“Viva la Biblioteca” at Escuela Guadalupe Ulloa

On a sunny Thursday morning in Honduras, a truck laden with the books and desks rumbled its way up through the Honduran coffee-farming countryside to the rural town of Trinidad. Far too big for the town’s narrow streets, the truck barely made it to the school’s entrance, where the carpenters and visiting educate. representatives were greeted by Guadalupe Ulloa’s director.

educate.’s connection with the Guadalupe Ulloa primary school in Trinidad, Honduras goes back to almost three years before we were founded. On August 4th, 2014, educate. co-founder Lisa van Holsteijn moved to Trinidad to work as an English teacher in 9 underfunded public schools in the area – among them, Guadalupe Ulloa.

“I have so many great memories from the time I spent working at Guadalupe Ulloa,” says Lisa. “Whenever Olivia (my project partner) and I would enter the school in the mornings, we would be greeted by the broadly smiling José Luis (the school’s director). I also remember being consistently inspired by the dedication shown by the teachers: despite being understaffed, overworked and lacking all forms of adequate teaching resources, they tirelessly brought a positive atmosphere to the school, working closely with the parents and the surrounding community to deliver the best education they could to their students.”

This summer, educate. supported the Guadalupe Ulloa community in starting their own primary school library, with 400 Spanish-language children’s books and a set of colourful, locally-made desks for the library space.

The school desks were designed and built by a team of local carpenters – Emidio Navarro, José Jacinto, Jorge Solorzano and Edwin Zaravia – in consultation with school director José Luis.

The books, collected by a group of inspired sixth grade students in a book drive at the International School of Panama in Panama City, were flown to Honduras in July.

The Guaymitas carpenters

The class at ISP who organised the book drive

When the truck, laden with books and precariously tied-down desks, arrived outside the orange-painted doors of Guadalupe Ulloa, José Luis greeted everyone with a firm handshake.

Jose Luis is a one-of-a-kind sort of man. He talks with passion about education, his hands waving in the air. “We believe that reading is the way – in the short, medium or long term – for children to discover their abilities,” he said in an interview for a video about the project. “A book can awaken a child’s imagination, and when the imagination awakens, that child begins to create.”

The 300+ students had prepared a selection of performances – including a short play, a song called ‘Viva la Biblioteca’ (Long Live the Library), and a music performance – as part of a whole-school celebration to inaugurate the library. As is the way in Honduras however, a power cut delayed the celebration for a solid hour, so the visiting educate. representatives spent some time visiting each classroom. Although Lisa was not able to be there, many of the older students remembered her, and were glad to hear that she remembered and missed them.

“The most touching memory I have from my time teaching at Guadalupe Ulloa is the secret celebration the school planned for us just before we left Honduras,” Lisa says. “That morning, Olivia and I entered the school’s gates and were immediately surprised at the fact that none of the children were wearing their usual blue and white uniforms – instead, they were immaculately dressed in beautiful traditional garments with their hair groomed as though for an important celebration. Soon enough, we were swept into the centre of the courtyard, and all the children came filing in, only to form countless rows in front of us. Then, to our amazement, the next hour was filled with one class after the next handing us carefully made gifts, singing, performing, and giving speeches.”

“I’ve been lucky enough to go back to the school a few times since I first left at the end of my year there, but it is has been such an incredible feeling to be able to work with the school on this project and to offer something in return. It’s a very special educational centre.”

The school facilities at Guadalupe were simple but well-taken care of, with careful touches such as a handwritten poster explaining how to recycle and signs telling students to “care for the forests, don’t destroy the planet.” José Luis explained that parents work hard to create a good learning environment for the students, despite lack of funding from the government.

After visiting all of the classrooms, the power finally returned and the celebration could begin. Students showcased their acting and singing, an after-school music class performed, and educate. members symbolically presented Jose Luis and the head of student council with one desk and one chair. After the conclusion of the ceremony, students were dismissed for the day, although many stayed to help carry the desks (carefully!) into the library, and educate. members helped the school library director to sort and shelve the books.

The library at Guadalupe Ulloa is part of educate.’s continued reach in the Trinidad area, along with our university scholarship programme. Guadalupe Ulloa and educate. are grateful for the support from the International School of Panama and from the team of carpenters, without whom this project would not have been possible. Stay tuned for more updates, as students in Trinidad explore the wonderful world of reading!

See the photos below of students enjoying their new desks and books at the Guadalupe Ulloa library!