Opportunity For All

Opportunity for All partners with buildOn to construct schools in Nicaragua. We have built a total of 10 schools in Nicaragua. Opportunity For All has funded 10 schools and our matching partners have funded another 4.

Despite enjoying growth in regards to health and economy over the last twenty years, according to the UN’s Human Development Index, Nicaragua is now the third lowest ranked country in the Western Hemisphere behind Haiti and Guatemala. 79.9% of the population earn less than $2 per day, and a disproportionately large number of those living in poverty are women.

The country has a rich passion for literature — many of the Sandinista revolutionaries were also poets, and the government has successfully implemented a number of programs to improve literacy rates. Partnering with local mayor’s offices and a number of local NGOs, buildOn has constructed 114 schools throughout the regions of León, Chinandega, Nueva Segovia, Esteli, Matagalpa, and Madriz. These schools have harnessed Nicaragua’s love of poetry to build a new generation of readers and writers with limitless opportunities. The classrooms often double as hurricane shelters during Central America’s rainy season.

Each Opportunity For All / BuildOn school is built to government specifications and recognized as government schools. The Ministry of Education provides certified teachers, learning materials and desks. Meanwhile, communities provide water, land for construction sites, sand (when available), and unskilled labor of 10 to 15 people per day.