Colegio Amparo required a masterplan design of school buildings, a ministry house, a caretaker’s house, a dormitory and an open auditorium to serve children in the remote Mango community in eastern Nicaragua.

EMI plans were submitted in September 2019 and construction commenced in March 2020. Access to the site is difficult and many of the materials had to be brought in by boat or mule. The construction of the site was a whole community endeavour and provided locals with work as they constructed the buildings. Each of the 8m pillars of the auditorium were erected by 30 men using ropes and poles.

The school provides access to education to 166 students who come not only from the Mango community but also to those who live in surrounding communities where children as young as 4 years old travel up to 2 hours to and from school on foot and by boat. The dormitory buildings allow other students who live even further away to stay on site Monday – Saturday to receive an education. Additionally, the school runs on Saturdays for 50 older teenagers and adults so that they too can receive an education. The school quickly reached capacity and Amparo International are planning the next phase of works to include more classrooms, a multi-purpose court and a waste and potable water system as well as a solar energy system.