Community Center in Chuparipal

During these months we have organized with the community to take the first steps in the construction of the school for Guaruchal. We bought the machine to start making the adobe blocks and 17 volunteers cleared the ground to start leveling the ground, channeling the water and laying out the spaces to build with the support of a topographer.

Simultaneously, the team of architects and engineers are working on the roof structures using local wood and a light structure that works with the adobe blocks that will be manufactured. Once the quantities of wood have been defined and cut, we will prepare the work sessions to train the community in the construction of wooden roofs and their properties.

On the other hand, our fundraising team continues to develop strategies to reach the proposed goal for the month of September.

We continue working to achieve the construction of the school and give the community the opportunity for development that they deserve.

Thank you for trusting us!

Dear Donor,

We are very happy to tell you about our project process. Thanks to your contribution we have been able to advance in the development of the architectural project with a team capable of understanding and channeling the needs to build the school.

During the last three months, we have met with organizations that have developed similar projects in different parts of the world to learn first-hand about their experience; we have also relied on engineers and experts in construction with wood, adobe blocks, and rainwater harvesting to incorporate it in the building of the school, ensuring that it will be sustainable and environmentally friendly. In addition, we incorporated a group of volunteer sociologists into the team to support us in the integration of the community into the project and measuring the impact.

All of that has helped us to understand in how many phases the project will be develop and to prioritize certain aspects. It has been a long learning process for us and the community.

Our goal is to begin testing construction materials in June and to start building the school in July of this year. Meanwhile, we are fine-tuning design details in what will be the first phase of construction: the preschool and kindergarten classroom, one elementary school classroom, service area, bathrooms, and kitchen. 

The project also includes another elementary school classroom, a multipurpose room, and a park, a court, and a school garden to supply the school kitchen. These spaces will be built in phases 2 and 3.

We are getting closer and closer to making the school for Guaruchal a reality!

Please support us by spreading the message to reach the fundraising goal and once again thank you for your interest and contribution to the project.

• Floor plan (PDF)
  

Dear Donor,

We want to thank you again for being part of this project. It has been a challenge for our team to take the next step, but today we are closer to building the school for Guaruchal.

With the first $6,000 raised, our team traveled to Guaruchal to develop the Imagining Workshop to design the school with the community. During one week, 30 members of the community between 8 and 40 years old, did a hands-on workshop to design the school in which they considered the school regulations, ventilation, lighting and adaptability of the spaces. The result were three models that represent the school’s complex and the potential phases of the project and another 4 more detailed models to express their ideas for each of the spaces in the school.

Together we determined that the school should include: 2 elementary school classrooms for 20 students, 1 pre-school classroom, 3 bathrooms (1 for girls, 1 boys and 1 for adults), dining hall, a big kitchen, a garden with plants for cooking (oregano, coriander, chives, eggplant, rice, among others), as well as ornamental and medicinal plants (fregoza, tua tua, citronella). Additionally, it will have a park and a sports field, where baseball, volleyball, basketball, and soccer will be practiced.

For the next couple of months, we will be working on the architectural design proposal to have final design blueprints for construction by June 2021. Meanwhile time is running for us to raise the funds to build the school.

Join us this December 1st and be part of #GivingTuesday to help us continue raising bricks to build smiles, hope and a better world.