Escuela Unidocente de Los Lagos, Guanacaste

While at EARTH, we were lucky enough to experience their celebration of the university "Earth siembra el futuro" - Earth plants the future. We watched a tree planting and participated in community service activities.

I was in a group that traveled to a local primary school called Los Lagos. This school has 47 students and spans six grades. Students there range from 4 to 12 years old, many of playing soccer while we were there.

The objective of our trip was to help paint the walls of their bathroom (some other students participated in created a trail near the school). We sanded the original paint from the walls and worked to cover the interior walls with white paint.

We were able to see the poor conditions this school existed in, as well as how much it contrasts with nearby schools that are well funded by the government. This school lacks basic supplies such as pencils, paper, scissors and glue. They need a security system to prevent thefts. The outside of the school is falling into dilapidation.

The good news is that Earth University is responding to their needs and is able to help with some of their problems. This was an eye-opening experience and one I'm sure not to forget soon.