A Small Request

I received an email regarding school sponsorship from an organization which I befriended when I was volunteering in La Prusia, Nicaragua. My neighbor in La Prusia, a 19 year old girl named Chilo, inspired me to initially contact this organization about school sponsorship programs. Chilo is a sponsored student; a woman who also volunteered where I did pays yearly for Chilo's school fees, uniform, and books. Chilo is incredibly bright, and aims to attend university next year in Managua, hoping eventually to study outside Nicaragua.

La Prusia is an extremely poor neighborhood just beyond the borders of Granada, Nicaragua. The people who live there are marginalized by the government, which doesn't recognize them as legal landowners and therefore provides no sanitation, electricity, clean water, or schools for any of its more than 500 residents. The youngest children are sent to school in Granada, and their parents must pay school fees equivalent to about $100 yearly, which is usually more than each family earns over the course of 3 or 4 months. Most children do not go on to secondary school because of the high cost and because their help is needed in generating family income.

La Esperanza Granada funds a free school in La Prusia, but their teachers are volunteers and therefore there is a high changeover rate among staff. To help students who are most dedicated to their studies, the organization helps match deserving students with sponsors who pay for secondary and university education.

Chilo implored me to sponsor a student, and I intend to fulfill my promise to her. I'd like to start a sponsorship collection fund. I think it would be great if everyone donated as much or as little as they are able. In 2009, school fees will be $210. I'll make up the difference between whatever we collect and the $210 sponsorship cost. A link to the La Esperanza Granada website is below. To contribute to the collective sponsorship fund I proposed, just click the button. You can contribute online via PayPal!

Click here to donate to the collection fund!




La Esperanza Granada (click on Projects and then Sponsorships for details)