A bitter sweet update today – the Villa Japon School in Nicaragua will be receiving a newly constructed classroom; unfortunately it won’t be through Building Walls of Wisdom.

In short, the community of Tipitapa applied to multiple NGOs for the construction of their new school and, as it turns out, one of these NGOs had the existing funds available and has slated to start construction as soon as possible. This is something we have seen in other parts of the world, and is understandable given some of the broken promises communities like these have seen in the past. The community wanted to maximize their chances in getting their children into a new, safe building that is conducive for real learning; put in their position, I am sure we would all do the same.

The great thing to focus on is that this community is getting the school they so desperately need & we have the opportunity to help another equally-deserving community. With that, I invite you to visit the project page of our (now) current project; the school of Jardines de Apoyo.

Thanks to everyone who originally voted for the community of Tipitapa & the donations that have come in so far. Rest assured that all donated funds will now be going towards the school of Jardines de Apoyo.

Our founder, Geoff Morgan, reflects on our first four years of Building Walls of Wisdom as we look forward to the next four.

This year we celebrated Building Walls of Wisdom’s fourth anniversary in Northern Ghana visiting some of the communities we have supported through our school building projects. Reflecting on the experience and looking back at our four-year history here are the four things I have learned from the journey.

Composing an email four years ago outlining my dream of a world without poverty, a world in which every child could receive an education and sharing my plan to build schools was one of the most vulnerable experiences of my life.

Once I had sent the email to dozens of people I was left waiting feeling exposed and helpless having expressed some of my most intimate feelings in a very public way. With the first positive response came relief (at least I wasn’t alone) and then as my inbox began to fill I was soon amazed. Since those first few emails hundreds of individuals from all over the world have shared in my dream to eradicate poverty through the development of education.

Our time is limited and too many people leave us without sharing their dream. It is tragic to think about the books that go unwritten, the music that is never composed or sung, or the love stories that never begin because we are afraid to share what is inside us.

Growing up the images of poverty I was often exposed to consisted of African babies with distended stomachs and flies on their face. These hopeless scenes of desperation left me feeling disconnected and overwhelmed. I have to admit, I changed the channel.

In sharp contrast the time I have spent in AIDS clinics, refugee camps, orphanages and impoverished communities around the world has offered me a richer perspective of poverty. I have seen laughter, joy intelligence and hope in the eyes, words and actions of individuals living in some of the most difficult conditions on earth.

Most importantly I have seen myself in these individuals, our similarities and common humanity far outweighing our differences. With this recognition everything changes, the unfairness of it all really begins to sink in. The idea that our fate on this planet is a product of some sort of geographical lottery takes root. You begin to wrestle with the reality that something as random as your latitude and longitude will determine if you get clean water to drink, learn how to read and how long you will live.

In this moment of realization as these feelings begin to wash over you it becomes impossible to ignore this tremendous injustice. Outraged and defiled by your own wealth you feel compelled to act. Do something, anything.

We don’t need to quit our job, give away all our material possessions or travel to Africa and join a missionary to create more equality in the world. In reality there are very few examples of extraordinary accomplishments achieved by the actions of a single individual trying to do it all.

Instead change comes from adjusting our focus and expanding our circle of compassion to include the goodness of all humanity. The idea of universal happiness is such an alluring prospect, so consistent with our innate sense of right and wrong that we need to simply act on impulse to better the world.

Through the small actions of several hundred individuals Building Walls of Wisdom has been able to build classrooms for over 500 students since 2009.
Outside of some remarkable organizations that have overseen the construction of these schools none of us have made this our single focus in life. Rather the average person has made a relatively small investment ($100 dollars) into funding these projects.

With each contribution we have been able to change the trajectory of people’s lives and move closer to a world in which all humanity can afford freedom, basic living standards and an education.

Spending time visiting with individuals living in some of the most challenging conditions imaginable is a source of inspiration, gratitude and alters your perspective of what it means to be human.

Witnessing people walk kilometers for water, build homes with their own hands and cultivate food from arid soil gives you a sense of how much effort they need to devote to simply survive. These scenes unlock a tremendous feeling of gratitude for all the things we take for granted. This experience offers you a new lens to view the world and gives you some perspective the next time you have a “problem” or challenge to deal with.

Visiting the schools, seeing the children in class and hearing about the difference a new building and some desks have made awakens part of your soul. It is in these moments full of hope and inspiration that you believe with every fiber of who you are that this type of poverty is preventable. That your life has made some tangible difference, that the world is in some small way better because you were here and that together we can create a world that we are proud to live in.

Thank you to the entire Building Walls of Wisdom community it is exciting to think about all we have accomplished in just four years.

The 137 students and 4 teachers can now enjoy a new school facility that will ensure that all students are able to study in a safe and secure environment. The new school will result in more students staying in school and more parents sending their children to study.

A big thanks again to all of our contributors!

The Villa Japon School in Tipitapa, Nicaragua received the most votes and will be our 2nd project in Nicaragua. Once raised, funds will be used to build one classroom to help with the ever growing student population – currently they have over 225 students.

Building Walls of Wisdom understands the difficulty in selecting a project and appreciates the time spent by those who voted for either project. While the need for basic education is immense, we are happy to be taking on the challenge one classroom at a time. We would like to once again thank everyone for their enthusiasm in helping us select this project.

Continue lending your voice and help spread the word!

For a full project overview and to contribute to our 10th project, please follow this link.

Thanks again to all of those who helped make this happen!

Here are a couple of exciting points about the project:

• This school is being built both by local community members and some international volunteers, in this case from Canada
• Everyone is lending a hand! – children and community members are very helpful and are working daily on site to build up the school
• All children at the school were provided with educational supplies last week
• Because of overwhelming community support, we are ahead of our construction schedule!

Enjoy both the images & videos below!

Construction has started in the community of Yapala!

Start of Work
Work on the construction of a school block at Yapala begun with a warm reception by the chief of Yapala and his elders followed by a well-attended community meeting.

When the community was informed that people would be coming to start the moulding of blocks, they were eager to come out to assist in the work. Indeed, when they were told that the work was about to begin the next day, women of the community came out and provided water for the work.
The community came out in their numbers and to the surprise of local partner, they dug trenches for foundational works so fast that it was completed well ahead of shedule.

Progress/prospects of work
We are very optimistic that with the enthusiasm of the community and the willingness of the staff to get the project executed on schedule! Thanks again to everyone that contributed to this three school block & we look forward to bringing you more updates as the construction progresses.

I had the pleasure of being invited as an honoured guest by Building Walls of Wisdom‘s partner Free The Children to take part in this year’s We Day in Toronto.

I must say Craig and Marc Kielburger, the founding brothers of Free the Children, know how to put on one heck of a show! I heard from an amazing lineup of speakers including: Justin Trudeau, Martin Sheen, Spencer West, Al Gore, Roméo Dallaire & Molly Burke to name a few. They also had some really great musical performances by The Tenors, Shawn Desman, Hedley, Nelly Furtado, K’Naan & Jennifer Hudson.

The entire day was geared towards rallying the sold out and invitation only crowd that earned their way to We Day of mostly young people from all over Ontario at the Air Canada Centre to continue to be Change Agents and “Be The Change.”

My biggest motivator to continue making a difference and realizing that any problem in life can be overcome and any goal you set can be achieved came when I was listening to Spencer West. This man has been in a wheelchair since he was a youngster because he lost his legs due to a genetic disease when he was five years old. However, this hasn’t stopped him from achieving his goals and making a difference in the world. To prove that anything is possible, this man Redefined Possible by climbing Mount Kilimanjaro this past summer on his two hands! Most able bodied people can barely achieve this feat! On top of that … He also helped raise over half a million dollars for clean water projects in East Africa while doing it.

This encouragement was felt throughout the day and all those present realized that no matter how difficult the problems you face, you can overcome anything and that no matter how minor you may think your fundraising or awareness raising efforts are, the simple act of doing something in a positive light can make a HUGE impact in the world.

At Building Walls of Wisdom, we started just over 3 years ago with a simple goal to build 10 schools in 10 years to help eradicate poverty in the most impoverished areas of the world. In that short time, we have funded over 7 school projects thanks to numerous Contributors and a growing number BuildWoW Chapters who have helped make a lasting impact on hundreds of school children in Kenya, Ecuador, Sri Lanka and Ghana.

That being said, our work is not nearly complete. Each and every one of us can be a Change Agent and can make a difference in one way or another.

You can help us by:

• Donating any amount towards our next BuildWoW project in Nicaragua;
• Helping one of our BuildWoW Chapters by donating funds or time towards their efforts;
• Asking us how to start your own Chapter in your community;
• Simply spreading awareness by Liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter or LinkedIn and going the extra step by sharing, retweeting and commenting on our posts and efforts for all your friends to see!

How will you Be The Change?

We are elated to announce that fundraising on our largest project to date is complete!

In June 2011 we set out to help a community in Ghana build a 3-classroom school block. While we did experience some changes along the way, we are happy to report that a community in need will be getting a school that they deserve.

With over thirty two thousand dollars raised, we are humbled by the support of all of our contributors. These individuals and groups, that came together from around the world, raised awareness and funds in many different ways; bake sales, school projects, talks at camps, fasting competitions, handbag sales, and more. Thanks to everyone for their passion and drive for making a real difference.

Construction has already started and we will provide you with updates as it progresses.

Thank you all again for helping this deserving community of 680.