Solar Power: Powering KBCMI School + More
We're providing sustainable solar power to a Nicaraguan Christian school doing amazing work.
Katie Beth Carter Memorial Institute
School - Tomas Borge, Leon, Nicaragua
The Big Goal: Sustainable Solar Power for the Entire School!
* In March 2022, we began the initiative by starting the school off with a small solar system to cover the power expense for their main water supply for the school.
Total Investment for a complete solar power system for the school: $68,000
Project can be completed in seven $5,000 - $9,000 "phases"
Total savings for the school over 20yr life of panels: $96,000+
Total peace of mind knowing sustainable power is available: priceless
Phase 1 (Complete): System for school water supply ($5,000)
Phase 2: System for farm water supply ($5,000)
Phase 3: School system starter ($9,000 - $18,000)
Phase 4-7: Expansion of school solar system
Donate Now & See Progress
Along the shanty town that borders the dumps of Leon, Nicaragua (the second poorest country on this side of the world), lay the Tomas Borge community. A unincorporated area where squatters took control of the land, where power is limited and clean water is scarce, in fact, running water is nowhere to be found - water must be carried from a well somewhere nearby.
The parents in this community work sorting through trash in the dumps, hoping for a good find for the day, or at least enough energy to fill their big bag full of plastic by sundown.
It's here that the Katie Beth Carter Memorial Institute (KBC School) was founded just a few years ago - following the passing of a Georgia Highs chool student who had a heart for the community here. The school started modestly with small groups meeting, and has now grown into a legitimate middle and high school, offering private education, mentorship, and hope to children in a community where hope has been scarce -- but God showed up. It's here, now, that the school has to host a lottery each year for applicants - as applications to enter the school far outpace the classroom space -in fact, the school's education has become renown for its quality, and students from all around the area - including from the city and wealthier families apply for schooling here.
At KBC, students learn their required topics of course, but also engage in leadership training, entrepreneurship, receive clinical care, and also learn how to cultivate the ground for food via their agriculture program - fruits, veggies, chickens, and turkeys!
In 2021, Give 30A began working together with KBC School to identify opportunities to help. We began with clean water filtration for the school, repairing wells in the community, and supplying water filters for some of the homes. But we discovered in 2022, a big opportunity to bless the school for many years to come...
