Construction of new school after hurricane destruction

In 2020, Honduras was hit by several devastating hurricanes. Directly during and after the tropical hurricanes, the team of the German-Honduran Society (DHG) devoted itself intensively to the Urraco region: In this region, the water was up to two metres high in some buildings - and soaked all the furniture and objects inside or buried them under mud. In another project, we are already raising funds for minor renovation work at schools in the region as well as for classroom equipment and didactic material.

The school "Ismenia Soriano de Medina" is located outside Urraco, in the small, destitute community of Veracruz. It is the only school in the village, but since the hurricanes it is hardly usable. Even before the hurricane devastation, there were structural defects; for example, the wooden classroom on the upper floor was eaten away by woodworms. The floods further damaged all the buildings, making it impossible to guarantee a safe learning environment for the approximately 100 children. In addition to the dilapidated main building, two other classrooms, the head office and the sanitary facilities are also in need of major renovation.

After lengthy consultations about the condition of both the building and the entire site, we have drawn up a plan in cooperation with the local community and contractors on site to rebuild the school. Our focus is on the new construction of the two-storey main building. The original layout is to be retained so that parts of the existing concrete structure can be preserved. A total of 4 classrooms are to be built here. The 2 rooms on the upper floor are particularly important. If there is another flood, they can be used as a shelter for the villagers.  

The village called Veracruz, where the Ismenia school is located, is the poorest in the very remote Urraco region. Veracruz can only be reached by a day's journey from the centre of the region, Urraco Pueblo. The community has no way of financing the project from its own resources. Therefore, the DHG is collecting money to rebuild the school including the infrastructure. The donations are used to buy the building materials and to pay a fair wage to the workers. The DHG is committed to sustainable development. This also means that we strive for long-term cooperation. We have already financed several projects in the Urraco region, but the Ismenia school is the largest construction site in this region. After successful implementation, we strive to continue to accompany and actively support the development of the communities of Urraco and Veracruz in the future.