The teachers in the primary school there ride in and out on a pickup truck every day. The majority of families rely on agriculture for survival, and economic resources are scarce.

“Honestly, we often feel like we are forgotten here in this community [because we are so far away],” said Santos Ambrosio Cabrera, a grandmother in El Tineco.

Since World Renew’s partner organization, Vid y Pampanos, started working in El Tineco, the community has experienced changes report some of the women who live there.

“We’re so thankful for the work of our brothers and sisters from World Renew and Vid y Pampanos,” said Gumercinda Lopez, another grandmother in the community. “If it weren’t for them, we would have continued feeling forgotten. They’ve helped us a little bit and for us it has had huge value.”

Starting in 2012, Vid y Pampanos, World Renew, and El Tineco started the process for a global partnership with a church from Minnesota, Pease CRC. Every year since then, a team from Pease has come to visit the community of El Tineco, building relationships, encouraging the teachers, and handing out a few school supplies to the students.

Each student receives three notebooks, some pencils, and an eraser – a gift which, though small, has had a big impact on the community over the past few years and has motivated the students in their studies, according to Maria Cristina Lopez, the school’s director.

“Looking at the economic situation of the parents of these kids, sometimes they don’t have any extra money and the gift of these notebooks is really useful because it lets their kids be able to work at school. In some cases, kids initially weren’t able to come to study, but they received the notebooks and then they come to study in the school,” said Lopez.

Encouraging students to attend classes is no small feat. In the community of El Tineco, many parents aren’t motivated to send their children to school, as some of the school teachers explained.

“For us, the biggest challenge is that many parents don’t understand the importance of education for their children. Every year for the past three years, my fellow teacher and I have gone door to door and talked to the parents, trying to convince them to send their children to school. In a few cases, we even offer to pay for all of the school supplies ourselves, including a backpack, just so that the child will be able to come to school,” said Mirna Raquel Bolaños, a kindergarten teacher at the school.

Elvira Agustin Ambrosio, who has a son in the school, emphasizes the encouragement and economic help the notebooks have given her over the past few years.

“Though it seems like something so small, these notebooks have been a blessing for us. It helps the kids be motivated to learn, and in some families, where there are three or four kids, it’s hard for the parents to pay for all the school supplies. We’re so thankful for this help, and to our brothers and sisters from Pease for always visiting us.”

Over the past few years, Pease also partnered in funding two classrooms in El Tineco. In the case of the classroom built in 2017, Pease provided 60% of the funds, with El Tineco contributing the other 40%. Pease CRC has also donated some books to the school, which both the teachers and parents mentioned in gratitude.

“We’re so thankful to God for touching the hearts of those who visit us. We’re thankful for our two classrooms and for the partnership we have,” said Doña Santos, who has three grandchildren in the school. “We send God’s blessings to those who have helped us, and now we’re dreaming of adding a middle school in our community as well.”