Rain, Rain, (Don’t) Go Away!

 

This week was momentous:  It started to rain!  So far we’ve only had a few sporadic downpours in the afternoon, but the rain makes such a big difference to the heat.  I even think I stopped sweating for a couple of minutes at one point! 

Rain..finally!

We also shook things up this week with a visitor!  An almost-HBS grad (commencement is in t-minus one week!) and one of PoP’s co-founders / board members made the trek down to Nicaragua to see what we’re all about.  We took her to a variety of the schools that we have built so she could see the work first hand. 

You may recall that a key part of PoP’s model is to involve the community in the build.  We expect between 15% and 20% of the project to be donated by community members.  Occasionally they are able to donate building materials, but most frequently they donate the labor to actually build the school.  It’s called “sweat equity” in the biz.  I’ve seen everyone from strapping young men to 80-something year old grandmothers to 5 year old kids helping out at a build site, and it is amazing to experience that kind of teamwork and solidarity. 

[I am now getting off of my metaphorical soapbox]

Below is our newest project at Sixto Sanchez.  We just broke ground a couple of weeks ago and the community members have made awesome progress laying the foundation and starting to set the rebar!  Below is a picture of us with the local team:

I’ve also included a couple of pics of the energetic students of Montegrande; those kids are awesome.

Water fight!

Montegrande Kids = Awesome

Welcome to Selva Negra

Path to our Cabin

Celebrity Guest on the Trail

Alas, only t-minus three weeks until I finish my time down here and head back to the US of A.  I have accomplished a lot but there is still more to do, so I’ll be working hard!  Don’t worry, though, I always have time to update you lovely, anonymous blog readers on my shenanigans.  Check back!