Five Towns students make a difference

Five Towns residents Amanda Greene and Julie Troyetsky, sophomores at Hewlett High School, and Georgina Judja, a 10th grader at Lawrence High School spent their winter break in the small and poverty-stricken village of Pablo Antonio Cuadra located just outside of Granada in Nicaragua.

They were among 40 U.S. students who volunteered to perform community service as part of Builders Beyond Borders (B3), an organization committed to helping Latin American countries complete needed projects to improve their villages and the lives of children.

Students in Pablo Antonio Cuadra are able to complete the first three years of school, but have no space or opportunity to finish the last two years. The girls helped to build classrooms at the high school that will give students the chance to graduate from high school for the first time in more than 40 years. Nearly 300 students will benefit.

Though Granada is a relatively rich city, Pablo Antonio Cuadra is extremely poor. Most families live in houses made of discarded plastic sheeting and corrugated metal.

This was Greene and Troyetsky’s second trip with B3. They assisted with a project in Ecuador last year. Judja learned about B3 through past coverage in the Herald and joined the group.

All three have made a commitment to spend future winter breaks being part of other B3 projects. They need to raise money independently to pay for their trips. To help them or get involved with B3 visit buildersbeyondborders.org