La Buena Tierra: New Graduates and New Playground – Nov 2014

La Buena Tierra was started in Cuernavaca in 1999 as a preschool for children of very poor families who were entering first grade with no preparation. Next the mothers dreamed of a quality elementary school. The children had become excited about learning, but they became frustrated and lost interest in the poor under-funded and overcrowded public elementary schools. Each year La Buena Tierra built one additional classroom, and this year they were able to fulfill their dream of students graduating from sixth grade.Another dream was to have a playground. The students at La Buena Tierra come from families who had built houses of scrap materials along a train track that was abandoned by the Mexican government. There are no yards in this neighborhood and both the Preschool and Elementary schools are on tiny lots with very little room for children to run and play. This year a miracle occurred. A small property right next door to the Preschool was donated for a playground. It was totally filled with junk and an unlivable one room house. In June 2014, EPIC contributed $5,000 to pay for a wall protecting the new playground, a gate, and paving. Labor is being donated by parents.