Nicaragua

According to a 2009 study by the government of Spain, about 874 people, 225 families and 450 children live in the community of La Chureca.  Over 350 students attend the SoH, and 100 of those students participate in our lacrosse program each week.

We believe that education is necessary and important to help each child rise above poverty. Our goal is to use the lacrosse program to help increase attendance and improve graduation rates by 10% over the next 5 years.

Nicaragua Facts:

·       17% of the population of 5.6 mm live in extreme poverty (~850,000) – over half are children (~425,000)

·       Of primary school-aged children (grades K-6), 90% are enrolled, but only 77% of the boys and 84% of the girls attend regularly

·       Of secondary school-aged children (grades 7-12), only 35% of the boys and 47% of the girls attend regularly

The School of Hope

The School of Hope was founded in 2000 as a semi-private primary (K-6) school in session February– November each year. The school receives support from the Nicaraguan Department of Education, Open Hearts, and the generosity of personal donations.  The School of Hope recognizes that education is life-changing as a prerequisite to better jobs and as transformative to students’ emotional, spiritual, and personal development. Local public school are largely inaccessible to children in La Chureca because of the cost of uniforms and supplies, traveling distance and social stigma.

Upon graduation, students may continue on to public school with the assistance of scholarship programs, to trade schools, or to jobs. The School of Hope runs a high school scholarship program. Recipients receive $100 per year for school uniforms, notebooks, school supplies, outings, and community service projects that give back to their own community.