Rudy´s Peace Corps Project Needs YOUR Support !

The following is the complete Project Profile which I have sent to Peace Corps to put on the Peace Corps Partnership Program Website. If you would like to have sent to you a formal invitation to donate please email me your address, so I can have Peace Corps send that to you immediately. Or you can directly donate through this link : https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=515-148 or by clicking on the ¨Donate Now !¨ link on the side bar of my blog. Thank you in advance for your generosity, without your support this project will not be possible. If you have any questions you can email me. As well I encourage you to send this blog and link to other friends and family. This donation is not only tax-deductible, but makes you feel GREAT!

From your hardworking Peace Corps Volunteer,

Rudy

P.S. Pictures coming VERY soon !!!!!

Here it goes …….. Enjoy !

PCPP Project Title: Increased Academic Opportunities for the Community of Paraiso de Buenos Aires

Community Organization: Paraiso Education Committee

Executive Summary:

The aim of this project is to build a classroom in a remote rural community located in Southern Costa Rica. The 200 residents of this community practice subsistence farming on small plots of land. In the town center, 11 months out of the year, 44 students attend a weathered one-room primary school which was first built in 1990. After school hours, over 50 adults attend several different classes taught both by the Costa Rican Learning Institute and a Peace Corps Volunteer. Most of the adult members of the community have only completed primary school education as there is no high school nearby.

In the primary school, grades 1 through 6 are taught together by two different teachers in one classroom that is well over capacity. With a new classroom, primary school students will be able to learn in a new and spacious environment, and more adults will be able to participate in adult-education classes. A portion of the materials will be donated by the community, as will the labor necessary for construction. If this project is not completed, the only educational center in town will remain overstrained and learning opportunities will continue to diminish. The education committee, composed of parents and community members, is very determined to see this project through to completion.

Background Information:

Paraiso de Buenos Aires, is a small rural community located 8 kilometers from the center of the city of Buenos Aires in the Southern part of Costa Rica. Its residents practice subsistence farming, along with working with the local electric company (ICE) and Pineapple Plantation (PINDECO). Paraiso has a growing population of over 240 residents. Among the many groups formed within the community, the local education committee (7 members) is motivated to complete construction of a new classroom to cater to the growing number of primary school students and adult students in the community.

Community Need:

In Paraiso Primary School there are 45 students including the kindergartners. There are two full time teachers, including the director and there is one part time teacher. The part time teacher teaches Kindergarten in the morning and literacy classes to adults in the community 3 times a week.

As well there is a growing population (40 +) of teenagers and adults participating in the Peace Corps Volunteers English classes after school hours and 20 more adults participating in daily classes taught by the Costa Rican National Institute of Learning.

Although Paraiso is a small community more than 50 percent of the community participates in some sort of learning activity taught at the school at least once a week. The residents of Paraiso have taken advantage of the learning opportunities brought to them, although in combination of the growing population and learning activities offered in town there is physically not enough space to accommodate a proper learning environment.

If this project is not implemented the children in the primary school will be faced to continue learning in a classroom well over capacity (35 + students in one classroom) which will affect their learning, and the adults will lose educational opportunities which could have otherwise been given to them (i.e. additional classes, night high school, and community meeting area).

Community Initiation and Direction:

The project of construction for the classroom is entirely a community initiative. The labor will be provided and completed by skilled and unskilled community members. The local education committees initiated the project and are completely involved and committed to seeing the project to a successful conclusion.

The president of the education committee has been working in collaboration with the director of the school in finding funding, creating design plans, and organizing the construction crews. The members of the education committee are working to inform the community about the project and delegate project responsibilities.

Community Contribution:

The community is fully involved in implementing this project. Planning, Construction, and post-maintenance of the new classroom will be under the continued responsibility of the local education committee. The local education committee is contributing approximately $2,250 dollars worth of labor costs. As well over $3,000 dollars in material towards the classroom will be donated. Overall, the financial community contribution will be approximately 50%.

Project Implementation:

There will be three phases of the project. 1) Organizing the education committee and community at large in preparation for the project. 2) Applying and acquiring funds to execute the project. 3) Building the Classroom.

In phase 1, the Education Committee will be responsible for project planning and organization of the community. Working alongside the education committee will be members of the community working to help execute the education committee’s goals. Specifically the President of the Education committee will be responsible for delegating responsibility during the pre project planning stage.

In phase 2, the President and Treasurer of the Education Committee as well as the school director will be working to solidify the donation by the committee and as well search for outside funds, i.e. through the Peace Corps Partnership Program.

In phase 3, under direction of the President of the Education Committee and Local building contractor the community members who have volunteered in the construction will work towards completing the new classroom.

Project Sustainability:

Constructing a new classroom requires a large amount of planning and preparation. From organizing construction plans, to acquiring the funds necessary to build, to the actual physical construction of the classroom, strong participation is needed among the education committee and members of the community.

The community and committee members will gain knowledge in project planning, project implementation, financial planning, financial management, working in groups, delegating responsibility, the importance of communication, and basic to advanced carpentry and electrical skills during construction of the classroom.

The community will be able to maintain the classroom in the long term, through monthly payments by the National Education Ministry as well as monthly mandatory donations from the students attending the school. The hired teachers and Education Committee will be responsible for seeing the maintenance through in the future.