School Builds creating a safe place to learn
We Build Schools
The school is a symbol of commitment by us, the community and the local government. Children need a safe place to learn. Schools provide the stability that makes learning possible.
Our program reaches deep into the isolated communities of Guatemala and Honduras. Often, we are providing the first schools these villages have ever seen; or worse, existing schools are in desperate need of repair to ensure safety of the children and teachers.
In Honduras, due to prevalence of violence and political unrest, we are often the only organization actively engaged to ensure children and families in Honduras have access to quality education. (Please note that our Student Service Trips are limited to Guatemala.)
The schools we build are a first step, and often the most important. We collaborate with the local community so they provide the labor and some of the materials needed for the build. Additionally, we require matching funds from local governments and partners so that they remain deeply committed to our process. Finally, we raise funds from corporate sponsors and generous individuals to supplement materials like books and school supplies necessary to learning.
Together, we change lives. Our program gives the people living in rural villages of Central America a chance to live beyond the drudgery of poverty and life rooted in illiteracy.
Power of Play: Education outside the Classroom
Play is an important part of the learning experience. Most of the children enrolled in our schools go to work before and after school to help support their families. It is not uncommon to find children as young as 5 years old shining shoes, selling goods in the market or tending to their family farm.This leaves them with very little time for play.
While developing literacy skills is a cornerstone to our education, we believe giving our students a safe place to discover, imagine and explore is equally important. On the playground the children can develop social and cognitive skills, mature emotionally, and gain the self confidence required to engage in new experiences and environments.
Furthermore, the playground serves as a safe place for girls (and boys) to play free from prescribed gender roles. In a society that is culturally rooted in specific gender roles, hierarchy, and expectations, girls are able to break away and experience play on equal grounds.
Teamwork, leadership, and communication; these are skills children mold and develop in school. However, these skills derive from playtime just as much, or even more than, in the classroom. Play isn't an alternative, but an aid to learning.
Social Emotional Learning (SEL) from play can help students to be better behaved, as well as more focused in class. Taking the time to both learn and create their own rules (while being active in play) breeds academic success. However, organized play also nurtures trust and empowerment. Our school coaches in Guatemala and Honduras use their training and our new playgrounds to foster leadership, promote cooperation and inclusion, and develop life skills necessary for conflict resolution. Our staff intentionally choose recess games that require increased levels of teamwork and communication to build feelings of empathy and citizenship among our students. These games also help to deconstruct harmful gender stereotypes and biases that are still very prevalent in the regions in which we work. This incorporation of interactive Social-Emotional Learning empowers our students to develop independence and be positive members of their communities.
Upon reentering the classroom after a Social-Emotional Learning session, or organized recess, the positive benefits continue. Research has found that programs like ours lead to fewer conduct problems in the classroom, better student focus, and greater academic success in the long run. In impoverished areas where children typically have very little opportunity to play, our playgrounds and staff, along with all of our donors and World Changers, give them that chance.