Part 3: Repairing the School Building

The school building, as previously mentioned in the video, had several problems. It hadn’t been painted in many years, the roof leaked terribly every time it rained, and the school was in bad shape in general.

The teachers and I both understood that the condition of the building could negatively affect the psyche of the students. We knew that significant improvements would immediately improve attitudes and discipline by giving them a happier place to study every day.

First, we thought about how we wanted the school to look after the renovation. We wanted a mural on the side of the school; the shield of Nuestra Señora del Rosario; a Colombian flag; the name of the school; a portrait of the namesake of the school, Andrés Escobar (1967-1994); and an inspirational quote. It was important to have a portrait of Escobar, a Colombian footballer who was brutally murdered in Medellín after scoring an own-goal in the 1994 World Cup in the United States.

We contracted a painter, Saul, to design the mural for the side of the building and to paint the designs we needed. He gave us an incredible offer knowing our funding situation. He basically cut his price in half and gave us the mural for free while we had to cover the cost of supplies. This allowed us to stay well under budget and do even more things for the school.

Interior

The first part completed was the interior:

Damaged Roof

We also talked to a carpenter to fix the damaged roof. He was so inspired by the project that he offered his services for basically nothing but supplies.

Exterior

Saul worked tirelessly and finished the exterior after a few weeks. When it was done, the community and mayor called it “the most beautiful school in Belén de Umbría”. It went from another drab building in a rough neighborhood to drawing people to the area just to see the new look. Here are the before and after photos:

The following photos are some of the details of the school, including the shield, portrait of Andrés Escobar, and the very appropriate quote by Nelson Mandela:

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”:

The mural instantly beautified the school and the entire neighborhood:

A Contract with the Students

The finishing touches on the school were saved for last. We decided that the Colombian flag should be made of handprints of the students. Marisol told them that by putting their handprint on the flag, they were signing a contract to take care of the school, study hard, respect the other students, and to be honest at all times. All of the students took it seriously and faithfully agreed. During the last hour of class, we had each student and teacher put their handprint on the flag.

September 2, 2016: Update on Other Issues

We’ve been able to do a few more things for the school in Belén de Umbría since beginning the project in March. Once the construction finished and supplies were handed out to the students, we decided to look at the smaller issues affecting the school.

Computer Repair

First of all, we hired a technician to clean and fix the computers in the school. All 15 computers are over 10 years old and have been having serious issues. Five of them were completely dead. The tech was able to fix a few of the dead ones. He also installed new educational programs on all of the working computers. This was done over a long weekend in May.

Printing Allowance

Since the teachers have to pay for copies and printing out of pocket, we decided to create an account at a local stationary store for the teachers. The COP$100,000 lasted through August, which is almost ⅔ of the school year. They were able to print appropriate material for each class without having to budget or force students to share printouts.

Welcome Reception

There was a reception for the parents and guardians of the students to introduce them to the new and improved Andrés Escobar School. They were given an explanation on how we raised the money, where the money was spent, and why it was done. They were all very grateful for the project and were happy with the results.

Children’s Day

We decided to have a pizza party for the students for Children’s Day. We had a few pizzas delivered and bought some soda and snacks. They were surprised by the party and had a great time.

Tablet for a Deaf Student

A deaf student transferred to the school in April. She was having a very difficult time communicating in her previous school because nobody knew sign language, and this was causing behavioral problems as well.

When she arrived at our school, the teachers immediately made her feel welcome. The other students began to learn some basic sign language to communicate with her, and the decision was made to purchase a tablet for her.

With the tablet, the teachers are able to download lessons in sign language so she is able to learn the material with less difficulty. She’s much happier, she’s doing very well in every subject, and her behavior has been excellent.

TV Interview

Finally, we were featured on a local TV program for our work. The program ran 4 times and lasted 20 minutes. The students were interviewed and gave their thoughts on the project and how it affected their lives, and the teachers talked about the difficulties in the community and why they need as much support as possible. I was asked how and why the money was raised and where the donations came from. The filming was done during an entire school day and was on the air the next week.

Final Thoughts and Thanks

Marisol, Lina, and I would like to express a heartfelt thanks to every donor who made this project possible. In just over a month, you were able to completely make over a school and change the lives of 30 students.

Recapping Our Budget

To recap, we were able to renovate a school in a marginalized community in our hometown of Belén de Umbría. This is our budget and how the money was spent:

Donations

Here is a rundown of the donations (minus ~US$350 from Spain) and general expenses in US dollars:

Donations Collected                                                $1635.00
Go Fund Me fees                                                    $   137.25
Expenses to Date                                                    $1392.40

Available Funds                                                       $   105.35

Expenses

Here’s a breakdown of the expenses in Colombian pesos and US dollars. The approximate conversion to US dollars that we’ve been getting is $3,117.80 pesos per dollar:

School Supplies                                                $ 603,000     ($193.41)
Backpacks                                                        $ 781,000     ($250.50)
Printing and Copying                                         $ 248,000     ($   79.54)
Transport Supplies to School                             $    8,000      ($     2.57)
Lunches (first 2 weeks)                                      $ 104,000     ($   33.36)
Multi-Subject Teacher Books                             $ 200,000     ($   64.15)
Uniforms                                                            $ 389,000     ($ 124.77)
Painting Supplies                                               $ 338,250     ($108.49)
Painting Labor                                                   $ 850,000     ($272.63)
Roofing Supplies                                               $ 118,700     ($  38.07)
Roofing Labor                                                   $   84,000     ($  26.94)
Computer Supplies                                            $  39,000      ($ 12.51)
Computer Labor                                                $ 200,000     ($  64.15)
Tablet                                                                 $157,500      ($  52.39)
Children’s Day                                                   $112,500      ($  36.08)
Parent Conference                                             $102,400      ($ 32.84)

Total Expenses to Date                                    $4,335,350    ($1392.40)

Suggestions

What do you think we should do with remaining money? It may not look like much but it’s enough to do a whole lot in Colombia. I’ve listed a couple ideas below. What else can we do?

• Many of the balls and supplies used for physical education are in bad shape.
• We can have a party at the end of the school year for the students.

This is our story about helping a Colombian school in a marginalized community to enhance the education and overall well-being of its students.