Better Together / Mejores Juntos
Schooling a Village in Mexico
Educando un Pueblo en Mexico
 
 
 
BUILDING A SCHOOL 
 
Working together, the Silicon Valley Rainbow Rotary and FAMA hope to fulfill a dream of building a permanent, functioning school building, as well as providing supplies and equipment to operate the school. A local school will enhance the education level and opportunities of the children as well as adult residents. 

The Mexican government has hired a teacher and provided uniforms and textbooks. Initially, the school was started under a tarp with four poles but now is being held in an open brick building which is under temporary loan by one of the residents. FAMA has collected bilingual books and CD players, because the few books that were issued are old and tattered. Because of its proximity to the tourist area of Puerto Vallarta, learning English is a skill that will help the children in future employment when they become adults. 

The goal for this project is to build two classrooms, because the students range from preschool to middle school. The building would be done in phases as funds are raised. Phase #1 would be to build a concrete foundation for the two classrooms. Phase #2 would build the first room with concrete blocks, metal framing, and a temporary roof. Phase #3 would be to build the second room with a permanent roof. And Phase #4 would be to build a bathroom. 

Estimated costs and completion dates by phase:
Phase #1 Concrete Foundation, $1,500 by April 2021
Phase #2 First School Room, $9,300 by September 2021
Phase #3 2nd School Room, $10,000 by December 2021
Phase #4 Add Bathroom*, $2,000 by Spring 2022 

* Phase #4 would add the only bathroom in the village.
 
 
BACKGROUND 
 
The Silicon Valley Rainbow Rotary Club and the FAMA Foundation have joined forces to create a sustainable change internationally. Through collaboration the results are BETTER TOGETHER/ MEJORES JUNTOS. A component of Rotary club work is providing international service, while FAMA has a proven track record in improving the quality of life for underserved communities in Mexico. 

Currently FAMA is serving Rancho Graciano Sanchez, a small village in Cabo Corrientes, Jalisco, Mexico, which did not have a means of environmental or economic growth. The residents have land parcels where they have built single room homes from scavenged materials. FAMA has been helping the families to become self-sustainable by teaching them to become organic farmers, which aligns with the FAMA mission of supporting efforts for economic self-sustainability and personal growth. 

FAMA chose this village because of the resident's demonstrated, responsible work ethic. FAMA approaches projects in thirds: First, charitable donations from individuals allow FAMA to purchase required materials. Secondly, the Mexican government provides equipment and services required for the projects. And thirdly, the residents provide the labor to complete the projects. 

So far FAMA has coordinated projects that have brought both clean running water and more recently electricity to the village. The next big dream is to build a school in Rancho Graciano Sanchez, where there is none nor means to build one. The children of the village currently either walk two hours to the nearest school one day a week, or don't go at all. 

 
GET INVOLVED 
 
You can help us kick-start this project by donating to our Better Together Campaign. We hope to break ground with the concrete foundation for the school this Spring and open for the Fall 2021 school year. 

Donations from individuals and companies are tax-deductible. Checks should be made payable to Rotary District 5170 Foundation and reference to SVRainbow-FAMA. Please be sure to include your mailing address and we will mail you a record of receipt. 

Mailing Address: 
Renee Johnson, Club President 
Silicon Valley Rainbow Rotary 
580 Waite Ave, Sunnyvale, CA 94085 

Checks are preferred, to save a 3% service charge, but you may also donate using a credit card on the secure Silicon Valley Rainbow Rotary website: 
 
What your donation will pay for ...                                                                                 
$25 will pay for 16 concrete blocks 
$50 will pay for 3 square feet of the foundation 
$75 will pay for 1 /2 of a concrete countertop 
$100 will pay for 64 concrete blocks                                                                     
$250 will pay for 1 built in metal bookcase 
$500 will pay for 1 UV protection window 
$1000 will pay for 2 exterior double doors 
$1500 will pay for the complete foundation 
$2000 will pay for the first village bathroom