Tengo un Sueño | I Have a Dream

Tengo un Sueño supports 29 fifth and sixth grade students (“dreamers”) by providing an English teacher, two full-time community coordinators, uniforms, shoes, school supplies, along with 4 times a week English lessons and a warm lunch. The program is unique in scope. It is a 17-year agreement among parents, teachers, and organizers to nurture these children during their academic journey. It is currently in its 7^th year. The goal is to support each child and ensure that they get to secondary school and then college. This project is taking place at the Hermandad MaryKnoll Elementary School in the rural community of Chacraseca (5 km east of León). The cost per child for this project is currently $25 per month or $300 per year.

Hermandad MaryKnoll Secondary School

Another effort that we support in the struggle for quality education is Hermandad MaryKnoll Vespertino Secondary School. In 2010 in Chacraseca, there was just one secondary school for a population of about 1,000 students. Area families suggested that the facilities in the existing Maryknoll primary school could be used as a secondary school in the afternoon. But government officials said they could not fund the teachers. In order to open the school, FNEI has committed to pay for six teachers at a cost of $11,000 per year. In its first year, the school served 48 students. In 2014, that number grew to 150. In 2015, the school had its first graduation.