Project status: Current
December 2008 saw the start of work at Santa Teresa's Primary School in Tucuru, Guatemala. This is an indigenous Mayan Indian community, steeped in over 650 years of history and very much at the heart of coffee growing. Currently, there are no school facilities in Tucuru, with children having to take lessons in a local community house using temporary furniture and taught by a teacher travelling from the nearest school, some 25 kms away. The Foundation is providing 6 new fully furnished classrooms; a communal activity room and new sanitation. The building is due for completion in August 2009.
Also, working in conjunction with Solidaridad, the Foundation is funding a social worker's salary for 3 years who will run a "life skills" programme for the entire community. This will include "ABC" lessons for the communities women, the first ever access to education for the adult women of Tucuru.
Two of the Costa Foundation trustees were fortunate enough to visit Tucuru in February 2009 to meet the people within the community and witness the early stages of building progress first hand.
