Pencils of Promise

Agua Fría Preschool (Nicaragua)

Open: April 2011

The community of Agua Fría, also known as Mount Sinai, sits at the end of an 18km dirt road connecting this relocated community to the closest town of Ciudad Dario.

In 1998, Hurricane Mitch swept through Central America laying a path of devastation across the middle Americas.  The deadliest Atlantic hurricane of the past 200 years forced the community of Agua Fria to resettle as the flood waters threatened their original location.  The village has been reestablished some 3-4 km away from its original location.

Since resettling, the 61-family community has worked hard to rebuild their homes and reestablish basic infrastructure. Despite their lack of water and resources, they have been able to unite and work collaboratively to rebuild. However, the old school still meets in its original location—now 3km away—a vulnerable location at the base of an unstable hillside. As a result, many of the 63 children enrolled in school do not attend regularly due to poor conditions and a difficult walk up and down the hill to the old school.

In 2010, Pencils of Promise partnered with a local organization, Seeds of Learning, to rebuild the primary school within Agua Fría’s relocated community and add a new preschool as well. The entire community pitched in, with volunteer participation from men, women and children. Many of the younger members were able to learn valuable construction skills they’ll be able to use on future projects. The community is very grateful and proud of their new school— and so are we.

This project was completed through our partnership with Seeds of Learning.

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