Help Nicaragua's Poor Climb out of Poverty

“Before I didn’t have any savings, but now I have some for my family in a time of need.”

When Christina Guatemala first became a member of an Opportunity ASODENIC Trust Group in Jinotega, she had a tiny business making and selling tortillas and tamales to support her two children. Christina’s Trust Group motivated her to take a risk and expand. With careful savings and a second loan of $330, she opened a small store in the front of her home.

Today, as she sits in her pulperia, or store, Christina is living proof of the incredible change that is possible in the lives of the poor with access to credit. She now makes almost twice as much as she used to and has also managed to put aside $22 in savings, something she says is very important to her as a mother. “Before, I didn’t have any savings,” she explains, “but now I have some for my family in a time of need.”

Her loan officer calls her an inspiration to the rest of her Trust Group. “The other members see her life and are encouraged because she has done so well,” she says. The Trust Group is very supportive.  “When someone doesn’t have the money to repay their loan, we don’t wait for them to get it from somewhere, we pay it for them,” Christina says.

For Christina, the pulperia is the tool she will use to fulfill her dreams. “I want my kids to be somebody in the future,” she says. “I want them to get a good education and be special.”

The Emprenedora Technical High School  began operations in the Spring of 2012 starting with two classes of seventh graders. The school is designed to not only meet the requirements of the Nicaraguan Ministry of Education, but also to give students a hands-on learning opportunity in skills key to the local economy including hospitality and agriculture. Typical classroom learning is augmented to include the opportunity for students to learn and practice entrepreneurial skills through multiple school businesses. When sustainable, these school businesses will help support the school. 

May kicked off Nicaragua’s first planting season of the year with full student participation planting the organic garden. Students were involved in the preparation and planting of a variety of organic vegetables that will be sold to local restaurants and provide income for the school. Working in the garden using a simple gravity drip-irrigation system (see green tank in photo) is a new experience for the students. 

Additional school highlights include:

• Two school businesses currently operating: the chicken hatchery and the organic garden. In August, the team installed the infrastructure for bee-keeping.

• The construction of two additional classrooms, a library and kitchen/bodega is moving forward to accommodate the growth to 120 students planned for the 2013 academic year. 

• The Emprenedora School is utilizing the curriculum of the EARTH Institute that focuses on sustainable education models in Latin America. The curriculum augments the required national curriculum and allows the school to introduce entrepreneurial skills into the classroom as well as offer practical application in the school’s businesses. 

• The School is able to offer several extra-curricular activities that are not commonly found in the Nicaraguan setting such as music and organized sports. The aim is to support children’s holistic development and education.

Links:

• Website