The Needs of Damian Carmona: Sayulita's Public Primary School

My son, Nathan Luis, started 4th grade this August in Sayulita at the local public primary school, Damian Carmona. When I attended my first parent meeting this year, it was hard for me to concentrate on what was being said. I was sitting in a metal desk so broken that it was scraping my legs, the windows were cracked, and there were pieces of glass missing. Sweat was dripping all over my body as 25-30 parents were crammed into a room with only one working fan. I could only imagine the poor children trying to learn and work in such conditions. The rest of the school was equally in disarray, and the lunchroom roof had a huge hole where branches had fallen through. There was extensive graffiti from vandalism over the summer vacation. The garbage (which had been bagged) was torn open by birds and was full of flies and bees. The electrical wiring of the entire school is faulty and severely in need of an overhaul.

The sight saddened me immensely. Sayulita is such a giving town, full of love and care, and to see a place dedicated to the education of its youth, seem so abandoned, was heartbreaking.

I know that there have been many donations made to the public schools, but I realized that often the help hasn’t been able to meet the actual need. As a local mother who can clearly see where the need is, I knew I could make a difference.

After getting the windows fixed and all broken glass removed in my son’s classroom, I met with Director Enrique to discuss the school’s most immediate needs. Desks were first on my list, and I still had the scratches on my legs to drive me. I was able to find a supplier with a good price, and posted on Sayulita People asking for sponsors for the desks. I was blown away by the response!

In just three days, we were able to raise enough funds to purchase 70 new desks for the primary school.

The new desks were ordered promptly, and they arrived Friday, even earlier then we expected! Yay!

We had a few extra donations and were able to purchase and install three laminas to fix the hole in the lunch area. Two AC Units were also donated to the school for the 4th grade class rooms. Chuy Rodriguez, the Delegado, and Oswaldo Vallejo, with Pro Sayulita, were able to get all the garbage removed.

Seeing the community come together for the children has really touched my heart. I am so inspired by all the donations and support. We have been able to raise enough funds for the next goal, building a dish washing area for the lunch room. The school has pledged to eliminate disposables and implement a recycle program. Next is a mural project to repaint the front wall that was vandalized over the summer. Also needed is an evaluation and correction of the electrical problems.

A huge thank you to everyone who has donated so far!

If you would like to help sponsor any of the above projects or help the primary school in other ways, please feel free to contact me here.