Thanks to the tireless efforts of the Village Council Chairwoman, Ms. Paula Jacobs, Punta Negra’s petition to the Ministry of Education and Youth Services for a new school in Punta Negra was approved! This is BIG news for the community.
The old school, a two story concrete structure, had literally been condemned for years. The village continued to use the building as it had very little alternative until 2012 when the crumbling concrete made it too unsafe for students to use. For the 2012/2013 school year Ms. Suzette Jacobs volunteered her home to be used as the school but it was never designed for that purpose and truly did not meet the needs of the teacher or students.
The students are still in Ms. Suzette’s house right now but we are happy to report that in the coming weeks they will be able to move into the new school currently being built! Support from Ministry of Education has been great but unfortunately their budget will only cover the basic building. The community itself is trying to add bathrooms, electricity (solar since we are off-grid), rain catchment and a water pump system as well as books, shelving, school supplies, etc.
Here is a picture of the school last week as construction was getting underway:
If you would like to help a great bunch of students have what most of us consider mandatory: running water, bathrooms, blackboards, etc. please check out the Punta Negra Village Council’s Indiegogo campaign via the link below.