M ATA DE C AN A , N ICAR AGUA

School # 387

THANK YOU for sponsoring the buildOn school in Mata de Caña, Nicaragua. Since 1992,
buildOn has overseen the construction of 364 schools in rural communities of developing
countries around the world. Your school will provide education that will open the door to literacy
and hope for the children and adults of Mata de Caña!

schools built: 364 MATA DE CANA COMMUNITY PROFILE

hours served: 696,366
The community of Mata de Caña was founded in
lives touched: 1,323,469
1982. The founding families of Mata de Caña left
their old farms to start a new life in a community
buildOn NICARAGUA close to a major road.

Nicaragua schools: 56 schools Mata de Caña is located in the department of

Current impact area: Chinandega
Chinandega. The community is 216 km from the
buildOn office in Estelí and 17 km from the nearest
town, Villa Nueva. It has a population of 226 and
there are 38 houses in the community, most made of
wood, bricks and other local materials. There is no
electricity, but there is cell phone reception.

The climate in Mata de Caña is tropical and the

primary activity is agriculture. Farms surround the
community where residents grow corn and beans.

CURRENT SCHOOL CONDITIONS

number of students: 101

Why we work in Nicaragua:
●the United Nations Human
Development Index- a comparative
measure of life expectancy, literacy,
education and standard of living- ranks
Nicaragua second to last amongst all the
countries in the Americas
● only 50% of children in Nicaragua
currently complete primary school
number of classrooms: 0
grade levels: preschool – grade 6
number of teachers: 2
With regards to basic infrastructure, there are no
permanent classrooms in the community. Some
students are currently using an evangelical church as
a classroom, but parents and community members
are eager to work with buildOn to construct their first
permanent school building. There are 67 students
enrolled in primary school and 34 students in
preschool. There are 2 government teachers
teaching preschool and grades 1-6.
YOUR SCHOOL PROJECT:
Field Coordinator: Jose Luis Izquierdo
Construction is scheduled to begin in Mata de Caña in late October and should be completed in
10 weeks. The new school building will have 2 classrooms and be made of cinderblocks with a
metal roof. A latrine will be build adjacent to the school.
Community Contribution
• Unskilled labor: 12 workers (6 men and 6 women) per day, six days per week
• The land on which the school will be built
• High quality local materials: sand, gravel, water & rocks
• Project management: a committee made up of 12 villagers (six men, six women)
• Lodging for buildOn team: Field Coordinator and skilled laborers
• Basic construction tools (shovels, picks, wheelbarrows, buckets, etc.)
• Commitment to educating boys and girls equally.
buildOn Contribution
• Construction materials (excluding local materials) for school and latrine
• Skilled labor and plans needed to build the school
• Project management (buildOn coordinators)
• Instruction in basic construction techniques
• Maintenance fund to supply and maintain the finished school building

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!