REBUILDING SCHOOLS
Many Schools were damaged during the multiple September earthquakes in central and southern Mexico. Rural areas in Oaxaca, Chiapas, Morelos , Guerrero and Puebla were particularly hard hit. So were schools in Mexico City, especially in the southern part of the City. The Foundation is selecting schools that it can support in the process of rebuilding and of re-equipping them to be able to return to their normal activities.
Juchitán, Oaxaca
This small town in rural Oaxaca was hard hit by the earthquakes last September. The earthquake destroyed over 1000 homes, damaged the Clinic, collapsed half of the Town Hall , and affected the historical central church and the main market. In addition, several schools were seriously damaged, including the
Public Elementary known as the Escuela Juchitán. This school is the oldest in the town, being 79 yrs old. A star science teacher from the Peterson School´s Tlalpan Campus, Carlos Basurto, attended that Elementary in his childhood, and continues with strong ties with that community.
The Government is in the process of tearing down the school and plans to rebuild it promptly. However, there are very limited funds for equipping the same and to provide its students with the basic necessities to support their education. This is a very poor community, and the damage from the earthquake has made things even worse. Carlos recalls from his childhood that many of his fellow students would go barefoot to school. Therefore, there is a need to both equip the school, and to help provide its students with basic materials for their studies.
With the support of the Peterson Schools, we are putting together a shipment of used school furniture that has been made available due to the purchase of new furniture to ship to the town. Additionally, there is a drive underway among the Peterson Community to collect educational materials for these students. We need to cover the cost of shipping the furniture and materials to Juchitlán as well as have some funds to purchase some basic supplies for its students.
Please see the letter below requesting support.
