La Cruz Primary School Completed on May 12, 2011!
The buildOn school block in La Cruz has three classrooms and two latrines. It has a poured concrete flour, cinderblock walls with windows and a corrugated metal roof. This project was scheduled to begin in January 2011, but did not actually break ground until early February because of the large task of leveling the ground before construction could start.
La Cruz Community Profile
La Cruz was founded in 1951 by the families of Francisca Torrez Chevez, Natividad Arrostegui Ramos, Pastora & Encarnacion Briones and Benita Cruz. Today there are about 150 people living in this community. The community leader is Doña Francisca Arostegui Torrez. La Cruz is just a few kilometers outside of Estelí, the largest city in northern Nicaragua, and only 2 km from the Estelí garbage dump. Most residents of La Cruz make a living by collecting items from the dump that they can resell to buyers from Managua. They collect, sort and sell plastic ($0.05/pound), aluminum ($0.40/pound) and iron ($0.70/pound).
The existing school in La Cruz, named San Francisco de Asis, is just one classroom made of corrugated tin. Formal education has been available to the residents of La Cruz for only the last ten years. There are 45 students enrolled in primary school and 14 in preschool. Two teachers travel from Esteli to teach preschool through the 6th grade. High school students must walk about 45 minutes to school in Estelí.
The Existing School in La Cruz
The Project
The Esteli Dump
A La Cruz Home & Family
La Cruz is a unique community for buildOn because of its proximity to the city. While most buildOn schools are constructed in remote villages, this one will be only 6 km from the buildOn office in Estelí. La Cruz was selected for a buildOn school despite its location because the people there are living in poverty even more extreme than many people in more isolated communities. Without land to farm they are forced to rely on the dump for an income, and the stigma that comes along with this kind of work makes life even more challenging for them.
The buildOn school block in La Cruz will have two classrooms and two latrines. It will have a poured concrete flour, cinderblock walls with windows and a corrugated tin roof. This project was scheduled to begin in January 2011, but did not actually break ground until early February because of the large task of leveling the ground before construction could start. Once the land was ready, the buiildOn skilled labor team measured and marked the foundation.
The buildOn school block in La Cruz will have two classrooms and two latrines. It will have a poured concrete flour, cinderblock walls with windows and a corrugated tin roof. This project was scheduled to begin in January 2011, but did not actually break ground until early February because of the large task of leveling the ground before construction could start. Once the land was ready, the buiildOn skilled labor team measured and marked the foundation.
Signing the Covenant
