We are extremely excited to announce an incredible opportunity to help build schools in the highlands of Nicaragua this summer. Each volunteer build trip includes 10 days of accommodation, food, in-country travel, guided excursions, and an opportunity to work each day alongside local families committed to building their own education.

There are four different trips listed below in June, July, and August. If you are interested in any of these trips (or if you would like to join build trips in the future), please complete the information below. Contact info@pencilsofpromise.org with any additional questions.

As we approached I heard two American accents, which led to a casual conversation with two fellow travelers who told me they worked in advertising. The conversation went like this:

New friend Teresa: “So there’s a bunch of people working on this nonprofit?”
Me: “Yea we’re all volunteers finding a way to dedicate our time, skills and abilities towards something we deeply believe in. There are even some great advertising people involved from top firms like BBH, McGarry, and..”
New friend Teresa: “No way! I work at McGarry. Who is it?”
Me: “Well Eugene Chung is our head of social media.”
New friend Teresa: “What?! Eugene sits 15 feet from me… Oh my god, he was collecting Crayola crayons from all of us last week to send to a school in Laos… I know of you guys! I know Pencils of Promise! This is so crazy, I want to get involved. How can I help?”
Me: “Well there are a lot of ways, but you could start by attending our Masquerade Ball on December 18th. We’re going to raise the funds to build our next 2-3 schools that night.”
New friend Teresa: “Absolutely. I’m there… and I’m bringing friends.”

And therein lies the perfect example of how this organization has rapidly expanded its footprint for good through the innovative contributions of great people. Thank you Eugene, for collecting 1,024 crayons and countless new supporters through your simple act of dedication.

-AB

These structures we build neither “belong” to Seeds of Learning nor Pencils of Promise. They belong to the community; we are merely facilitators towards this end. Sustainability lies in local ownership, not in NGO gifting, and upon this foundation SOL and PoP have formed a common bond.

SOL has operated in Nicaragua for 19 years under the leadership of co-founder Patrick Rickon and his dedicated staff of empowered Nicaraguan women, men and students. As expected we adventured over rolling mountains to visit prospective villages for several new projects, meeting with inspiring teachers and community leaders each new day. Through interviews and attending village meetings, it became abundantly clear that SOL has been incredibly effective in spreading true education to all ages through their community centers, schools and vocational courses.

Please check out Seeds of Learning and stay tuned for future developments about new schools, volunteer work groups and sister school programming through this exciting partnership.

-AB

SOL co-founder Patrick Rickon, PoP founder Adam Braun, and the children of Aguas Frias

PoP was founded in October of 2008, with the simple ambition of finding a way to build just a single school. That was it. I was about to turn 25 years old, so I put $25 into a new PoP bank account and we were off. The goal was to throw two small fundraisers with my closest friends in NYC, and turn that multitude of small donations into a school for a community of tremendous need. So one year later, where do we stand?

-Our first school is completed in Pha Theung, Laos providing electricity, running water and preschool education for a village that previously lacked each of these for their school children

-We have nearly completed construction on our 2^nd and 3^rd schools in Phayong, Laos

-Our dedicated team has grown to over 100 volunteers across the country

-The NYC Summer Associate program hired students from Harvard, UPenn, Northwestern and NYU

-The PoP Fellowship has placed our first fellow in Nepal with partner organization Seto Guruns

-We have received more than 3,000 unique donations totaling approximately $125,000+

How did this happen? It has happened through dedicated young people seeking fulfillment, and finding it through their involvement in Pencils of Promise. I am one of those people, as is our entire team. This organization has always belonged to every single one of its contributors, and those that take active ownership have now accomplished much more than we ever expected possible in just one year. We profoundly believe in this mission, this approach, and our shared ability to empower education for others. I am so proud of what we’ve done together in this first year, but I’m even more excited about the prospect of what is to come.

-AB