This marks our 9th year working within communities in Nicaragua and Costa Rica where we currently have enrolled more 300 at risk youth and street children in schools and have worked in depth with their families and communities to reinforce the educational efforts of each child.
In this time, we have learned much about the people, the cultures, the politics and the barriers to education and community development in this part of the world. We believe the stories of the kids, families and those of our staff and volunteers provide an interesting perspective -- a very different view of the world we all live in.
We've just launched a new website and encourage you to visit us at http://www.empowermentinternational.org/ . Our new website is an on-going initiative to bring these perspectives to light, to share the heart-warming and heart-wrenching stories and to explore the questions "why?" and "why not?"
Showing posts with label non profit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label non profit. Show all posts
May 22, 2007
May 21, 2007
May 20, 2007
Dreams - A young Nicaraguan girl learns her dreams can come true
It is amazing how much we take schooling for granted in developed nations. I can recall often not really ‘wanting’ to go to school each morning but ‘having’ to attend. It’s not that I was a bad student by any means, actually I was an excellent one, but I think I truly took school for granted like so many others in the world. It was not until my adult life, while living in Central America, that I realized that for many children outside my country, attending public school is often a privilege not a right.
For Josephina (name changed for privacy), school is something she takes quite seriously, despite her many responsibilities that to an outsider would seem more appropriate for a 30-year-old woman than a 14-year-old girl. Josephina seized the opportunity to return to school when in January 2006 Empowerment International announced openings in the program.
Each morning she awakens to the roosters crowing at 5:30 AM. Hopping out of bed onto the earthen floor in her tent-like home made of plastic (like heavy garbage bags), she bathes in the traditional Nica fashion (a “bucket bath”), and dons her pristinely washed uniform and perfectly polished black shoes before walking 2 miles on a muddy path to attend the morning shift of classes from 7 AM to noon at one of Granada’s best public schools, Padre Pablo Antonio Estella.
After classes are dismissed at noon, she travels another 2 miles (further from her home) to the market to purchase supplies so her mother can start on a batch of plantain chips or enchiladas to sell. Josephina has lunch, does her chores and some homework, before going out to sell the food her mother has prepared. She and her sister work from 3 PM to 6:30 PM each afternoon in the streets of Granada. In the evening, she eats dinner then finishes any pending chores and homework before heading to bed. This working family team is common in Nicaragua, especially in the countryside. This family earns about US$40 a month.
In 2006, Josephina was able to return to school with the assistance of EI. It was that year that she began to realize that her future holds many possibilities, far beyond street sales. At the end of the school year in 2006, she announced that she wanted to be a doctor to help all of the poor people that were sick get well. This year she has discovered she has other talents as well while competing in the Mathematic Olympics Competition. Although she took the exam with the best students of each area school, Josephina reported that she was not nervous because she had studied so hard. When the results were announced, the ecstatic Josephina was called for second place. She received a banner with the colors of Nicaragua (blue and white) that stated “Academic Excellence 2007” along with a certificate. With this success, she is now also considering computer engineering as a potential profession.
Josephina is grateful to Empowerment International which has provided her the opportunity to discover her potential in school, motivated her to continue working hard in school, allowing her to become a better student and person each day. Her mother feels very grateful to all the people that make Empowerment International possible because she says that she could not afford to send her daughter to school without their help. She is also extremely proud of her daughter. And so are we at Empowerment International!
For Josephina (name changed for privacy), school is something she takes quite seriously, despite her many responsibilities that to an outsider would seem more appropriate for a 30-year-old woman than a 14-year-old girl. Josephina seized the opportunity to return to school when in January 2006 Empowerment International announced openings in the program.
Each morning she awakens to the roosters crowing at 5:30 AM. Hopping out of bed onto the earthen floor in her tent-like home made of plastic (like heavy garbage bags), she bathes in the traditional Nica fashion (a “bucket bath”), and dons her pristinely washed uniform and perfectly polished black shoes before walking 2 miles on a muddy path to attend the morning shift of classes from 7 AM to noon at one of Granada’s best public schools, Padre Pablo Antonio Estella.
After classes are dismissed at noon, she travels another 2 miles (further from her home) to the market to purchase supplies so her mother can start on a batch of plantain chips or enchiladas to sell. Josephina has lunch, does her chores and some homework, before going out to sell the food her mother has prepared. She and her sister work from 3 PM to 6:30 PM each afternoon in the streets of Granada. In the evening, she eats dinner then finishes any pending chores and homework before heading to bed. This working family team is common in Nicaragua, especially in the countryside. This family earns about US$40 a month.
In 2006, Josephina was able to return to school with the assistance of EI. It was that year that she began to realize that her future holds many possibilities, far beyond street sales. At the end of the school year in 2006, she announced that she wanted to be a doctor to help all of the poor people that were sick get well. This year she has discovered she has other talents as well while competing in the Mathematic Olympics Competition. Although she took the exam with the best students of each area school, Josephina reported that she was not nervous because she had studied so hard. When the results were announced, the ecstatic Josephina was called for second place. She received a banner with the colors of Nicaragua (blue and white) that stated “Academic Excellence 2007” along with a certificate. With this success, she is now also considering computer engineering as a potential profession.
Josephina is grateful to Empowerment International which has provided her the opportunity to discover her potential in school, motivated her to continue working hard in school, allowing her to become a better student and person each day. Her mother feels very grateful to all the people that make Empowerment International possible because she says that she could not afford to send her daughter to school without their help. She is also extremely proud of her daughter. And so are we at Empowerment International!
November 20, 2006
Graduations!
I was told a story about a Nicaraguan lady who was in her 60ies. To this day she sadly recalls when she was a child that while she was able to attend school, she will never forget that she was not able to participate in the graduation cerimonies. In Nicaragua, these ceremonies come with 
many costs and while for us they are not much, for parents it is often difficult to find the funds.
November was a month of several graduations for our program participants and we are pleased they were all able to attend. I think you can see they were too. :-)
many costs and while for us they are not much, for parents it is often difficult to find the funds.November was a month of several graduations for our program participants and we are pleased they were all able to attend. I think you can see they were too. :-)
February 6, 2006
Nicaragua February 2006 - A day in a life of a young Nicaraguan girl
February 5, 2006
Bob wanted to film a "day in a life of Maria Magdelena" and while he focused mostly on the video portion, he took some still shots and some are here. Maria, is a quiet and reserved young of lady of the age of 8 and has 7 siblings. She attends the 2nd grade in school and hopes to be a teacher when she grows up. When she gets up in the morning she helps her mother by going out and picking chilli peppers which her mother sells in the afternoon while the children are in school (kids go for only half a day in Nicaragua). The walk is long to find these peppers and the amount of money her mother makes is extremely low. Maria also helps with household chores since her mother is on her own (no father in the picture). They live in a house made of plastic and it amazes me how they manage to keep the kids so clean, especially for school.
Maria and four of her siblings
Maria on her walk to get chilli peppers
Maria picking the peppers.
Maria getting her school uniform off the clothes line.
Maria and her brother.
Maria's little sister getting a bucket bath.
While Her mother cooks lunch Maria get's ready for school, as well as her brother and sister.
Maria gets ready for school.
She eats her lunch
Then off to school!
Bob wanted to film a "day in a life of Maria Magdelena" and while he focused mostly on the video portion, he took some still shots and some are here. Maria, is a quiet and reserved young of lady of the age of 8 and has 7 siblings. She attends the 2nd grade in school and hopes to be a teacher when she grows up. When she gets up in the morning she helps her mother by going out and picking chilli peppers which her mother sells in the afternoon while the children are in school (kids go for only half a day in Nicaragua). The walk is long to find these peppers and the amount of money her mother makes is extremely low. Maria also helps with household chores since her mother is on her own (no father in the picture). They live in a house made of plastic and it amazes me how they manage to keep the kids so clean, especially for school.
The road to Maria's house.
Maria and four of her siblings
Maria on her walk to get chilli peppers
Maria picking the peppers.
Maria getting her school uniform off the clothes line.
Maria and her brother.
Maria's little sister getting a bucket bath.
While Her mother cooks lunch Maria get's ready for school, as well as her brother and sister.
Maria gets ready for school.
She eats her lunch
Then off to school!
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