ROOTS Education Development Foundation

We have established this foundation in honor of Peggy Brock Zimmerman, who passed away due cancer. The purpose is to fund education initiatives in developing countries, starting with the building of schools in rural Honduras and marginal neighborhoods around Cartagena, Colombia.

In 1958 Peggy’s aunt and uncle, Miriam and Dr. John Blumenshein moved from their home in the US to a remote region of Honduras near Lago de Yajoa. There they established a health clinic, La Buena Fe, for a portion of the population that was and still is severely underserved. The clinic spurred additional development projects including the building of several school buildings.

Peggy and her family have had the opportunity to visit the clinics and the schools. What becomes immediately apparent is the drastic need for more. Peggy studied developmental economics in graduate school and had a strong interest in providing educational opportunities, particularly for girls and young women who might otherwise not receive an education. She was a strong believer in the power of education to change lives and break the cycle of poverty.



With this as background, Roots-EDF will fund the following:

Scholarships: provide funding, primarily for grammar school aged girls, to pay for school uniforms, shoes, lunches and transportation fees that commonly keep kids from attending school.

Exchange Programs: provide opportunities for high school aged Honduran students to study for a year in the United States. Additionally, we will help organize volunteer service projects for US students in Honduras.

School Structures: build additional classrooms or new buildings for government-run schools in Honduras and beyond.

Teacher training: supply resources for teacher training centers to develop the skill set of local educators.

Libraries: improve school libraries and expand traveling library programs.

School & sports supplies: provide everything from notebooks to computers to soccer balls to the poorest of the poor schools.