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2008: GUATEMALA – 309 Students, 10 Teams, 5 Worksites 
LOS PATOJOS (“The Little Ones”): Antigua
Los Patojos, located in a barrio outside of Antigua, is an after-school program that supplements Guatemala’s not-so-good educational system by providing underprivileged children academic reinforcement and encouragement in personal and moral development free of charge. B3 helped renovate its one existing building - cut windows into walls, repaired a roof to stop constant leaks, turned a small space into a usable kitchen, built one new classroom, painted everything in sight, and more. HIGH SCHOOL: San Andres (near Tikal), Province of Peten San Andres, a small town in northern Guatemala, never had a high school! Student who are old enough and qualified must attend classes in the “off” hours of an elementary school. Despite the conditions, however, in 2007, there were 62 graduates. 
Having a high school in the San Andres region is important in that it will train students to be “Teachers of Primary Education” with a secondary focus on environmental studies (high school graduates in Peten are well qualified to teach others, especially when the high rate of illiteracy is taken into account). Working side by side with local high school students, B3 started work on its first high school.
EDUCATION AND HOPE: Quetzltenango Hope and Education is a foundation that believes in providing hope through education for the children of Guatemala and was founded by a woman (Julie Coyne) from Norwalk, CT who has a big heart and even bigger dreams. The project site is in the city of Quetzaltenango, (also known by locals as Xela. The foundation established a school to provide after-school assistance for poor students of all ages wishing to further their educational advancement. B3 worked to make the best use of their space by building classrooms, a library, additional restrooms and an art/music room on the third floor of one of its buildings. 
CHUKU MUK: Solola Hurricane Stan hit Guatemala hard in 2005. One community in particular was devastated by its fury; Panajachel in the state of Sololá. A mudslide over one mile wide covered this town in 3 meters of mud killing 400 people. B3 traveled to the town of Santiago to build safe homes for several of the families affected - part of a much larger project that is being built in conjunction with USAID, United Nations, the government of Guatemala with additional help of the generosity of foundations in Spain. As part of the promise of a new home, residents were asked to make a small financial commitment as well as "sweat equity" in the form of helping to build their homes and others nearby. Widows and single mothers are in desperate need of homes; they cannot commit to building as they are working to support their families (most are widowed as a result of Stan). B3 agreed to help build these homes for these women that were unable to build for themselves. ESCUELA PARA NINOS NO OYENTES (School for Deaf Children): San Marcos In the town of San Marcos, over 300 students are in need of a school that will address the issues of the deaf and begin to help the students learn to be productive members of society. Unfortunately, these students are now enrolled in traditional schools that do not have the skills or knowledge to really teach these kids. They are often ostracized and bullied because they are “different.” The new school will start small (about 20 students, ages 7 to 20) and grow slowly. B3, in partnership with the San Marcos Rotary Club, assisted in building a small part of a bigger school; 6 classrooms and bathrooms. 2007: ECUADOR – 327 Students, 10 Teams, 6 Worksites 
BALLENITA:
The project in this poor fishing village on the Santa Elena Peninsula, the westernmost point of the country, was to build a school with six classrooms to teach adults in the village (mostly fishermen) to read, write and do simply math. Bathrooms were also included in the construction work. Once the majority are literate, those who choose will receive job training in carpentry, electrical work, etc. as a means to improve the quality of their lives.
CHAUPILOMA: In a community of 1,000 mostly indigenous Indian residents located in the Northern Andes, B3 built a daycare/nursery center for children ages 2 months to 5 years. The building, 8 x 15 meters, included two classrooms, two bathrooms, a bodega, an area medica, a common room, an office, a small kitchen (cocina) and dining area. The April team also found time to build a stairway from one level to another and enjoyed farming with the local residents. 
CUENCA:
B3 built classrooms for a social program called Casa hogar Guardiana de la Fe (much like Connecticut’s Project Return and DOMUS programs). Young street boys, ages 7-13, they are invited to live in the organizations’ group home where they first undergo a “drug de-tox” program (the boys are addicted to a variety of drugs, often given by their mothers) and then they are taught to read, write, and do basic math. They cannot be integrated into any of the city’s schools because they require much therapy – emotional, physical, and social.
NUEVOS PROSPEROS:
In partnership with the Rotary Club of Guayaquil, B3 built several class rooms,
replaced fences, rebuilt a bridge, and cleaned out an unsanitary stream running through the land (the local politicians in the barrio have now seen fit to bury a pipe to carry the sewage away). The project, called Chamberos Divinos, which translates to “divine trash pickers”, was to provide learning facilities for the people who live in this barrio, many of whom making their living by salvaging and re-selling items found in the dump. Click here for photos.
SABANILLA: In this Guayaquil barrio project, B3 doubled the size and repaired an existing rundown school to improve accommodations for the 60 
current students and to attract more students -- for the very poor in Ecuador, school attendance is not mandatory. B3 also brought water to the school’s cocina (kitchen) and added sinks for the children and teachers to wash their hands. The school must feed the children because many of them must walk for an hour or more to the school and then another hour back home.
VENTE DE MAYO: B3s built a computer center attached to an existing structure that houses a tiny medical clinic and the barrio’s bakery. Because of the energy and perseverance of the barrio’s padre, they have secured the donation of 15 computers, albeit somewhat used. The padre is now able to teach those who are interested enough skills to enable them to secure jobs outside of the barrio. The Vente de Mayo community is striving hard to become self-sufficient; as an example, a portion of proceeds from the bakery pays for the clinic’s doctor. 2006: COSTA RICA – 267 Students, 7 Teams, 3 Worksites SAN IGNACIO – AFAORCA: In association with AFAORCA (Asociacion de Familias Productoras Organicas de los Cerro Caraigres - Association of Organic Farmers in the Caraigres Hills), two teams from B3 built a facility for the area's organic coffee growers. Owning their own facility will greatly assist their efforts to recruit more local campesinos (farmers) to join the association, teach farmers how to grow organic coffee crops, hold meetings by and for the farmers, display and sell and offer coffee tastings to tourists and potential buyers, and to conduct the day-to-day business for the association. The impetus for growing organic coffee is that the farmers are not able to make even a minimal living by growing "regular" coffee.   SAN JOSE - MI TIA: In cooperation with the staff of "Mi Tia" ("Asociacion Centro Materno Infantil"), two teams from B3 completely renovated an existing daycare center in the San Sebastian barrio in San Jose. Construction work included stuccoing the walls, painting both the inside and outside walls, creating a mural the entire length of the outside front of the building, laying the floors, creating two walkways, installing the ceiling, installing a roof, and constructing a new playground. Mi Tia was desperate to be able to care for more children and to make their space a haven that will insure that their young charges are safe and healthy. B3 also secured donations of product for the daycare center including clothing for the children, first aid supplies, children's medicines, books and games.   MONTE VERDE - CLOUD FOREST SCHOOL: Working with Centro de Educacion Creativa (The Cloud Forest School) three teams from B3 built much-needed classrooms and a library. The bilingual school offers experiential instruction with an emphasis on integrating environmental education into the curriculum. The school started with 30 children and now stands at 170 with even more waiting to enroll. Approximately 90% of the enrollment is Costa Rican students; the majority receive scholarships because their families' incomes are less than US$300 per month. In addition to the construction, B3 solicited product donations such as school supplies, educational books, and sports equipment. Click here for a thank you letter from the school.   2005: BRAZIL – 227 Students, 4 Teams, 3 Worksites SANTAREM - MAICA and MAPIRI: In cooperation with PAMEN, an organization that addresses the urgent problems affecting at-risk and homeless children and adolescents, B3 built two satellite facilities in outlying barrios of Santarem. These facilities now provides health education, medical and dental attention, proper nutrition, opportunities for bathing, supervised play and sports activities, lessons in music, art and dance, tutoring, computer training, development of trade skills, and one-on-one attention to personal development and social issues.   SANTAREM - APAE: B3 constructed a dining facility with wheelchair ramps, kitchen and storeroom for the organization APAE ("Associacao de Pais e Amigos do Excepcional" - "Association of Parents and Friends of Challenged Children"). In addition, we provided funding for the purchase of 242 wheelchairs for the center. The mission APAE is to assure the adjustment and well-being of challenged children. In addition to tending to the needs of these children, the staff motivates the local community to have a better understanding of the cause of the challenged, to create job opportunities for the challenged, to support the creation of specialized schools, workshops, special classes, and extra-curricular activities for these youths. 2004: DOMINICAN REPUBLIC – 157 Students, 5 Teams, 3 Worksites LOS JAQUIMEYES: B3, in partnership with New York City's Global Missions, built new homes for residents of this small agricultural community. Much of the village was virtually wiped out during the wrath of a major hurricane, which resulted in many homeless people.    MAO: B3, in partnership with Kansas City's Children International, built a basic multi-purpose center to be used for dental campaigns, job training, parenting classes, after-school activities, neighborhood meetings, medical clinics, and the like. The facility now meets the needs of more than 5,000 children.    GUERRA: B3, in partnership with the Dominican Repubic Nelson Foundation, built the first phase of a complex that now serves the medical and educational needs of this barrio of 10,000 residents. The foundation has created preventive health programs, classes for single mothers, and is providing after-school programs for children.   
2003: CUBA – 28 Alumni Students B3's first Alumni Trip and Project was, at the special request of the college students, to Cuba, their favorite destination. Collaborating again with the Centro Memorial Martin Luther King, Jr., the B3 alums built housing (small apartments) in the Marianaos Barrio in Havana for ten families, working in the same neighborhood and with the same Cubans as in 2001. Because under Cuban law, individuals must contribute "sweat equity" to construction projects to qualify for their own homes, the second building had to be completed before some could move into the first building (our project in 2001). The atmosphere in the Marianaos barrio compared to that of a "family reunion!" It was hot and humid, hard work, and very emotional for our Cuban friends and us.    2003: COSTA RICA – 159 Students, 2 Teams, 2 Worksites TORTUGUERO: B3 worked with the residents of the Afro-Caribbean town of Tortuguero (population 1,000) to build a much-needed daycare center. The community exists on tourism (Tortuguero is one of the "must see" destinations of Costa Rica located on the edge of Parque Nacional Tortuguero); residents are employed by the exclusive lodges just across the canal from the village…so close and yet so far. The parents who must cross the water to work needed a safe haven for their children. B3 also formed "trash brigades" to pick up and catalog the trash that washes ashore, painted the school, and repaired and re-painted the playground equipment. B3 partnered with Costa Rica Expeditions, the largest adventure tour company in Costa Rica, for this project.    ARBOFILIA, EL SUR: One of the world's biodiversity hotspots, the Carara region, suffered an accelerated process of environmental deterioration. ARBOFILIA ("Asociacion Protectora de Arboles") has created an epicenter of restoration and hope. The B3 team performed tasks designed to give to the ecological and cultural restoration a higher degree of sustainability. Working with ARBOFILIA in a protected zone near Tarcoles, Costa Rica we: laid a pipeline from a source high in the mountains to a tiny village in the foothills to bring water during the dry season; repaired and improved three rural aqueducts; and constructed two small reservoirs. ARBOFILIA's mission is to restore the environment and to improve agricultural productivity in areas of Costa Rica that suffer ecological deterioration and economic depression.   
2002: CORONEL, CHILE – 97 Students B3 constructed a two-story school with classrooms and a library, providing students with the tools to earn a living in a barrio where unemployment exceeds 20% after the closure of the local coalmine.    2001: HAVANA, CUBA – 84 Students An apartment building to house eighteen families, the first real home they have ever known; they are required by Cuban law to put in a lot of sweat equity - for most Cubans, it takes years and years!    2000: THE ISLAND OF TOBAGO – 41 Students A youth center in the capital of Scarborough, to be used as a place to provide job training for youth (most do not finish high school), counseling services, and sex education and parenting classes, etc. 1999: EL JICARITO, HONDURAS – 36 Students An emergency medical center and an ambulance center to provide immediate medical assistance to the rural communities of the Zamorano Valley (a total of nine villages with a combined population of 10,000). 1998: VILA DOS MILAGRES, BRAZIL – 54 Students A learning center/community meeting house to offer a central location for education of both children and adults (there is no school in the village); only 50% of the people were literate and just 30% could write their own names! 1997: OPELOUSAS, LOUISIANA, USA – 41 Students A daycare center and playground at a shelter for homeless women and their children to provide a safe haven for the children while their mothers are going to school to receive job training in order to support their children. 1996: GUAYAQUIL, ECUADOR – 36 Students A school in a large barrio on the outskirts of this major Ecuadorian city for the education of 150 children in three daily sessions and for their parents in the evenings; upon completion, the government agreed to hire the teachers. 1995: DUNGANNON, VIRGINIA, USA – 35 Students A variety of home repairs for the elderly and the indigent, including a new roof for an elderly couple raising their grandchildren and an outhouse for a family with no hopes of having indoor plumbing. 1994: TUBA CITY, ARIZONA (THE NAVAJO NATION) – 39 Students The renovation of an outbuilding - on the mission property - to be used a temporary housing for families in crisis (the families determined by the state police, social services, and the mission). 1993: SUBIRANA, HONDURAS – 29 Students The creation of a "Central Park" for this remote little village, including a large gazebo to be used as a gathering place, a regulation basketball court, a volleyball court, and paths connecting all sides to the central gazebo. Number of Students Participating by Year:
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