In our journey to realize our vision of a world where communities create and value cross-cultural partnerships, we sometimes cross paths with groups and organizations that transform our steps into leaps. One such group is the South Granville Rotary Club. This March, we completed our third project together, installing electrical systems in three rural schools. These schools are located in communities that did not have access to electricity a little over a year ago, so knowledge of proper electrical installation is still limited. Six young people, four men and two women, were selected to work alongside the Rotary Club in apprentice roles. They learned proper wiring and became motivated to study a technical career—with the goal of becoming professional electricians themselves!

We are highly selective of the partnerships we enter into with organizations who want to volunteer their time and expertise. We want to avoid displacing local labor or creating paternalistic relationships with the communities we support. It’s important to us that visitors bring a skill or product that is not locally available in the communities we serve, and in doing so, grow the capacity of local people to support themselves. That’s exactly what the South Granville Rotary brought to the communities and youth of Sabana Grande, San Juan, and El Carrizo.

We look forward to collaborating with the South Granville Rotary Club again soon! If your group or organization is interested in bringing a valuable skill or product to San Ramón, please contact us.