The local school had been falling apart for years. The schoolhouse was too small for the number of school-age children in this village in rural Nicaragua, and students would get sick from the dirt floors. The roof leaked in rain during rainy seasons, and the building became overwhelmingly hot during warm weather. With unsafe conditions and limited resources, students were coming to class less and less. Despite the village’s best efforts to keep the school running, students were dropping out and class attendance was dwindling. The future for many of these children seemed bleak and forgotten. 

It Takes a Village

With the support of their dedicated teacher, the village had been keeping the little school afloat, but they knew they needed help. Don Juan, local farmer and village resident, was leading the charge for a new building. He knew a new school was needed to keep their children safe, healthy, and enrolled. But improving the school would take resources the village didn’t have. That’s when Project Alianza stepped in. 

Supporting students through strong community 

Strong and engaged communities are key to long-term success, so Alianza always involves the community in the planning and implementation of improved education close to home. This engagement helps create buy-in from everyone, guaranteeing greater long-term community investment in the school’s success.This village was no different so to start, our leaders turned to the students, their parents, and various community stakeholders like Don Juan to make a plan. 

Construction Begins on the Las Nubes School 

First, a new school building was needed before tackling student's educational needs. Alianza helps villages in need of a new school find land donated by coffee farmers, hire an architect, and gather construction supplies. 

At Las Nubes, the community wanted to build their school with their own hands. But the coffee harvest was fast approaching — a time when many families make most of the money they use throughout the year. The village was determined to have the new building ready in time for the new school year. So, Don Juan figured out a schedule so everyone could contribute to building the school without sacrificing time working the coffee fields surrounding the village. The entire community was able to pitch in and no one lost wages. 

Community involvement helps students succeed

Just before summer vacation was set to start, construction on the new school began. With the old school building demolished, it would have been so easy for the village to just end the school year early. But the community didn’t want their students to lose any time learning. Local matriarch Maria, volunteered her home to serve as a temporary school. With classes moved to her porch, her yard, her living room, students were able to finish the school year strong. Maria’s ingenuity and the community’s involvement kept students engaged in learning. 

Local women lead the way 

While a safe structure, portable water, enough classrooms, and working bathrooms are vital, a good school takes more. At Las Nubes, students needed supplies and resources to succeed in class. The local teacher also needed support to scale local literacy interventions to bring students up to speed on their reading skills. So, Project Alianza hired and trained local, respected women in the community to act as Community Educators who could focus more time and energy on teaching students to read, training on essential health practices, and mentoring students in secondary school. 

With literacy programs up and running, community mentors, and funding available to students ready for secondary school, the Las Nubes school started to see improvement. 

Attendance Increases, Learning Improves, and Retention Rises

With a new building, Las Nubes has a beautiful and functioning school. The impact is evident: school attendance has increased, literacy scores have improved, and retention rates are high enough today that several students have since graduated and gone on to high school.

One such student who went on to high school was 14-year-old Magaly, a Katie’s Fund Scholarship recipient through Project Alianza. 

“Even though we live in an area that is distant, hidden, and takes a lot of effort to get to, all the kids in the area attended with much enthusiasm and love since we loved that our teacher was never absent,” shares Magaly. “That was always very motivating for me since it showed me that when you love what you do, the distance doesn’t matter, but the goal, education, and teaching others matter most.” 

With the help of Project Alianza’s support and educational programs, Magaly got to participate in the reading program. She later found out that Alianza offered scholarships to girls who wanted to continue on to high school but perhaps didn’t have all the resources to do so. “I told my parents about the scholarship, and they talked to Alianza about how my sister and I could apply to be beneficiaries,” Magaly added. “And to our blessing and joy, Project Alianza gave us both scholarships, and we are currently in the first year of high school!”

‍More than a building - community pride, health, and safety

Aside from these added resources and support, the whole community has benefitted from the new school building’s construction. Since its completion, the building has offered a space for the community to gather after school hours. Doña Arling, health advocate, mother, and village resident, started a health clinic in the school on weekends, and during the hurricanes that hit the region in 2020, the school building served as a critical shelter and kept the community safe. 

Overall, with the help of generous donors, the new school in Las Nubes has provided a much-needed beacon of hope and made a tremendous impact on the village. The community created a safe and educational environment for their children with better resources and support, driving literacy rates, enrollment, and retention. Las Nubes’s new school has since become an example of what can be achieved by communities that work towards building a better future for their children.