Rotary in Granada

These pictures were taken at a school in a small village, Pantanal, which is near Granada. The School, Escuela Jose de la Cruz Mena, was constructed with the help of the Rotary Club in Granada. Students from our school, Casa Xalteva, visited there this week to see how the school is coming along. Students from the school, along with the director of Casa Xalteva, Juan Carlos, (in pic-left, with teacher, Sergio)plan to return to the school to donate school supplies for the students. The director gave us a tour and told us that the school has students from preschool to 6th grade. Most of the students live in close proximity to the school, and more than half of the students finish the program. She said that many students move to another village and have to switch schools. They have a small library in the building that they are trying to get stocked, and they are hoping to get a small air conditioning unit because it is very hot. Next to the library was a sewing room with women at work on the machines, sewing clothing to sell. They had cute pajamas and other clothing. Having machines donated and learning how to sew helps the community to prosper and supports their economic growth. There is also a medical clinic in Pantanal, which was constructed with the support of a Rotary Club from Boston and Rotary of Granada. The Rotarians from Boston are arriving next week, and I look forward to meeting them and to going to the clinic with them. Thank you Rotary for all of the beautiful work that you do here! Because of you, many children are learning to read and many families can have their health care needs taken care of. Your support has made a tremendous difference in the lives of people here in Nicaragua.