refine the analysis for reporting to donors, grant organizations, and social media followers.
(Pictured on the left is our Programs Coordinator Norma Valdez hiking to into a community to gather survey data)
Project Schoolhouse is improving education at UT as well as in Nicaragua. What began as a couple of students per year doing internships has evolved into a 3-credit hour course taken by 60 students each academic year. As one student summarized her experience, “…the research we did for Project Schoolhouse gave me an invaluable opportunity to apply what we learned to real-world issues.”
We look forward to sharing the data and findings in coming newsletters!
Thanks to extraordinary support and a lot of hard work, Project Schoolhouse and the communities in the La Ponsoña region have successfully completed Phase 1 of our ambitious two-year project to reach seven remote communities with clean water, schools and sanitation. Together, we’ve made life-changing progress.
Our 2025 accomplishments include:
Four communities now have clean water systems and sanitary latrines, bringing health, dignity, and opportunity to 74 families.
Two schools received critical additions and repairs, finished just in time for the start of the 2025 school year.
This progress did not come easily. This year brought unusually heavy rains, and transporting materials to the water source at the top of the mountain was harder than anyone imagined — trucks got stuck in the mud, roads washed out, and construction slowed. But communities didn’t give up, and neither did we.
One of the most complex parts of the project — building the shared mountain-top water infrastructure — is now complete. This includes the water source capture, slow-sand filtration system, multiple pressurization tanks, and chlorination units. All of the materials had to be hauled to the top of the mountain, an arduous trek by 4-wheel drive vehicles and, for the final stretch, by mules. This incredible feat will not only serve the four communities now benefiting but will also support the remaining three communities, 119 additional families, as we expand the distribution grid to the remaining communities in 2026.
Community members and team digging trench for system pressurization valves.
All seven communities have poured a year of effort, sweat, and determination into this shared system, and they’ll continue working alongside us through Phase 2. Staying motivated over such a long and demanding effort hasn’t been easy and coordinating the labor of 7 communities has been a real challenge, but achieving Phase 1 has energized everyone. The finish line feels real — and it’s thanks to you.
Your generosity is transforming lives. Thank you for believing in this work, for standing with these communities, and for helping make sustainable progress possible. Phase 2 is ahead — and with your continued partnership, we’ll reach even more families with clean water, strong schools, and brighter futures.
We particularly want to appreciate the partnership of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Latter-day Saint Charities Australia, for trusting in Project Schoolhouse to deliver progress towards our shared mission, supporting our neighbors in need.
This is what Manuel Selva Garcia, Head of Construction, had to say about this great achievement:
“Hola, buenas tardes. Me siento agradecido y feliz por ese gran logro que hemos alcanzado. Ya que fue un gran reto haber terminado la primera fase, a base de dificultades, lo logramos con todo el personal de oficina y de campo. Esperemos seguir con ese entusiasmo el año que viene para la segunda fase de este proyecto.Y doy gracias a Dios por cuidar de estas lindas personas con las que siempre trabajamos de la mano, con respeto y coordinación. Este proyecto fue un gran desafío para mí ya que con el poco personal ísimos bastante.”
“I feel grateful and happy about this outstanding achievement we have completed. Completing Phase one was a major challenge, and despite many difficulties, we accomplished it together with our office and field team. We hope to continue next year with the same enthusiasm for phase two of this project.
I also thank God for watching over these wonderful people we work with, always hand in hand, with respect and coordination.
This project was a great challenge for me, but even with a very small team, we were able to achieve amazing things.”
– Manuel Selva Garcia
A boy is putting the final touches on his own family’s water access point.A girl helping build her family’s new latrinePouring cement for latrine foundation
After a year of hard work, persistence, and dedication, we’re thrilled to announce the completion of Phase 1 of our multi-community water, sanitation, and school project in La Ponsoña, Nicaragua.
This project is a major milestone for Project Schoolhouse. It demonstrates our team’s ability to build large-scale infrastructure by leveraging a single water source to serve seven different communities in one unified effort bringing life-changing water, sanitation, and education to more families than ever before.
We want to express our deepest gratitude to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Latter-day Saint Charities Australia. Thank you for trusting Project Schoolhouse and investing in this massive undertaking; it truly would not have been possible without your support.
Listen In: We recently sat down with Stephanie Dyer on the Escape into a Cause podcast to discuss how we turn good intentions into real-world impact. It’s a great listen for anyone looking to “unplug and make a difference.” Check it out here and join our mission!
The Road to 2026: The work doesn’t stop here. We are already preparing for Phase 2, which will bring safe water, sanitation, and functional schoolhouses to three additional communities in 2026, reaching 119 more families. Keep an eye out for more updates in the new year!
We are so grateful for your sustaining support and your belief in this work. I am also incredibly grateful to all the volunteers and board members here in the US who give their time and talents, and who truly make working on this project joyful. We couldn’t do this without you.
I wish you all a wonderful holiday with family and friends, and a new year full of good health and happiness.
Selina Executive Director
Team and Community Members working side by side to finishing trenching for distribution lines to every home
In our 18 years of building water and school projects, one of our key tenets has been to build sustainable projects that will last for generations to come. Thanks to the generous support of the Burdine Johnson Foundation, we are excited to continue this work on a bigger scale and visit every community where we’ve worked in past years to ensure the projects we’ve helped build are being cared for and functioning as intended.
Operating in remote rural areas presents unique challenges, from complex transportation logistics to ever-changing weather patterns. Leading the charge is our in-country Programs Coordinator, Norma, who treks through rain, mud, and mountainous terrain to visit communities like San José El Paraíso, where we built a school and water system in 2017.
Through this effort, we will be able to collect essential data, such as maintenance schedules and water quality test results, directly from the community water and school boards that are responsible for maintaining the infrastructure after project completion.
These insights will not only help us ensure the long-term success of our work, but help us learn how we can best support each community with guidance and expertise they may need.
We look forward to sharing more updates in the months ahead as we continue this vital work across past project sites.
From left to right, our team in San Josè El Paraiso, Norma, Jairo, and Cristian
I’m writing to you today with a heart full of gratitude and a profound sense of awe for the incredible work being accomplished in rural Nicaragua, made possible by your unwavering support.
Our mission to build schools and water systems in these remote communities is more than just a construction project; it’s a testament to human resilience and hope. The work on the ground is arduous, demanding, and almost entirely manual. Every cement block laid, every pipe fitted, every foundation dug, is the result of immense physical effort.
At the heart of this effort are the community volunteers themselves. These dedicated individuals, often farmers relying on their small plots for their families’ sustenance, commit their precious time and energy to these projects. They spend their days tilling their land, ensuring food on the table, and then, with an inspiring vision for a brighter tomorrow, they join our skilled builders, digging trenches, hauling materials, and constructing the very infrastructure that will transform their children’s lives. Their hands, accustomed to the soil, are now shaping a future. They do this not for personal gain, but for the profound hope of a better education and a healthier life for the next generation.
Leading these dedicated volunteers are our skilled builders and head of construction, Manuel. Beyond managing the intricate complexities of massive infrastructure projects, they navigate the harsh terrain, the challenges of access during the torrential rainy season, and the delicate art of coordinating teams of unskilled but eager local labor. Their expertise, combined with their unwavering commitment, ensures that these vital projects come to fruition against all odds.
It is this extraordinary dedication, from the community members to our tireless builders, coupled with your generosity, that truly makes a difference. You are not just funding construction; you are empowering communities to build their own destiny, mile by painstaking mile.
Thank you for being a vital part of this transformative journey.
With deepest gratitude,
Sincerely, Selina
Community members collecting rocks to use in the foundation of this water system
We’re thrilled to share the latest progress on our biggest water and sanitation project to date, one that will serve seven communities through a single, unified effort.
A project of this scale demands precision, hard work, and perseverance. It begins with tapping a spring with sufficient water and pressure to provide clean water to over 2,000 people. It continues with building a community-owned system that is durable and will last for generations to come.
Thanks to our team on the ground and a dedicated group of 25-30 volunteers each day, we’ve reached a major milestone: the spring capture and the filtration system, also known as the filtro lento, are now complete. This filter is located at the top of the mountain, near the main spring capture. That’s where the journey of determination for life-changing water begins for our team and volunteers.
Our team standing by the form for the spring capture
For the past seven months, rain or shine, volunteers have shown up to haul thousands of pounds of sand, cement, and rock, using off-road trucks, horses, and at the steepest parts, on foot. With sheer determination, they raced to move materials before the rainy season washed out the roads.
This project is about life-saving infrastructure that brings more than just water; it brings health, dignity, and a brighter future for families who have long struggled with water scarcity and waterborne illnesses.
Next up: Trenching the primary conduction lines to the system’s three pressure tanks, a crucial phase in this two-year project to bring safe water to all seven communities in the Ponsoña region.
This community project is made possible with the support of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and funded by Latter-day Saint Charities Australia. Thank you!
Hauling bags of sand by handTruck going uphill with materialsHauling PVC pipesSand and materials for constructionDigging and building temporary roadsBuilding the foundation for slow filter
