The Power of Collaboration—Escuela Velasquitos
Following our 2022 success renovating two rural schools, in 2024 the foundation funded the renovation of Escuela Velasquitos, a very humble, remote school located between La Democracia and Santa Lucia Cotzulmalguapa. Seventeen teachers serve 475 students from pre-kinder through 9th grade. Among the long list of improvements the school needed were new bathrooms for students, handwashing stations, a septic system, electrical rewiring, a new classroom, to name just a handful. Before work was started, a letter of understanding was drawn up in which the director, teachers, and parent body committed to maintain the school once the renovation was completed.
Velasquitos classrooms were rewired and got new lighting and new flooring.
The project represented collaboration at its best:
The Pantaleon Foundation made an $87,000 grant for the cost of renovations.
Fundación Pantaleon managed the project, funded landscaping, and provided desks, blackboards and other furniture.
The civil engineering department at Pantaleon provided the scope of work and technical oversight.
The municipalities of La Democracia and Santa Lucia Cotzulmalguapa supplied landscaping and construction supplies.
The Ministry of Education funded the remodeling of the kitchen.
And the parents and members of the community provided plants for landscaping and 5 days of volunteer work.
Parents helping with the landscaping.
The result is a vibrant place of learning with not only a new classroom and bathrooms and a but also a brand-new sports court, walkways between the school buildings, a secure perimeter wall, a new kitchen, and more.
The sports court was refurbished and painted.
