Las Pilas Middle School, La Paz, Honduras

The municipality of Chinacla in the department of La Paz is home to the Lenca community, an indigenous people of south western Honduras and eastern El Salvador. Many families face social and economic hardship, indeed in some communities 42% of households live on less than $1 a day.

Las Pilas school project was a Costa Foundation enhancement of an existing school in a rural area where many school buildings are literally disintegrating. Before our investment classrooms were unsafe, toilets were dangerously unhygienic and roofs were leaking. All in all the environment did not attract young people or make them want to embrace education. 

Following the Costa Foundation investment 8 classrooms have been refurbished, a computer room and toilet block have been built and new furniture, learning aids and computers have been supplied.

One of the Costa Foundation trustees joined the celebrations of the school opening on Friday 9^th September 2016 and was genuinely impressed with the new facilities, but especially by the attitude of the children who proudly showed her around the new facilities room by room. She was also treated to some joyful singing and dancing by the students before cutting the ceremonial ribbon.

Emily, one of the students at the school said “Thank you for supporting this school. In the beginning we didn’t have any chairs, we were uncomfortable and some children said they were going to leave. Now we are proud and it is a nice place to learn and my classmates say they are not leaving. It is now also a place for visits, from the UK!”

Click here for a video of the school opening in 2016