Pencils of Promise

Olominapa Primary School (Nicaragua)

Open: August 2011

The road to Olominapa was nearly destroyed by fallen rocks, trees and debris from the last strong rains, which damaged crops and limited access to the community.

Olominapa is located 26 kilometers south of Ciudad Dario, in the very furthest territorial limits of the region of Managua in the municipality of Tipitapa. This places Olominapa and many of its neighboring communities at a great distance from any regional or municipal seat, resulting in years of governmental neglect.  As we spoke more with the community they felt as if they had been essentially “forgotten” by all governmental institutions and NGOs alike. They didn’t seem bitter, but rather excited at the possibility of benefiting from positive development opportunities previously enjoyed by other nearby communities.

Olominapa is a small, impoverished community with a population of 140 inhabitants.  Much like the majority of the communities in this area, the community’s principal source of subsistence is agriculture (beans, corn and sorghum), and in some cases livestock (chickens, pigs and some cattle).  Much of the population commutes to Managua or other nearby towns to find steady work. Despite the lack of government assistance and economic opportunities in this area, there is an overall sense of commitment within the community to improving the quality of education.

The previously existing two-classroom school, which was originally built in the 70’s during the Somoza regime, was in such a state of disrepair that it no longer provided adequate conditions for a quality-learning environment.  All of the windows were broken, doors were missing, walls were stained and scuffed, school desks lacked seats and backs, and the floor, barely visible, was a broken and cracked concrete slab.  The overall structure of the school building was still intact, but without improvements would have been unrecoverable in just a few years.

The rehabilitation of the Olominapa School allows the community to reopen the doors of this school with dignity once again.  The repairs and refurbishment directly benefit the nearly 30 currently registered primary school students as well as serves many generations to come.  It is anticipated that intimately involving the community in the re-construction process will also result in a continued enthusiasm for further educational developments.

All projects in Nicaragua are conducted in partnership with Seeds of Learning.

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