Pallet school project gives new life to Mazatlan neighbourhood
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LETHBRIDGE – A nearly three year long dream finally became a reality last week for Rotary groups in Lethbridge and Mazatlan, Mexico.
One of Mazatlan’s poorest neighbourhoods used to be serviced by a two-room schoolhouse for primary school-aged students. It was built out of salvaged materials, mostly pallets that were stacked on each other, and run by a staff of four volunteer teachers.
Kindergarten is not funded by the State of Sinaloa, which meant the community had to band together so children could receive the education they deserved.
The need for a new school was identified in 2014 after a group of Lethbridge Rotarians traveled to Mazatlan to drop off an arsenal of donated emergency vehicles and buses as part of the Los Amigos project. The Rotary Club of Lethbridge East wanted to help, but didn’t have the funds to do so.
However, the University of Lethbridge Rotaract Club could soon devote $36,500 to help build the Kinder Urbivilla del Real school after a pair of fundraising dinners and silent auctions. After hearing the news, the Rotary Club of Mazatlan got to work right away securing permits and construction began.
Since then, the Lethbridge East club got on board to help stock the new school with supplies.
The Kinder Urbivilla del Real school recently welcomed 200 students through its doors. It now features two buildings, six classrooms, a bathroom and an administrative office, with nine fully accredited and government-supported teachers.
But, Katie Wilson, U of L PhD student in chemistry and Rotaract member, noted that the Pallet School project opens up Mazatlan to many more future opportunities.
“We wanted it to be accredited by the government, so that it was recognized to allow the kids into grade one. Now, they also have a building they can use for community outreach. They want to bring in a dentist and a doctor, and they now have a modern facility to host things like that.”
