Happy Holidays.

Wishing all our lovely supporters a wonderful holiday season!:)

This fall has been an active one for the Nicaragua School Project. We collaborated with students at Royal Roads University and held a small fundraiser in the cafeteria- and raised $400.00. It was fantastic to expose our project to more people--spreading our message of friendship, and that 100% of our funds go to our cause.

Our school supply project went great in September--all 600 children received their school supplies. We purchased art supplies for the preschoolers & necessary supplies for the teachers. We even had 500.00 to put back in the bank, which we will use for our upcoming school supply project in February. We still need about $1500 for the upcoming project-- so if you are looking for a last minute Xmas gift for the "person who has everything" or would like to donate in the new year, please make the difference:

http://www.nicaraguaschoolproject.org/contact.html
Just contact me as well so I can keep track of donations:)

I have updated the blog a few times this fall--so have a look! http://www.nicaraguaschoolproject.org (media page.) I am quite active on social media with the project- so jump on board if you're looking to become more involved.

Twitter: @Nicasmiles

I appreciate all your contributions and interest in our little project- which will be turning 4 years old this February 2012. It's amazing what can happen when you have a dream.

Muchas Gracias & Feliz Navidad. Kathryn & Andres & Juan Carlos

Sonrisas y Risas

Smiling is the International Language of Gratitude

It’s true. For the last 4 years, our project “Nicaragua School Project” has demonstrated this over and over again. The traditional form of “thank-you” is never necessary; their genuine smiles sum it up for us, we have done our jobs.

Our project equips 600 children with necessary school supplies in El Pantanal, Nicaragua. We specialize in “lifting the burden off the parents” and giving children the opportunity to make the most of their educations. We have seen an increase in attendance at our two schools over the last four years—Nicaragua School Project is making small, but important waves.

A little goes a long way. 100% of funds go directly to the project; we are 100% volunteer.
http://www.nicaraguaschoolproject.org

Pencils for Smiles!

Pencils will be given as gratitude to those who donate to the Nicaragua School Project. Visit us at Royal Roads University in Victoria BC this coming week: from the 21st-25th. From 8-9am & 11-1pm in the Habitat cafeteria. Pencils make amazing/socially responsible stocking stuffers. Join the spirit! 100% of donations will be used to purchase school supplies for 600 children in Nicaragua.

The Nicaragua School project is having its 4th birthday this coming February 2012. Thanks to all our amazing supporters. We are all about friendship.
http://www.nicaraguaschoolproject.org

Dorothy takes on Nicaragua School Project!

I am stuck in Canada, and I will not be able to lead the Nica School Project to success this coming August. Luckily, my wonderful friend, Dorothy, volunteered to take on the big responsibility this August. I know that with Dorothy’s help, the project will go great!

Dorothy is a teacher from Northern California; she decided to move to Granada, Nicaragua for six months to soak up the culture and language. She has been a great help at Casa Xalteva—teaching English classes to children and teenagers who attend the before and after school program. Dorothy worked as a teacher in juvenile hall in Northern California, thus; she lends this expertise and sense of patience to the Nicaraguan kids that she works with.

She has grown a deep love for Nicaragua and was excited to offer her assistance to our project this coming August. Dorothy will work with Juan Carlos and Andres to make sure all 600 students receive their proper school supply packets. I imagine the humorous chemistry between all three of these people will make it a delightful experience!

We have almost met our donation goal—but are still in need of a little bit more. Can you help?? A little goes a long way!

http://www.nicaraguaschoolproject.org/helpourcause.html

In memory of a friend.

Every year, I wander the streets of Granada with purpose. I’m there to fulfill the needs of my non-profit project; a project that raises money to support 600 Nicaraguan school children. Along the way, I always manage to pick up my fair share of local and foreign friends. This year has been no exception.

I met a girl named Sara Deckert from the USA; she was studying Spanish at Casa Xalteva for several months. A lovely blonde haired, blue eyed girl—the Nicaraguans told me her Spanish was rather impressive. After some time, we had coffee at my favorite cafe in Granada, and we got to know each other. She, like me, was in love with Spanish. Her passion for learning every detail, every expression, and every Spanish joke gave her purpose; driving her to venture off abroad to learn it more in depth.

She also got to know my friend Dorothy who, like Sara, was living in Granada long term in order to pick up on the language and culture of Nicaragua. After I went back to Canada, Dorothy and Sara continued to spend time together—reflecting on the ups and downs of adapting to another culture. We had all planned to meet up together the next year in Granada, a reunion of sorts.

Sara is proof that taking the plunge and following your passion is a must. A few weeks after returning home from Nicaragua, she was fatally struck by a drunk driver. I can’t begin to understand the pain and extreme sadness that her family is feeling. All I know, and all I can offer, is that Sara finished her life doing something she loved—soaking up all those beautiful Spanish sounds, expanding her vocabulary. I know it made her truly happy. Rest in peace, Sara.

August School Supply!!

600 children are waiting in the school yards of El Pantanal. They hope we return to them with a fresh batch of hand made school packs--complete with notebooks, pens, pencils, erasers, and pencil sharpeners--this coming August.

A school pack costs about $5 to $6 dollars. Can you spare a few dollars for our cause? http://www.nicaraguaschoolproject.org/contact.html

I realize that the world is on fire right now; there are so many causes to support--the tornadoes of the south, the Japanese earthquake, and the floods plaguing the planet.... If you are still able to help our cause, I truly appreciate it (and so do our Nicaraguans friends.) The communication of this organization is different from other causes since our philosophy is of frienship; the aim is never to annoy or plea with donors for help... If you can help--it's most appreciated. I also realize that not everyone is in the financial situation to donate. Perhaps, having this type of philosophy isn't the most lucrative, but it has always worked for us in the past. Friends of Nicaragua School Project are some of the most wonderful and generous people:)

We seriously appreciate our donors and use 100% of the money for the children and teachers of our two schools in El Pantanal.

Thank you for helping in whatever way you can.

Kathryn, Andres, and Juan Carlos.

Take Spanish in Nicaragua!

A really wonderful way to travel is to spend some time in a country learning a language. This project was born from my desire to learn Spanish and also experience living in another culture.

My intercultural and language skills evolved each day I spent in Nicaragua; I was learning how to live my life in another country. The mere lesson of living and breathing another culture gave me the needed skills to run this small project (which has been around for 3 years...) Getting to know the people through my (sometimes) poor attempts at speaking their language created the bridge from my culture to theirs--I naturally (without intent) built the needed relationships to create a project that worked within the confines of Nicaragua.

It was never my goal to start a project like SI QUIERES or Nicaragua School Project Society but my goal of learning Spanish and choice to live in a Nicaraguan families' house gave me this opportunity. This type of travel is worth trying--it is bound to take most people out of their comfort zones. Feeling the differences of another culture can be the most amazing learning experience of all. I encourage people to pick a language--pick a country--and jet!

I recommend Granada, Nicaragua and taking your Spanish classes at Casa Xalteva: http://wwww.casaxalteva.org
The staff at Casa Xalteva is phenomenal. Beautiful, laughing, wise people... We often travel and never talk to the people around us--the bartendars, hotel staff, and taxi drivers... Taking Spanish classes will give you the opportunity to connect.

Feel free to email me if you have question about Casa Xalteva.

Education in Nicaragua

I sat on the porch with Olma, my Nicaraguan home stay momma, attempting to seek refuge from the sauna like atmosphere of the tin roofed house. My 14 year old Nica brother, Oscar, also joined us outside. We sat on the street in wooden rocking chairs. The conversation turned interesting.

Olma discussed education in Nicaragua. She told me something that I will never forget. She told me that the parents of children in Nicaragua have only one responsibility—that is to ensure that their children go to school. She believes that the reason why many kids don’t go to school is because their parents don’t enforce it; they quickly give up on their children after a few refusals or the ‘feet stuck in the mud’ syndrome.

Olma grew up extremely impoverished; she was raised by her mother who worked hard her whole life cleaning and cooking in nasty rich peoples’ houses. Although they struggled, Olma claims her mother made sure that her children attended school—whether clean, dirty, or hungry—they made it to school every day. Both her daughters graduated high school.

The conversation turned to Oscar, who isn’t Olma’s biological son but somewhat of an unofficial adopted son. Oscar can be lazy. Sometimes he doesn’t feel like going to school and struggles to get out of bed. Olma directed her comments at him—stressing that he had a choice—go to school and succeed or drop out and end up an uneducated casualty.

I had been teaching English to Oscar the past month and had noticed his desire to ask a lot of questions. Asking questions implies a level of interest and intelligence. I told Oscar that he was smart and has a lot of potential. My words hit his heart; I could see a slight flicker of a smirk. I hope Oscar chooses his path through education.

I think Olma is right. Kids need to go to school. Parents need to force them to go. School is free in Nicaragua (at the public schools.) Projects like ours—Nicaragua School Project— can break down other financial barriers for parents, since we purchase necessary school supplies for 600 children in El Pantanal. Let the mentality of education (seen in Olma) spread like wild fire across Nicaragua and throughout this beautiful world!!

Update: Feb 2011

Hello friends of Nicaragua School Project Society,

Just a quick hello to report of our successful progress here in Nicaragua--we have plentiful school supplies ready to be placed into the arms of curious children. Yesterday, we purchased a load of supplies and spent the afternoon creating packets of individual school supplies. Tomorrow, we will be making our way to our two schools.

If anyone has facebook and would like to join our facebook group--search Si Quieres, Pueden Reir. This is a good way to keep up to date with our progress, see new pictures, and videos. As well as our website is: www.nicaraguaschoolproject.org

I was lucky enough to meet a couple from england who work with people on garbage dumps in Cambodia; and now in Nicaragua--they loved our project and are featuring us in their upcoming documentary (in September.) You can see their work at smallstepsproject.org

Muchas gracias for your lovely support!

regards,

Kathryn Moncur, Juan Carlos, and Andres.