Students in the community could not afford transportation to the nearest high school. The community came together and built a basic school on donated land for high school age students and were able to get teachers assigned there. The school contained three classrooms with open walls, unpaved floors, and no bathroom. This made it very difficult for girls to attend school (boys were more comfortable with the woods) and class could not be held when it rained. Ruben and his team constructed an outhouse, have poured floors, and are currently building exterior walls.
In 2011 a fourth classroom was finished. The foundation had been built earliar but there was not enough money to build the roof, walls, or floor. Also in 2011, a concrete floor was poured in the third classroom.
Goals include:
In 2011 supplies such as pastels, drawing paper, crayons, and colored pencils were collected by students from the Green MEadow Waldorf School.
In 2010 GRACE Cares and Phi ALpha Delta at Fordham Law School collected art supplies and funds to purchase more in the DR to start an art proram for children in the elementary school.
In 2008 shoes were collected.
In 2007 Pi Lambda Phi at UNC collected school supplies.
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For more info on Hearts DR and their other projects please see www.heartsdr.com.