Schools 4 Schools Success Stories
Elephant Thoughts and SchoolBOX Inc:
“Schools 4 Schools has empowered thousands of children to reach out to their peers half a world away. It has inspired both compassion and action in Ontario students and led to concrete results overseas. SchoolBOX and its partner schools in Nicaragua have benefited from over $12,000 in funding from this incredible program.”
-Thomas Affleck, President, SchoolBOX
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is a small country located in Central America. Despite the beauty of the country and its people, Nicaragua is extremely poor and suffers from a very low literacy rate. In fact, 4 out of 10 Nicaraguan children do not reach grade 5.
Educational Packages include notebooks, pencils, an eraser, and a pencil sharpener.
So many children in Nicaragua are in danger of dropping out of school because they can not afford to be there. School supplies are considered to be a luxury by many parents who struggle to provide their children with enough to eat. Each year, SchoolBOX provides children with educational packages–a simple gift that goes a long, long way!
The Schools 4 Schools program provided:
- Educational packages for 1000 students
Emmanuel School
Education is a luxury for the students at the Emmanuel School. Located in the heart of one of the poorest neighbourhoods in the Americas, the school works hard to provide over 100 impoverished children with a basic education. It is a light in a community that has so little. But there is very little space so the younger students attend class in the morning and the older ones in the afternoon.
The Schools 4 Schools program provided:
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A new wall dividing the playground from the river
- 4 airtight barrels to prevent rodents from getting into students’ food, stored on site
Juntos Contigo Educational Center
In the Nicaraguan Capital City of Managua there is an entire community that lives in a dump. They make a living by sorting through the garbage and finding material to sell. Thankfully, the kids that live in the dump have a safe place to escape to each morning–the Juntos Contigo Educational Center. At school, students are provided with a tasty breakfast. Together, they learn to read and write and escape some of the dangers in the dump.
The Schools 4 Schools program provided:
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A new septic tank
- Computer upgrades for 6 computers
- A Teacher’s salary for a half year
San Santiago School
- Inside San Santiago School
In 1942, the community living on the south end of Big Corn Island, located off of the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua, built this primary school. The school was alive with activity from Monday through Friday as children from all over the island came to study. However, in 1988, the San Santiago School was completely destroyed by a deadly hurricane. In addition to destroying the school’s classroom buildings, the storm leveled the school’s library. Nearly 20 years later, SchoolBOX has rebuilt their library. But it takes more than walls…
The Schools 4 Schools program provided:
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New desks and chairs for their new library
Jezreel School
The Jezreel School serves one of the newest, and poorest squatter neighbourhoods in Central America. Located deep within the La Primavera zone in Managua, this small school works very hard to serve 120 primary students. The Jezreel School has been moved into a newer building that has sufficient space for the enthusiastic young students. However, the school is still in need of a few essentials.
The Schools 4 Schools program provided:
- 5 ceiling fans to help students and teachers cope with the region’s nearly year-round intense heat
- New wiring for the school’s outdated electrical system, a potential fire hazard
Elephant Thoughts in Tanzania
Tanzania is a small country with a huge population. With only 50% of its children enrolled in school, Tanzania has immense challenges when it comes to education. In 2008, Elephant Thoughts began building relationships in Tanzania for future assistance.
Maua Primary School
- New desks for Maua students
The Schools 4 Schools program has helped provide:
- Annual School Rent
- School Supplies
- Desks and Chairs
- Teachers’ salary for a year
- Teachers assistant’s salary for a year
- Sports and Play Equipment
Lower Moshi School
A group of students and their teacher at Lower Moshi
Lower Moshi School is located near the base of Mount Kilimanjaro. In this region a student’s oral and written language skills have to be top quality to receive a job in the tourism-based economy. Without such skills, people end up working in the fields–a difficult, very low paying and unstable way to make a living.
The Schools 4 Schools program has helped provide:
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School Supplies
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Sports and play equipment
Elephant Thoughts in Inida
Elephant Thoughts has been working in Mirik, India since 2002. Mirik is located on the Eastern edge of the Himalayas in the State of West Bengal.Life in Mirik is hard. Many families are impoverished, surviving on subsistence farming. Tea picking is the main industry in the area and reliable employment is a challenge. Many families live in undesirable housing conditions, with no running water or electricity
Green Hill (1) English School
Green Hill English Academy was built in a region which was in desperate need of a school. Before Green Hill, there was little opportunity for kids to attend school in these hills, so many didn’t. Taking full advantage of their new opportunity, students hike for hours through the mountains to get here.
The Schools 4 Schools program helped provide:
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A safe new set of stairs
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A computer
These old stairs need to be replaced.
This set of stairs is much safer.Staff learning about their new computer.
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A new computer
Mirik Elephant Thoughts Committee members work with the principal to set up the computer.
New windows and paint for this classroom.
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A thorough renovation including new windows, floor repairs, a dividing wall, a new ceiling and paint all around
