At first glance, Elisa seems shy and reserved, but her eyes shine with enthusiasm when she talks about her future. Despite living in one of the most remote communities in northern Nicaragua and having few economic resources, the 11-year-old student already has clear goals: to graduate from high school and become a psychologist to help children in her community, El Cipián.
In Nicaragua, 30% of children do not complete primary school (World Bank 2012); for children like Elisa who live in the most disadvantaged communities, obtaining a university education is an even more limited possibility. But Elisa is about to finish sixth grade and is determined to become the first in her family to go to college.
Every day, after attending public school in her community, Elisa helps her young sister with homework before helping her mother with chores. The upbringing of the two sisters has not been easy. To make ends meet, single mother, Sorangel, has had to migrate for work outside the community during long seasons and is forced to leave her daughters in the care of their grandmother. Elisa looks sad in her eyes when talking about her father’s absence. In fact, after her father left, Elisa had a setback in her studies. “My grades were low … I did not like to participate in class and did not want to go to school,” she recalls. But after joining Fabretto’s reading clubs, her academic performance and self-confidence improved remarkably. Without a doubt, books opened the door to a better future for Elisa.
For the past two years, the young reader has been a part of the reading club “Los 12 Corazones de María” (Mary’s 12 Hearts). Elisa would not miss a single day of reading club. No matter the distance, she is always enthusiastic to lead reading out loud activities with children in other communities. “I love helping younger children to read. That’s my favorite activity!” she confesses with a smile. In addition to promoting reading among younger students, she and her fellow reading club members carry out community service and fundraising initiatives for the sick and homeless.
“My biggest motivation is to make other children feel the same joy I feel through reading,” shares the young community leader.
Reading has brought back Elisa’s smile. With only 11 years of age, she has already become a community leader and an example for other children. Education has empowered Elisa with confidence and resilience to overcome adversity. At such a young age, she is following the footsteps of Father Fabretto, being an example of hope and service to the people in her community.
“If you ever lose your smile, find it in the smile of other children.”
Thank you for supporting children like Elisa!
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The door to Denis’s classroom is completely covered with colorful phrases, drawings, and clippings. Among the phrases written by hand, one stands out: "We learn from mistakes and celebrate the success of others." Carelia, the teacher and creator of the murals, smiles and proudly explains: “Students must be encouraged, especially those who have learning disabilities.” Such has been the case for Denis, a 7-year-old boy from a family with limited resources who was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
In 2018, Yerlin, Denis’s mother, went to the Fabretto Education Center in Esteli, Nicaragua, to seek help for her son. “At school, Denis suffered from abuse. The students were afraid of him, and the teachers constantly scolded him because they did not understand ADHD,” recalls the mother. But thanks to the professional support received at Fabretto, in a short time, Denis began to show significant progress and to smile as he had rarely done before.
At Fabretto, Denis received psychological therapy and his teacher, Carelia, has played a critical role in preparing him to become a part of a regular classroom. The teacher has received training in play-based educational methodologies for primary education students, similar to Montessori. Through playful activities, children have managed to transform from mere recipients of information to protagonists of their own learning. “Less than a year ago, Denis did not know how to read or write. Today, he is an outstanding student and loves to visit the center’s library frequently,” explains the elementary school teacher.
Carelia has taught the rest of the students to serve as support for Denis. Through social reinforcements such as hugs, praises, or any other manifestation of affection, they manifest to him how well he has acted. “Children with hyperactivity have to be treated with patience; here [at Fabretto] we are convinced that the best solution to any problem is love.”
Denis’s mother, sister, and grandmother have also learned the value of affection in the child’s recovery and development. “Before, my daughter and I cried because we did not understand what was happening to Denis. We did not know how to deal with him, and that’s why we scolded him all the time. But Fabretto’s staff has instilled in us the patience and techniques we need to help him with his studies at home,” says his grandmother, Rosa.
Denis has shown not only great progress in his social, emotional, and educational skills but also a significant change in his nutritional state. “Before in his most critical moments, he could not eat, but now, he remains at the table and finishes his entire meal calmly,” says his mother, Yerlin.
Thanks to the joint work between the family and the school, today, Denis can identify the critical moments of hyperactivity on his own and then put into practice self-control techniques. “When Denis is very restless, he performs breathing exercises on his own and asks for permission to leave the classroom to walk for a bit,” explains his teacher, Carelia.
At Fabretto, we are convinced that through quality personalized education, and by working hand in hand with all the members of the community, we can create environments where children like Denis can truly thrive. Thanks to people like you, we can continue to support children like Denis.
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For many in Nicaragua, 2018 was about resilience. In the midst of a socio-economic crisis, members of La Familia Fabretto – parents, teachers, students – made exceptional sacrifices to continue making progress toward advancing education in the most underserved communities, even during the most difficult phase of armed conflict.
To review 2018 is to honor the Nicaraguan people and their ability to keep moving forward amidst adversity. I have seen teachers like Francis risk it all just to keep the doors of our centers open and provide a safe space for children to play, learn, and dream; determined mothers like Neydis who, despite living in poverty, are keeping the faith and hope of a better future for their children; young women like Katherine who are making a steady income through farming in the midst of an economic crisis.
Having witnessed their beautiful resilience, I have no doubt Nicaragua will bloom like a spring flower and thrive. This is the country that inspired our founder, Padre Fabretto, to leave everything behind for its people.
Today we honor their resilient stories and recognize your outstanding generosity entrusted to Fabretto. Thank you for believing in Nicaragua.
GRACIAS.
Kevin Marinacci
CEO
The Salomón Ibarra center, located in Estelí, is one of the thirty educational centers that has concluded the first cycle of an innovative education project called CHISPA. The initiative consists of creating an innovative and dynamic learning environment in mathematics to replace traditional teaching methods and paradigms in each of the primary schools.
CHISPA serves students from first to third grade of primary school. Each year, over 350 students in Esteli participate in this innovative teaching model. “Participating in the CHISPA project has strengthened teachers’ knowledge and techniques, through time management, problem-based learning, the flipped model, and the use of playful tools such as educational treasure hunts, math cards, math bingo, coding the alphabet, graphic organizers, dominoes, sudoku, among others,” explains Geneli Quiroz, Director of the Salomón Ibarra center.
Teachers learned methodologies such as active and contextual learning, learning through play, and the use of technology as an educational tool for the development of critical mathematical thinking, and problem-solving.
Thank you for your continued support. Thanks to you, we can bring education to underserved children in Nicaragua.
At 14 years of age, Reyna Elizabeth is in 5th grade. She lives in the small community of Nueva Esperanza in Las Sabanas, Nicaragua, where she has the luxury of attending a school that’s less than a 5-minute walk from home.
Reyna’s humble house is built of adobe, with a low tin roof and barely any windows. It’s been raining for days and her mother, Doña Reyna, is worried the small retaining walls surrounding the house will not hold. With a pained look in her face, the mother of 9 recalls her family’s experience with hurricane Mitch in 1998. The family was living in the community of El Encino when the non-stop rains began. Without any warning, the house, with the family in it, flooded with mud waist deep. One of her sons was dragged a few feet, but they were able to rescue him. Having lost their home of many years, the family moved to Nueva Esperanza (New Hope) where they had to start anew.
When Reyna was in first grade, she had so much trouble learning to read and write, that she had to repeat first grade twice. However, despite the circumstances, with the help of Fabretto’s Educational Enrichment Program, Reyna Elizabeth has not let her learning disability bring her down. This year, she has joined a LitClub. With 13 members (all girls), her club is called The Maidens of the Garden. In addition to reading together and reading to younger children in their school, the girls are always looking for ways to help out in their community. This week, they are donating C$10 (about $0.30) each to help buy vitamins for a local girl who has fallen ill. LitClub has taught Reyna so much; from learning to listen to others with respect, to overcoming shyness by practicing oral presentations, she is ready to achieve her short-term goal: finishing primary school, something her mother was never able to accomplish.
Reyna’s community service does not stop there, however. At home, she patiently helps her mother practice her reading and writing. Doña Reyna only made it to 3rd grade and never developed a habit of reading. Now, with Reyna’s help, at age 49, Doña Reyna is starting to read again. The proud mother boasts about her daughter’s accomplishments in reading and writing, but she also celebrates her own. When it comes to numbers, Doña Reyna is a pro; “I even went to the bank the other day! Other people here are too afraid to go, but I don’t mind,” she tells us proudly.
After completing her schooling, Reyna’s wish is to become a doctor. “Why? Because I want to give shots!” she answers, laughing. Through access to quality education, we are confident Reyna’s wish will come true.
Thank you for helping Fabretto turn wishes into miracles. Happy Holidays!
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