New York University and ProMexico Tackle Education Issues on Both Sides of the Border

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Release Date: January 24, 2008

New York University and ProMexico Tackle Education Issues on Both Sides of the Border

By ProWorld Service Corps
January 24, 2008

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NYU students and staff fixed a school in Oaxaca, Mexico with the help of ProMexico to improve the educational opportunities for Mexican children while learning about a new culture.

PR9.NET January 24, 2008 - Oaxaca, Mexico - 13 New York University students and staff built a classroom in one of the poorest areas of Oaxaca, Mexico. They worked for 11 days to construct a new classroom at a school near the city dump in Oaxaca. The volunteers also took the time to immerse themselves in Mexican and Oaxacan culture to broaden their world views.

The school currently has 130 students, preschool through 6th grade, but had only four classrooms. Besides building a fifth classroom, the team also built doors to the classrooms, fixed classroom furniture, built a fence, and painted the school. Along with the physical labor, the volunteers made time to play and interact with the children.

Because of their efforts, the board of the Oaxaca Education Union presented each of the NYU participants with a certificate in recognition of their contribution to the school and to education. The last day the volunteers were on-site, the school and community threw a party for the volunteers and to inaugurate the new classroom. Each grade performed a regional dance from Oaxaca, the favorite probably being the girls from preschool who did the pineapple dance that comes from the Oaxacan coast.

The school community expressed immense gratitude to ProMexico and to the NYU volunteers, welcoming them back anytime. The NYU volunteers also left feeling that perhaps maybe on a small scale, they can make a difference and impact the world in a positive way. They also made personal commitments to keep up their good works when they return to New York.

Besides the hard work and dedication to the school project, the NYU volunteers also took the time to learn about Oaxaca. In the short time they were in Oaxaca, they participated in two lecture discussions on migration and on the unique community/political structure distinct to Oaxaca called Usos y Costumbres. They visited two micro-finance Non-Governmental Organizations along with a tour of the local health clinic in the community where they were working. They also saw pre-Colombian Monte Alban, Oaxaca's unique black clay pottery, and the famed weaving community of Teotitlan del Valle.

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New York University and ProMexico Tackle Education Issues on Both Sides of the Border

Contact Information of ProWorld Service Corps

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About ProWorld Service Corps

ProWorld Service Corps is a company specializing in study abroad and volunteer work service projects in Peru (ProPeru), Belize (ProBelize), Mexico (ProMexico), India (ProIndia), and Thailand (ProThailand). Founded in 1998, ProWorld provides enriching experiences for volunteers while striving to make a difference in cooperative communities.