COLEGIO HOREB BUILDING PROJECT

Join WIND in strengthening the Cotzal community one child at a time.

WIND has identified that the most critical step toward making the most substantial and sustainable long-term difference in the community is improving access to a quality education.

In 2011, WIND partnered with the Christian school Colegio Horeb. The school was founded in 2007 by a local woman, Tabita Juana Toma de la Cruz, who understands the culture and complexity surrounding education in her community. By 2010 enrollment had dropped to only 28 students. The school was unable to pay teachers and was on the brink of closing.

WIND initially helped provide teachers with a small salary and basic materials (textbooks and desks). Over time we offered scholarships, started a feeding program for malnourished children, built wood burning stoves for the poorest families, and brought dental care to the area.

Today, only thirteen years later, there are 450 students receiving a high-quality education at Colegio Horeb. The school now offers education for preschool through ninth grade. The dedicated teaching staff has grown from five teachers in 2011 to 28 teachers today.

Colegio Horeb is limited in physical space.

They rent space around the community and hold classes in temporary classrooms, making teaching and learning difficult.

There is no common recess area for school activities, and the bathrooms are broken and filthy.

JOIN US IN MAKING A DIFFERENCE

WIND helped the school acquire three acres of property on a hill above Cotzal to construct a school campus to accommodate 700 students. A site plan has been developed for the property. The campus will provide over 33,000 sq. feet of educational space.

WIND’s plan for the school is to have:

classrooms for all grade levels on one campus
a large multipurpose building and kitchen (which can be rented out for future income)
a multi-sport recreational facility
functional, clean bathrooms (including the municipality’s first septic system!)
training centers for computer, science, library, carpentry, and other vocational skills
a medical clinic for exams and dental care
a caretaker home onsite, providing security for the school and a job for a local family
a large garden for agricultural and nutritional education, providing produce for the feeding program and additional school revenue

BUILDING PROJECT TIMELINE

PHASE 1 – Land Purchased – COMPLETED!

PHASE 2 – Land Development – COMPLETED!
Included site preparation, retention, roads, septic and water, soccer field, caretaker home.

PHASE 3 – Primary Classrooms & Multi-Sport Facility – $1,300,000 (2022-2025)
Includes classrooms for PreK-6, multi-sport facility, and kitchen.

TWO PRIMARY BUILDINGS COMPLETED!

PHASE 4 – Secondary Classrooms & Auxiliary Space – $730,000 (Future TBD)
Includes classrooms for grades 7-9, library/computer lab, vocational training center, health clinic, dormitory, and chapel.