“It’s a blessing to see how God can use you in the place where you are.”

Jenny Burr
Spur Ottawa Correspondent

Reaching into his backpack, Tom Affleck grabbed a pair of notebooks and pencils and gave them to the two girls in front of him. Little did he know this simple act of kindness would make attending school possible for them, for the first time.

The year was 2006 and Affleck was in a little town in northern Nicaragua. Moving on from the girls, he heard words that changed his life: one of the girls’ fathers said, “Now that you have a notebook and pencil you can go to school this year.”

Up until that time, Affleck knew he wanted to express his Christian faith by serving, but he wasn’t certain how that would come about. This life-changing experience led him to found SchoolBOX, a Canadian and Nicaraguan charity that provides school supplies, books, and builds school facilities in struggling Nicaraguan communities.

Nicaraguan children hold up education packages provided by SchoolBOX. Photo courtesy of SchoolBOX.

In Nicaragua, a volunteer offered space for an office within his house. He also provided the use of his truck for delivering building supplies for a school.

Back home, Affleck credits the community of Almonte with providing the support to get SchoolBOX off the ground. Once enough funds have been raised for a classroom build, the first mission team joined a Nicaraguan construction crew to dig the foundation. Follow-up teams helped build the walls and paint the facility. The first build was complete in 2008.

“I wasn’t a Christian when I went on my first SchoolBOX mission trip, but I came home being ‘missioned to’ and became a Christian,” says Sarah Kerr.

Kerr grew up in Almonte, and met Affleck on that 2007 trip. They are now married and she serves as SchoolBOX’s executive director.

“The whole SchoolBOX journey had just been amazing,” shares Kerr, “to see what God can do, the fundraising and our budget growing every year. We surrender and we trust and we have to give it over to God.”

Students learn in a makeshift open-air classroom at El Caracol. SchoolBOX is building a new classroom at this school. It will be completed in 2018. Photo courtesy of SchoolBOX.

A mission trip with SchoolBOX also impacted Stephanie Rudyk Toepfer, helping her decide to major in global development. She now does marketing and outreach for SchoolBOX and helps arrange the mission trips.

“My first trip to Nicaragua was in 2010,” she shares. “I was in first-year university and I was thinking about what to do my major in. I was curious about global development as a field.”

Toepfer is currently putting plans in place for a Latin Fiesta fundraiser in Almonte, on November 4, to help fund more programs in Nicaragua. SchoolBOX is bringing in a Latin band, with instructors offering salsa dancing lessons.

“It’s a blessing to see how God can use you in the place where you are at, to actually bring people together,” she says.

Reflecting on the charity’s humble beginnings, Affleck says, “I am quite honestly amazed by what the SchoolBOX family has achieved over the course of the last decade. What started with the gift of a notebook and a pencil has grown into a passionate organization that is on track to have built 100 classrooms by the end of 2018. I am so grateful for the privilege of being a part of it, and I believe strongly that God has made it all possible.”

Tom and Sarah together in Nicaragua surrounded with kids. Photo courtesy of SchoolBOX.