Ometepe Bilingual School - Newsletter Summer 2013.

Did You Know?

In Nicaragua, only 2% of our children finish high school and 62% do not even reach fifth grade! As a result, 30% of the population is illiterate or semi-literate.

So What Have We Done?

During the last five years we have facilitated the collection of more than 18,000 plastic trash-filled water bottles with a total combined weight of more than 3 tons! These bottles are being used in the construction of our first school building. We started construction in 2012 and have invested almost $10,000 of our profits in building construction, food for students, and the teacher's salaries.

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What Is Our Goal?

Our goal is to provide bilingual education on Ometepe that holds to International standards. This is critical, as currently 75% of the tourism industry businesses are foreign owned and operated. The bilingual Nicaraguans our school produces will become the future leaders that will enable Nicaragua to reclaim ownership of our tourist infrastructure.

How Are We Achieving it?

By building an eco-friendly school in Merida! Our school, when complete, will have 72 students, aged 5-12. We plan to build seven classrooms housed in four buildings that will have space for 12 children. The school will be part of the public educational system in Nicaragua and there will be no charge for food, supplies or tuition. What is so unique about this particular project is that 40% of the school’s architecture is utilizing non-recyclable trash: the foundation, walls, tables, and chairs are all constructed from 1.5 liter trash-filled plastic bottles surrounded by concrete. When complete, the first two classrooms buildings will have safely reused over three tons of garbage collected from the Island and 18,000 bottles!

Welcome to Our Island!

On only the bus or taxi ride to Hacienda Merida, you’ve probably noticed that here on Ometepe, and Nicaragua as a whole, litter throughout our cities and countryside is a major problem. We wanted to help create a solution to this issue, but we believe...

Sustainability Goes Beyond Simply the Environment.

At Hacienda Merida our goal was to create a project that is sustainable for the environment and our community, with a long life-cycle and far reach. So we created a unique multifaceted project that can be duplicated anywhere in the world!

The Sustainable Table!

[pic 4]What is The Sustainable Table?

A durable outdoor table and 8 seats, where 50% of the materials are used bottles filled with trash.

For visitors to the hostel, this means the knowledge that garbage created during your stay is dealt with conscientiously. For local students, a chance to participate in the construction and learn about environmental stewardship. For local schools, a free outdoor table. For our community, we offer $0.22 for each bottle filled with garbage. This creates the motivation for people in the area to support their families while cleaning their community!

We’re Awarded Top Prize!

In 2009, Hacienda Merida was awarded the Jaime Incer Barquero National Prize

for Innovation and Human Development. The contest, run by the Nicaraguan Science and Technology Council and supported by the UN, rewarded the creation and implementation of sustainable, social and environmental projects that have the potential to be replicated by others.

Want to Learn More?

Ask our staff for more information anytime about The Ometepe Bilingual School or The Sustainable Table. Free tours available of projects available!