It’s always a great feeling when I can use my architectural skills to make a difference in people’s lives. As a member of Architects Without Borders, I provided pro bono design services for a 7,100 SF school in Nicaragua for GOCARE, a non-profit that provides youth and adult education. My co-lead on the project was Brooklyn-based architect Lynn Gaffney, a dear friend from graduate school. The new campus, completed in 2019, allowed GOCARE to expand its core mission to help people escape extreme poverty through access to education.

GOCARE is a non-governmental organization recognized by the Nicaraguan Ministry of Education as an exemplary model for youth and adult education courses. The organization has graduated more than 3,800 students from its programs. Its “Come Back To Give Back” philosophy encourages college students to become mentors and leaders within their Nicaraguan community and help give back by assisting people to move out of poverty.

The El Madrono facility offers a new opportunity for the organization to provide certified programs. Previously, GOCARE leased space from the government and was not allowed to charge for programs. The non-profit purchased this site to offer vocational and advanced programs where the students will earn INATEC (Innovation y Prestigio Tecnologico Nacional) certification. GOCARE will continue to provide free programs as well as a preschool. The certified programs will allow GOCARE to charge for services on a sliding scale, depending on the student’s ability to pay. This income will help immensely with their ability to hire certified instructors and the sustainability of their programs.”

The El Madrono campus has seven buildings with four classrooms for children, three classrooms for adults, a computer center, a library, and administrative offices. The buildings surround a central open courtyard. A plaza and amphitheater steps at the front of the building have access to a kitchen in the vocational classroom and can be used for community gatherings or rented for weddings and other occasions.

Our design creates a series of platforms and structures that step up the hillside. A covered arcade links the separate buildings and engages the courtyard and sheltered outdoor classrooms. The spaces between classroom buildings allow views and ventilation into the courtyard, hold accessible ramps, and are secured with custom wrought iron screens.

Lynn Gaffney and I worked long distance for months on the design of the project trading drawings through Dropbox and sharing screens to discuss designs. We also held meetings with GoCare’s President and CEO, Michelle Cekov, along with GoCare staff in Nicaragua. At the end of design development, a local architecture and construction firm, Construcciones Multiples, coordinated with us to produce construction documents.

Looking back, it seems unbelievable that Lynn and I undertook the design of such a large, complicated project in a foreign country on our own and that it was built as we envisioned. This reflects positively on GoCare’s leadership, clarity, and stewardship that the project was built. Seeing photos of the students playing in the courtyard, teachers in the front of light-filled classrooms, and the community gathering in the front plaza is one of the proudest moments in my career.

For more information about GOCARE Inc. or to donate, visit www.gocarekids.org.
For Architects Without Borders visit www.awb-seattle.org.
Listen to the KCLU podcast South Coast Non-Profit Building Educational Center In Central America Thanks To Generous Architects.