In the last quarter of 2011, Mano a Mano completed 3 new education projects in Bolivia, bringing our total number of school/teacher housing projects to 44. Building clean, high-quality classrooms provide a better environment for students to learn; and building quality teacher housing helps to retain teachers in isolated rural communities where it is the communities’ responsibility to provide housing for the teacher and their family.
Here are teachers and students from the community of San Pedro talking about the difficulties of teaching and learning in inadequate classrooms (Mano a Mano built new classrooms there in 2010):
Twelve New Classrooms in Apote
One of our biggest education projects was our recent two-story school in Apote. Apote is a rapidly growing community on the outskirts of Cochabamba. We have worked in Apote for almost a decade; in 2003, Mano a Mano Bolivia built 6 classrooms, along with 6 bathrooms with hot showers and 2 sinks for laundry, and in 2006 we built a health clinic right across the street.
Visiting students in one of the classrooms built in 2003 during a trip in 2011
US travelers meet with medical staff of Apote clinic during a trip in 2011
With the rapid growth of Apote – there are now 420 school-age children – Mano a Mano partnered with the community and the Municipal Government of Quillacollo to construct 12 more classrooms, in addition to a new set of community bathrooms and furnishings for the classrooms (Mano a Mano Bolivia builds all of the desks, tables, and chairs for the school projects in our warehouse in Cochabamba).
Dedication brochure for Apote
Two Projects in Arampampa Municipality
We also dedicated projects in Santiago and Koaraca, two small communities with about 1,000 residents each in the Department of Potosi.
Santiago and Koaraca
In Santiago we built 2 houses for the teachers working there, and in Koaraca we built and equipped 1 classroom, 1 teacher housing unit, and 1 bathroom.
Classroom in Koaraca
Two teacher housing units in Santiago