Hotel Cotopaxi Ecuador > Projects > Escuelita

Daycare "9 de Enero" @ Caspi - Showers & Lockers
Projects paid With Sostainable Tourism Money

(In memory of: Juan Baca)

We have been helping this little pre-school for years, but usually it has been with the "No begging - project" (which is a yearly project but it is not that expensive).

But, now we needed to get more money... "a lot more money" to help.

As you can see in the pictures, there are bathrooms and showers. But they are too open to the elements. And the outside temperature is between 40 - 50 degrees Fahrenheit. And there is no water heater.

So, imagine a 3 month old child getting a bath with that cold water.

Obviously, that doesn't happen. What they are doing, is using the kitchen area to shower the children. They get backets of water, and warm them up. And then use that water to bath the children. Since these method takes a long time. Not all the children get baths regulary.

And "talk about cross-contamination". A child showered in a Kitchen?
Well, that is ther warmest part of the building. So, it is very understandable.

Project

a) Rebuild bathrooms & showers adding locker area.	*- DONE.* Before my father died, he arranged for a builder to come in and make the modifications.
b) close all the air openings	- NOT DONE! The idea was to put a nice big window so we don't block the light. But, that was not cost effective. So, now we need "Techo Falso". * We have asked some hotels in the areas to donate. - Not luck with that. * We got quotes for a company and install the "false ceiling" and we got a quote of over $1000. * It is important that they use "acrilic" material as the ceiling. Natural Light is a must, since electricity sometimes is not an option.
b) Paint walls.	- NOT FINISHED * Some of them walls are painted.
c) Water heater	.- DONE. We already put a water heater. But for some reason it stopped working. In July 2010 - I took a technician to fix it. (that day is when I took some of the pictures of the children you can see)
c) Buy: * towels, * Floor Mats * soap holders, etc. -	Buying this things is not the problem. We have already bough some of the things. But, for us to "donate", we have to make a big party with all the town present. We are not doing this to get "credit" for the good job. But, instead with need to do that to "protect" our hard work. Sadly, small things that had been donated in the past have magically dissapeared. The only way that things don't dissapeared, is when "all the town" knows about all the things that had been donated. So, then "people" are accountable for the losses. If they are told that the kids can not shower at the pre-school because there are no towels... mothers will get mad, since they knew that the school just received a donation of towels. But, if they never know about the donation, then they will just say.... "well, what is one more week without a shower".