1. La Esperanza Granada www.la-esperanza-granada.org When a child learns to recognize the significance of letters and numbers, a gateway to the whole world opens up for them.

2. La Esperanza Granada www.la-esperanza-granada.org Nicaragua Even though the country has been at peace for over 20 years, most people have a certain image of Nicaragua…

3. La Esperanza Granada www.la-esperanza-granada.org Nicaragua This autumn, the image will shift again when the country is portrayed on television as a pristine and untamed playground, and so ripe for tourism…

4. La Esperanza Granada www.la-esperanza-granada.org

5. La Esperanza Granada www.la-esperanza-granada.org Nicaragua However, the real Nicaragua is very different from both of these perceptions…

6. La Esperanza Granada www.la-esperanza-granada.org Basic Facts 47% of the population lives below the poverty line.

7. La Esperanza Granada www.la-esperanza-granada.org 32% live on less than $2 a day. Basic Facts

8. La Esperanza Granada www.la-esperanza-granada.org Nicaragua ranks only 129 th on the UN Human Development Index. Basic Facts

9. La Esperanza Granada www.la-esperanza-granada.org 23% of the population suffer the effects of malnutrition. Basic Facts

10. La Esperanza Granada www.la-esperanza-granada.org Resulting in 1 in 3 children with concentration problems. Basic Facts

11. La Esperanza Granada www.la-esperanza-granada.org And only 34% of children finish primary school. Basic Facts

12. La Esperanza Granada www.la-esperanza-granada.org Such conditions are why La Esperanza Granada was created in 2002 – to lend a hand to the poor of Nicaragua.

13. La Esperanza Granada www.la-esperanza-granada.org This is done by providing primary school educational assistance to 4 poverty stricken communities outside the colonial city of Granada.

14. La Esperanza Granada www.la-esperanza-granada.org The motto is to give a hand up, not a hand out…

15. La Esperanza Granada www.la-esperanza-granada.org At the core of our program are the foreign volunteers – they have been very successful at fostering education among the children.

16. La Esperanza Granada www.la-esperanza-granada.org At any given time we have anywhere from 25 -45 volunteers – of all age ranges – here from around the world.

17. La Esperanza Granada www.la-esperanza-granada.org The volunteers provide the basics – reading, writing, arithmetic – to children in kindergarten and Grades 1 through 6.

18. La Esperanza Granada www.la-esperanza-granada.org Helping these children to develop their young minds and to expand their horizons.

19. La Esperanza Granada www.la-esperanza-granada.org And fostering an appreciation of education that will hopefully encourage them to continue their studies.

20. La Esperanza Granada www.la-esperanza-granada.org Outside the classroom, the volunteers go directly into the communities to read with the children and help with their homework.

21. La Esperanza Granada www.la-esperanza-granada.org With these visits the volunteers can focus on one to one interpersonal tutoring – ensuring that no child falls behind and is at risk of dropping out.

22. La Esperanza Granada www.la-esperanza-granada.org While the emphasis is on instruction, a key component is to instill in the children the joy and wonder that education can bring.

23. La Esperanza Granada www.la-esperanza-granada.org There is also an English Team that teaches the older children, Grades 3 – 6, weekly in each school.

24. La Esperanza Granada www.la-esperanza-granada.org Aside from classroom education, extracurricular sports programs have been developed.

25. La Esperanza Granada www.la-esperanza-granada.org And dexterity and creativity are given free reign to flourish in the Arts and Crafts programs.

26. La Esperanza Granada www.la-esperanza-granada.org Computer classes are also a special treat for the children – for most its the first time using one.

27. La Esperanza Granada www.la-esperanza-granada.org As dental health is very important we take children from all the schools for clinic visits which we pay for.

28. La Esperanza Granada www.la-esperanza-granada.org Another part of our program is awarding high school scholarships to primary school graduates from the communities.

29. La Esperanza Granada www.la-esperanza-granada.org The objective is both to encourage the children to successfully complete primary school and to reward them for doing so.

30. La Esperanza Granada www.la-esperanza-granada.org Our donors commit to supporting the children for the whole 5 year program - we currently have 80 children enrolled.

31. La Esperanza Granada www.la-esperanza-granada.org A further key component of our work is enlisting older youths from the communities as Ayudantes or Helpers in both the schools and the office.

32. La Esperanza Granada www.la-esperanza-granada.org These are former students financially supported by donor scholarships through 5 years of university – an opportunity not otherwise available to them.

33. La Esperanza Granada www.la-esperanza-granada.org This enables them to learn new skills and so have a better chance of finding a good job – and breaking the cycle of poverty.

34. La Esperanza Granada www.la-esperanza-granada.org They must complete high school to qualify and give their time helping children within the same poor communities they grew up in.

35. La Esperanza Granada www.la-esperanza-granada.org The objective is to have these young people take part in the improvement of their own villages while increasing their experience and building confidence & self esteem.

36. La Esperanza Granada www.la-esperanza-granada.org This is a double boost for these impoverished communities – providing higher education to their youth while developing role models for the younger children.

37. La Esperanza Granada www.la-esperanza-granada.org

38. Chilo English Scarlet Pablo Antonio Cuadra Justo Pablo Antonio Cuadra Karla English Tatiana Nueva Esperanza La Esperanza GranadaAyudantes

39. Juan Bosco Computer Maria de los Angeles Nueva Esperanza Jaqueline Jose de la Cruz Mena Alvin Computer Ramon Computer La Esperanza Granada

40. Belkys Escudo Mario Escudo La Esperanza Granada

41. Donald Volunteer Coordinator Karen Office Administrator Flor Office Asst. La Esperanza GranadaEmployees

42. La Esperanza Granada www.la-esperanza-granada.org The organization also helps in another fashion – by developing, funding and coordinating construction of needed facilities within the schools and communities.

43. La Esperanza Granada www.la-esperanza-granada.org Also, through the years we have been able to pay the salaries of extra local teachers and pre-school assistants.

44. La Esperanza Granada www.la-esperanza-granada.org Our relationships within the communities have allowed us to host visiting groups outside the educational field – providing medical clinics, school painting and other diverse needs.

45. La Esperanza Granada www.la-esperanza-granada.org Helping and allowing children to learn Lending a hand to the poor of Nicaragua The motto : give a hand up, not a hand out… We are grateful for any help you can give us!