At Reconext, we believe real business success is measured by the positive impact we leave on our community. That belief is behind our latest social responsibility initiative: the comprehensive renovation of Ulises Irigoyen Elementary School in Estación Pascualitos, Mexicali.
More than 70 children from our community receive their primary education here. We completed structural repair on the columns, securing the safety of the building, and repainted the entire campus, bringing new color to classrooms, hallways, and common areas. We also donated and installed two air conditioning units, so students and teachers have a suitable space for learning.
Why school infrastructure matters
The need is well documented. Mexico’s National Institute for the Evaluation of Education has reported that 97% of the country’s basic education schools carry at least one infrastructure deficiency, and 31% of the campuses diagnosed by INIFED showed structural damage.
Climate control is not a comfort item in Mexicali, where average daily highs hit 39°C (102°F) in September and 40°C (104°F) in June, both months when children are in class. Research published in the American Economic Journal found that fully air-conditioning a school removes roughly 78% of heat’s drag on achievement. Two air conditioning units are instructional hours these students would otherwise lose.
Why companies should take this on
Companies are participants in the places where they operate. Our employees, their children, and our neighbors live here, and the condition of local schools shapes the workforce and the local economy a decade from now.
The project closed with a community cleanup day, during which our employees volunteered their time to beautify every corner of the school, followed by an official handover event attended by Reconext executives, educational authorities, and teaching staff. School officials expressed deep gratitude for support that changes their students’ daily experience.
Reconext exists to extend the useful life of products others would set aside, and applying that same instinct to a school building is a natural expression of what we value.
We look forward to continuing this work alongside the communities that host our operations.
