When political turmoil erupted throughout Nicaragua in 2018, six million people became at risk of falling deeper into poverty. Many schools and universities closed their doors. Hundreds of thousands of people were laid off and fled their home country. Project Alianza remained steadfast in supporting education during this time of political unrest.

Two million children throughout Latin America won’t go to school today because they live in isolated farming communities.

Where we work

Project Alianza works in remote farming communities in Central America where educational opportunities are scarce. Without education, many children become susceptible to gang recruitment, the drug trade, or migrate to the US border in search of better opportunities. Starting in Nicaragua, we are focusing on expanding in the poorest farming communities in the departments of Matagalpa and Jinotega. In 2018, we partnered with 20 Nicaraguan coffee farms to build schools and improve learning outcomes. We began conducting research and piloting education programs at three coffee farms in El Salvador and one farm in Guatemala.

Community impact

2,052

We have provided education to 2,052 children across 160,000 acres of isolated, mountainous farmland.

80%

Within our partner communities, 80 percent of families engage in supporting school and education.

8,208

Over eight thousand Central American youth and community members have been impacted by our work.

How thousands learned to read by radio

We believe those closest to the problem are best able to deliver sustainable solutions. 100% of our leadership and education team is comprised of Central American women.

Learning outcomes

60%

Among students in our literacy program, 60 percent transitioned from non-readers to readers as measured by their ability to read a short passage.

100%

All scholarship recipients completed their current year of secondary school and continued to the next. Every recipient led a community service project.

88%

Among students in our literacy program, 88 percent showed improvements in literacy skills and reading abilities.

How thousands learned to read by radio

Project Alianza students received an additional 115,884 hours of literacy and reading programs relative to their peers in 2017-2018.

2018 Financials

With your support, we raised $355,535 to invest in education for children who are often beyond reach of existing education structures.

Revenue raised

total expenses

A few of our partners

Thanks to the generous support from our partners, we make education accessible to children in remote farming communities. In 2018, we received investment from coffee companies throughout North America and farms in Central America to support education programs and improve sustainability in our supply chains.

Meet our partners

Blanchards Coffee is an exceptional example of a roaster supporting their origin communities. With their support, we can implement our literacy program which uses the evidenced-backed Teach at The Right Level approach. Their funds support the salary of a local educator as well as health programs.

Sustainable Harvest focuses on creating transparent relationships that increase value throughout the coffee supply chain. Sustainable Harvest partners with Tinker Coffee to invest in the next generation of coffee by reallocating funds to our education programs. Their wide-reaching influence continues to give us a platform to build bridges with other partners in the coffee industry.

Tiny House Coffee Roasters, based in Austin Texas, is a socially-focused specialty roaster that supports coffee-growing communities in Nicaragua. Tiny House hosted community events and dinners to fundraise for school and health supplies to support children in their origin communities in Nicaragua.

Letter from our founder

This work requires bravery—the bravery to commit every day to do our part to give children an education no matter the challenges we face. With your support, we lessen the barriers that keep children from breaking free of the poverty that their families have likely experienced for generations. We make schools safer and closer to home. We are able to adapt our teaching methods to fit students’ needs, so they begin to climb from fundamental literacy to comprehension to thinking critically about information they receive. We invest in Central American economies by training and hiring local women to partner with government teachers to support personalized learning.My promise to you, as I lead this organization, is to nurture our team’s talent and the generosity of a global community to bring a vision of a better world to life. Thank you for sharing this journey with us.

2018 annual report

2018 was a huge year