WHAT WE DO

We keep assisting youngsters with their school work, but NicanCalli has become more than that. We are constantly exploring alternative ways to offer quality education in an effective way. We are inspired by the Brazilian educator Freire and the Central-American model for rural schools. This inspiration led us to focus on the combination of the indigenous identity and the local rural knowledge. We try to get to this combination in a context where students and their families learn while doing.

Two universities of Puebla support the program: the Universidad Iberoamericana and the Universidad Popular Autónoma. These schools send students for both professional and social internships. Also from the Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores of Monterrey we receive students, who mostly collaborate in programs in the neighborhood.

Our experiences with sustainable living, natural agriculture and other ecological techniques form the base for the collaboration with local families. Moreover, our school program has allowed us to elaborate a relation of trust with the families, which results in a knowledge exchange.

We believe that quality education allows the people of Tecuanipan to imagine their rural life as a possible and just future. The educational model we apply has a strong emphasis on the environment. This helps the youngsters to revalue their own resources, and to responsibly use these resources. Moreover, this educational model strengthens their commitment towards nature and provides alternatives for local development. This in contrast to the eminent growth of the urban spot that is called Puebla, and the stress this urban environment puts on natural recourses.