Nicaragua Scholarship Students Contribute through Community Service

NICARAGUA STUDENTS

All of the Nicaragua scholarship students receiving support from sponsors through the Asla Foundation must participate in community service work. We asked three of them to tell us about their work, both what they are doing and how it has impacted them. We think the work they are doing is significant to their communities but also to their growth as individuals. Below are their stories, along with photos of the students. Our support of educational opportunities for these young people is transforming lives and communities!

My name is Maria del Carmen Gonzalez. I am 21 years old and studying nursing at Martin Lutero Universidad. I have been receiving help from the Asla Foundation for 6 years and I am so grateful that I can study to be a nurse. For my community service I plant trees for my community. I have planted palmera and marajito, sometimes fruit trees such as mango. I also work with some of the newer students to help plant in our community of San Pedro de Pire. It really helps our community because many people use wood to cook so it is important to replant to help with erosion. Sometimes we plant near the church or the school or near the river. We ask the people where it is most needed. It is so important to take care of our environment and to think of our future generations.

My name is Cristhel Paola Gonzalez and I am in my first year of high school. I study on Saturdays in Condega which is about an hour away from my community, San Pedro de Pire. I am new to the community so one of the other older students has invited me to help with planting trees in our community. I am very grateful to her because I have learned a great deal and I love to help my community. I am planting palmeras near my house and near the school. It is a plant that is strong and usually does well in our environment. It is very important to help our environment and I know that trees help the cycle of life to continue. I am very grateful for the help from the Asla Foundation.

My name is Erick Obed Diaz. I have been receiving help from the Asla Foundation for more than 5 years and I am so grateful to my sponsors. I will be graduating in September with a degree in agricultural engineering, and I am very excited. For many years I planted trees for my community service or helped with animals in the rural areas, but this year I decided to help tutor some students, one in particular, not only in his studies, but also as a friend. It is very rewarding because the student who I help is deaf and I have learned a great deal. We work usually weekly and I am lucky to have the help of an interpreter so we can communicate better.

We all must help each other to make a better world.

Condega, Nicaragua

For this month’s newsletter article, Nola tells us about Condega, the main town in the rural area of Pire where most of our scholarship students live.

The population of Condega itself is about 7,000-8,000, but the region of Pire includes many surrounding smaller villages and communities which makes the total population close to 30,000 people. Most people who live in the area are farmers and work very hard growing beans and corn to support their families.

Condega is the center of Pire where most of the students and their families come to buy supplies and food. The city has a central park, baseball stadium, soccer field, a few restaurants, and a rather new grocery store. Previously people would go to their smaller neighborhood family owned stores, but more people are travelling into Condega to buy what they need. Condega also has several internet cafes where the students come from their rural communities to do homework and research for their studies. Most of the people here are Catholic, and there is a Catholic church near the central park; with the growth of the area a new Catholic church has been built to serve the smaller communities on the northern and eastern areas of the town. There are also other small churches of various religions, including Assembly of God, Pentecostal, Baptist, and Jehovah Witness.

Condega is called the Land of the Potters and is known for pottery. In our museum there are many old pottery artifacts that have been excavated in the area. A replica of one is in our main park and also is the symbol for Condega – see the photo below of the large footed bowl. There is a woman’s pottery group in a neighboring community of Ducuali Grande that makes beautiful pottery and is quite famous. We also have an airplane park with an actual plane which was shot down during the civil war and dragged up from the river. Citizens have even built a small tower to walk up to and gaze at the lovely view of Condega and the surrounding area.

I could go on and on, but this is a brief description to share with you.

Come and visit!

Update

This update is coming to you a little late, as we wanted to report on the current political situation in Nicaragua. But there is still good news to report about our Nicaragua scholarship students. In December, the end of the 2017 school year, 16 students graduated! Seven of them graduated from high school and went on to college, and nine graduated from college with their degrees in education, business administration, engineering, and nursing. A total of one-hundred scholarship students started back to school this February, the month that schools begin in Nicaragua. Eighty-five of these students are returning scholars; because of sponsors’ generosity, we are able to fund an additional 15 new students this year. Of the 100 students, 72 are attending College/University, and 28 are enrolled in high school. 

Nola Scholarship Students

Nola hosted a celebratory get-together for the scholarship students in early March. We've included a couple of photos from the event.