Brenda walked from school while reading “Pinocchio.” Without taking her eyes off the book, she arrived home, a small house made of adobe bricks with colorful flowers contrasting against the arid landscape of her community.

Located on the slope of the northern mountains of Nicaragua, La Jabonera is one of the most isolated communities in the country. It lacks electricity and safe drinking water, and the nearest medical center is over 20 miles away. In this distant community, education seems to have suffered a long delay in arriving. Just four years ago, secondary education was offered in town for the first time through Fabretto’s SAT Program. A single primary school serves all local children like Brenda, a 6th-grade student who is also enrolled in her school’s “LitClub”, a reading club promoted by Fabretto.

“I try to read every day! It’s the only way to improve your reading skills, learn new things, and make sure others don’t fool you,” comments the eloquent student. Brenda has made reading part of her daily routine. Every day she wakes up at 4:30 AM, grinds corn for her mother’s hand-made tortillas, and helps sweep the dirt floor of the house. After breakfast, she goes down the hill to bathe in the river, which has been running low, as drought has struck. When she arrives at school at 7:30 AM, the first thing she does is choose the book of the day – available thanks to a donation Fabretto made to her school – today, Brenda has chosen Pinocchio. Throughout the rest of the week, she’ll be looking forward to LitClub, an activity that has enriched her vocabulary and self-esteem.