School Name: Trece de Abril (13th of April)
Orginally an all-girls middle school, Vilcabamba Elementary School (Trece de Abril) was changed recently to a co-ed elementary school for boys and girls grades 1 through 6 and accommodates about 200 students per school year. This school is in downtown Vilcabamba and is the recipient of most of the communities help with school equipment and supplies. Their needs are not as great as the other schools in the valley, however a steady flow of supplies and some more expensive, specific equipment is needed.
With the Andes Mountains as a backdrop, Trece de Abril provides a great environment for a good educational style. The students are required to wear uniforms but there is nothing uniform about their individual needs for better educational opportunities.
On our most recent mission trip, February 0f 2013, we provided a new digital projector for the school to use. We were treated to a classroom demonstration of how the equipment is used. Craig Keeland gave an encouraging talk to the students who assembled in the courtyard about their bright futures and gave them an aspiring dream to dream that one day one of them might be “The President of Ecuador!”
Equipment and Supplies Provided by the ACF:
- 4 Computers with monitors, keyboard & mouse
- 2 Printers & Ink Cartridges
- Copy Machine
- 2 Digital Projectors
- 2 Digital Cameras
- MicroSoft Office 10 & PhotoShop CS
- Learning center with 12 headsets
- Complete Spanish/English Translation CD set
- Extended internet connection to local area network
- Craft Supplies & Tools
- Teacher Training in computer skills at Loja
- 250 Lbs. of school supplies
- 1 Laptop Computer