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 When the founders of CAFRED, the Central America Foundation for Rural Education Development, created the organization, they agreed that education would be the foundation of its success. CAFRED’s mission today is to improve education standards across Central America by helping to build new, bright and safe school facilities; support the formation of the social structures needed to administer these schools; and design and supervise curricula, education programs and extra- curricular activities. Along with a strong emphasis on teacher development and training, CAFRED is able to provide educational opportunities for young people and strengthen communities. The Inspiration Cantón Ramirez is a small Central American community nestled upon a ridge on the Guazapa Volcano in El Salvador. For many years, war, gangs and earthquakes have taken turns at ravaging its topography and inhabitants. In spite of the odds against them, a hardy group of 300 families tills the land there and fights to call it home. Drawn by the country’s dynamic history and rich culture, Gary and Eduardo Urra traveled to this remote area in September of 2004, as tourists, hiking the volcano in search of the guerilla base where attacks were launched on the Capital during the 12-year Salvadoran Civil War.  Along the way, they unexpectedly came upon a schoolhouse (Centro Escolar Cantón Ramirez) in ruins. The forlorn structure suffered from a rusted roof, tree roots growing through holes in the floor, and wooden doors eaten away by termites. The school lacked desks, had no security and showed no signs of any support from the world outside its perimeters. Adding to its plight, a sole volunteer teacher was the only dedicated person responsible for the education of 167 school-aged children in the village. Most of the community’s children, however, had lost interest, as only 10 or 15 of them had even come to school that day.  This scenario made a profound impact on the pair, but the most powerful and indelible image was that of the faces of the children as Gary and Eduardo were leaving the site. The impression quickly transformed itself into a desire to help the school and by the time they arrived back home in Washington, DC, it had turned into an obsession for the duo. Turning the Inspiration into RealitySoon after, as they were visiting their neighborhood pub, Kamal Jahanbein, owner and barkeeper of the Saloon on U Street, informed Gary and Eduardo that he had just started a foundation to fulfill his passion to build schools in developing countries. The two tourists were taken aback by the announcement. After the initial—and welcomed—discovery of this news, the couple shared with Kamal their story about the dilapidated school in Cantón Ramirez. Their enthusiasm translated into getting support from Kamal’s Non Governmental Organization, “Kamal Foundation Incorporated”, which agreed to provide 80% of the funding for a new school if the two would agree to raise the remaining 20% and go back to El Salvador to set up the project. Empowered by the task at hand, Gary and Eduardo began fundraising among friends and coworkers, and thanks to the generosity of these people, they raised double the amount required by Kamal to start the project. Gary and Eduardo then relayed the news to a friend in El Salvador by the name of Mauricio Pacheco who was a professor of education at the National University. After hearing of the project, Mauricio jumped at the opportunity to get involved in the rebuilding of the school. Together, with Gary and Eduardo, they set up the project to rebuild Centro Escolar Cantón Ramirez. (These three men would later become the founders of CAFRED.) The First Success: Rebuilding Canton Ramirez As promised, once the plans were laid out, Kamal Jahanbein went off to El Salvador to approve the project and subsequently provided the remaining funds through his foundation. Mauricio managed the construction in El Salvador and worked long hours on the educational development and training of the local teachers. All the men worked strictly on a volunteer basis. To the delight of everyone involved, especially the children, Cantón Ramirez was rebuilt and remodeled before the beginning of the 2007 school term. The new fully functioning school is equipped with five classrooms, a director’s office, a kitchen and storeroom, a caretaker’s cottage, a library, and bathrooms for the children and teachers. |
Once they completed their first project successfully, Kamal then wanted to team up with the trio to build schools in other Central American countries. Accepting this new mission, Mauricio, Eduardo and Gary coordinated and supervised other flourishing school projects in Guatemala and Honduras for the Kamal Foundation. 
