Light and Learning
Sector Education
Country Bolivia
Project Partner: CHOICE Humanitarian
In a nutshell:
At 13,000 feet above sea level, with no electricity or heating, the schools of the Altiplano, Bolivia feel more like ice boxes than places of learning. How do you transform a freezing school in Bolivia into a warm, cozy environment to foster increased learning?
For the last several years the CHOICE Humanitarian team in Bolivia has been implementing a new architectural style of schools where one entire wall is a greenhouse allowing light and passive solar heating into the classroom. 20% of the floor is left as soil where the children can grow a garden and learn hands-on about agriculture, environment and nutrition in addition to their standard curriculum giving the children a warm, green, learning-enhanced environment.
The schools are showing great results: significant increase in national examination scores, enhanced nutrition for the students, and dramatically better school attendance.
CHOICE Humanitarian has built several of these greenhouse schools but there are more communities who desperately desire this opportunity for their children. It will cost $13,074 to build the next school (complete with community greenhouse and water well) and CHOICE Humanitarian has already secured $10,574 to fund this project. Just $2500 more will provide the funds needed to begin and complete this project.

Ronald
Savannah
Kathleen
David
Rebecca
Alexis
Danielle
Amy