Projects (updates and future plans)

We hope to have an orthopedic and dental team treat the children each year. We plan to deliver hygiene kits each year

The local primary schools and secondary school are in need of the most basic school supplies. About 20% if the students do not have pencils or notebook paper. The schools do not supply those items. There is also a shortage of chalk boards, chalk, and erasers. At the secondary school math students need basic kits of a compass, protractor, and ruler. We plan to fill that shortage by the fall of 2011.

During the day the children have very little to do once their classes and study time is completed for the day. In a meeting with her in May of 2010, Sister Paula Hidalgo (founder and provider of the orphanage) was very excited when we brought up the idea of building a sports field for the kids. We started the field in February of this year. It is about 33% completed. Once completed, it will be the only sports field in the pueblos along a 40 mile stretch of highway east of Leon. Along with some of the families in the nearby village we literally had to chop down a couple of acres of bushes and trees with machetes to carve out field space. The field will provide an area for soccer, volleyball, basketball, baseball and their favorite sport, kickball. We hope to finish the project with volunteers in May of 2011. We also would like to start basic instruction in team sports in the fall.

As the children grow older, they need to find some type of employment or business to provide the most basic necessities of life if they are to survive on their own. As the tourism industry grows in Nicaragua, the need for basic English skills becomes a link to employment for young Nicaraguans. Jobs in hotels, restaurants, and resorts are more likely to go to people that have basic English speaking skills. One of our past volunteers Sonia Weaver has developed a workbook that teaches Spanish speaking people to learn basic English speaking skills. We have delivered the books to the local school, and gave some basic instruction to students and teachers. The teachers still need more training to fully implement the program. Through additional training we hope to get the full potential from the work books in 2011. We also hope to hire a university student to help sustain the program.

We delivered two computers to the orphanage in February 2011. We installed them and provided instruction in basic keyboard and word processing skills. We hope to deliver more computers to eventually set up internet access as well. The computer education is a focus for the teenage children, and is an important component to acquire future employment.

In February we met with a group consisting of orphanage staff and community members to explore the possibility of a project that would create a food supply. The project would also serve as a business opportunity to produce product that could be sold at a profit. The project that we are considering is a fish farm that is fed by a year round spring on the orphanage property. We plan to start a feasibility study in May.

In the past we have delivered hygiene items to the orphanage. In February of 2011 we resupplied those items and had enough extra items to give to families in the surrounding area. We have also introduced arts and crafts programs in the past. These craft programs have been a big hit with the kids. We try to leave extra supplies each trip to sustain them for several months.

We hope to bring our first group of children to the U.S. for a three week program where they will by assigned to live with families and participate in various classes and activities that will be educational and rewarding for them. The hope is that they will return home energized with a brighter vision of the future.