Build a safe, healthy dining room and kitchen

We are David and Julie Fish, former Peace Corps volunteers in Chile and retired bilingual public school teachers from Central Coast of California. Exploring Oaxaca, we met a group of parents and teachers fundraising to build a 20x40 ft dining room and kitchen at their school. Visiting the school built mostly by efforts of their community of fishermen and farmers, they explained they started the school because the closest junior high meant their children would be traveling 2 hours daily to school. At lunchtime, a mother brings the daily meal for 45 students and teachers. Currently, the students eat in small groups standing or sitting on benches beside a road where their food gets contaminated by dust from passing vehicles resulting in intestinal illnesses. The parents want a dignified place for teachers and students to eat together meals prepared on campus away from the road.

We were overwhelmed with the strength and dedication of the Parent Committee and the loving atmosphere among teachers and students after 3 visits that we wanted to help. We travel to Oaxaca several times a year and will bring the Parent Committee 100% of all donations on our visit in April. They have calculated cost of labor at $5,197.00 and cost of materials at $4,675.

The parents have built 2 classrooms and an administrative office. The government built restrooms and one classroom and pays teachers’ salaries.

We are dedicated to help them because we have resources to share and they have less.