HOW YOU CAN HELP

Current Programs

Donations of backpacks filled with school and art supplies (paper, pencils, crayons, notebooks, sharpeners, etc.) along with donations of books in Spanish, computers, furniture, equipment, and learning aids (games, toys, puzzles, etc.) provide the educational tools for children to escape the chain of poverty. This is an opportunity for our youth in the USA to participate in a "sister school" or "adopt-a-class" program.

Donations of musical instruments and sheet music awaken the soul, enrich lives, and provide an educational tool in areas where there are, few if, any recreational activities or means of entertainment.

Donations of sports equipment (balls, bats, gloves, etc,) build character, self-esteem, and discipline that foster the camaraderie and leadership skills critical for a strong community to meet problems.

Donations of vitamins, medicines, medical supplies, dental supplies, and hygiene supplies combined with health and dental education enable survival in the harsh environment where people have little access to medicine or medical care.

Donations of sewing machines and supplies (threads, buttons, zippers, material, scissors, needles, etc.) will provide a means for single family mothers to learn a skill that will provide a means of support for their children.

One of the cardinal principles of a developmental program is to build the capacity of individuals and communities to find a lasting solution to problems and improve the quality of life while preserving dignity. To reach this goal in the San José de Bocay area of Nicaragua it is critical to encourage organizations and individuals to travel to this remote area by providing and supporting a center where they can share their skills and offer training programs:

• A literacy program and a library for the community will open a window to the future in an area where adult literacy averages 35% and 1 of 6 children have no school to attend.

• A human rights program will provide a sense of worth, respect of individual rights, and leadership skills that will foster a community spirit to solve problems.

• An educational program will help the community find a lasting solution to the problems that threaten the family: alcoholism, sexual transmitted diseases, domestic violence, and multiple pregnancies beginning in the teen years that have led many mothers’ deaths due complications at birth.

• An agricultural program will help preserve and protect the natural resource the farmers depend on to survive. Knowledge along with the tools, the fertilizers, safe pesticides, improved seeds, and the technology will led to higher yields and avoid erosion.

• A health awareness program will improve child survival and the health standards where diarrhea, pneumonia, acute respiratory illness, malaria, unsanitary water, and malnutrition contribute to a high death rate.