Living in the Popoyo area of Nicaragua is wonderfully simple: be present in the moment, love life, and love others. It also comes with limitations. Being in a remote, rural area means resources are limited.

Most locals who are fortunate to have employment earn about $10 a day. Local children go to school half a day, and at the end of their schooling, they are lucky if they read at a third-grade level. There are not other options for schooling, except for Tola International School.

Our kids have flourished at Tola International School (TIS) and LOVE attending. It is a punishment when they cannot go! The school currently has 25 students ranging from Pre-K to 3rd grade. The students are a mix of expat and local nationalities. Many families have one local parent, and one Nicaraguan parent. Some families, like ours, have both expat parents, and some families are fully Nicaraguan.

Ben and I are excited to help this school grow, because as it does, so do the opportunities for all kids. Tola International School is a special place. Here are a few ways the school is unique:

TIS is entirely not-for-profit. Every cent paid by the parents or donated towards the school goes directly into the operation and upkeep of the school. This helps keep costs low, making the school economically accessible to more people.
We currently have three local students attending on scholarships. The scholarships are for students from the Tola community who demonstrate a love for learning and whose families have financial hardships. Providing a high quality education to children who live and grow in the local community instigates positive change in the poor rural communities in the Tola region.
TIS is the first and only bilingual school in the region, incorporating both Spanish and English languages.
We are a multicultural school with families currently from Lithuania, France, Poland, Israel, Chile, Uruguay, Italy, the United States, and Nicaragua. The families are involved, making it a community-centered education.
We incorporate Science, Technology, Reading, Writing, Engineering, Arts and Math, as well as music, sports, and emotional development into academics to provide a well-rounded education for our students.
The teachers are dedicated to serving the kids, who are at varying levels, and do a wonderful job differentiating instruction to meet their needs.
We are currently pursuing accreditation with the Ministry of Education of Nicaragua that will provide students with official documentation of their schooling.
TIS also provides a lunch program of home-cooked meals for a small monthly fee. This ensures our students receive a healthy, well-balanced meal each day, while also providing employment for a local woman who cooks and delivers the food.
We work with other organizations including CREA, a local library that offers extra curriculum and activities, as well as FunLimon, a foundation that offers TaeKwonDo to the students each week.

The school recently expanded to include our younger students, and our goal is to include older students and more local students. Currently, the school operates out of a local home of a Nicaraguan family. We are restricted in what we can do and how much we can grow because neither the land nor the building belong to the school. We are now operating near capacity!

In order to expand, the school needs its own land. In addition to having a bigger and proper school building, this would allow the school to fulfill its dreams of having a playground, a garden the students would tend, chickens the students would raise, a forest for exploring, and a soccer and baseball field that we could open to the community.

We have 1.7 acres of land available to us for the price of $23,200. We are very excited about procuring it! What can you do?

Make a donation
Share this link with friends and family
Sponsor a local child to attend
Make a donation! 😃

Without money to purchase the land, we will not be able to proceed. Without a bigger building, we cannot add more kids! Once we surpass our goal of $23,200, all funds will go directly to begin building!

Imagine helping a child become fully literate in two languages - the doors that could open for them to truly have options in life. We aim to create a community of support for as many children in the Tola area as we can!

All donations are tax-deductible and collected through Missions of Grace, a US registered 501(c)3 non-governmental organization; they simply need to be designated for TIS at the time of donation. We would be so grateful for your contribution to the futures of these children. We look forward to continuing to grow our school and support our communities through education. Thank you for your support!

Build a Nica School with Us!

By Elisa Pool

Build a Nica School with Us!

Help us empower and educate rural students.