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In the past few years, the value placed on an education here in Tortuguero has been increasing, and as a result the student population in all institutions of learning is really booming.  We are proud of our education, and we are working hard to sustain it and to obtain the resources we need to better ourselves. 

Many tourists see the needs we still have and want to help; they just don’t know where to start.  The following briefly describes our current situation and some ideas of how you could help.  Cash, checks, or in-kind donations can be made directly with the institution you wish to assist.  For more information, feel free to visit any of these organizations you wish (see map below).  You can also speak with any of the contact people listed below for the individual institutions, or contact:

Peace Corps Volunteers (Dustin and Jenni Stucki) #(506) 709-8050
dustinstucki@gmail.com or jmstucki@gmail.com

Thank you for your interest!

Preschool (CEN-CINAI)
(Colorful building located next to the playground and behind Supermarket Ever)

• One teacher, approximately 25 children between the ages of 2 and 5
• Program also provides nutritious meals and milk for children from low-income families

Current Needs: Items to enrich the quality of education offered, such as age-appropriate toys, games, art supplies, puppets, old dress-up clothing, science activities for young children, story books (Spanish and/or English), audio-visual materials, etc. 

Contact person: Sara Mora at La Casona #(506) 709-8092

 
Preschool children with their teacher, mothers, and women volunteers

Elementary School
(located just east of the dock with the big birds behind the pink souvenir shop)

• 5 teachers and 1 director for approximately 110 children in 9 classes from kindergarten to sixth grade. 4 functioning classrooms, two badly in need of repair, and a cafeteria.
• Due to lack of teachers, classroom space and desks, younger children attend school during the morning and older children during the afternoon, and vice versa depending on the week.  Teachers each teach 2 classes.

Current Needs: Construction materials (e.g. roofing, cement) to repair deteriorating classrooms, desks and chairs, didactic materials (e.g. books (especially in Spanish), paper, glue, scissors, calculators, dictionaries, posters for the walls, a small white or blackboard, etc.), technology (they do not have any computers for the children to learn on), recreational materials (e.g. soccer balls, jump ropes, games), etc.

Contact person: Don Manuel, school director # (506) 709-8103

   
First grade class; Elementary school students in uniform

High School
(Located a 10-15 minute walk across town, see map)

• 5 teachers, 53 students in grades 7-11.  Last year was the first year we had an 11^th grade, and in December Tortuguero High School proudly awarded diplomas to the first 3 high school graduates in the history of the village.
• Thanks to the amazing generosity of local organizations, tourists like yourself, and foreign organizations, we are currently in the process of building a high school to accommodate our needs and the expected growth in matriculation over the next few years.  It will have 5 classrooms, an amphitheater, an office, a library, a computer lab (also available for use to members of the community), and a small soccer/beach volleyball field.

Current Needs: Books to fill the library (e.g. reference books in Spanish, literature, children’s books (in Spanish and/or English), etc.), computer programs (e.g. educational and/or games), an internet connection to teach our students and community members how to use the world wide web, cement and/or roofing to finish pathways and amphitheater of high school building and/or to build a cafeteria, lighted walkways, etc.

Contact person: Edwin Arrones.

8th grade class in the new library; Graduating class of 2007 getting a lesson in field biology

Adult Education (CINDEA)
(Located on the same campus as the elementary school (behind the dock with the big birds), next to the beach)

• 2 teachers for approximately 40 students.  2 classrooms borrowed from the elementary school, one of which is nearly finished, and the other of which is in unusable condition (it doesn’t even have a roof)
• Some students meet during the day, while others meet in the evenings (mostly adults who didn’t finish school as youth, many of them now have many children of their own to take care of-it’s a big commitment of both time and money).

Current Needs: Construction materials to finish their current classroom and repair the other, desks and chairs, didactic materials (including books, dictionaries, etc.), contributions toward a scholarship program for students (especially parents) with financial needs, etc.

Contact person: Milton, program coordinator and teacher

    
Classroom in disrepair; CINDEA students studying

Map
(Click on the map to see a larger version)