La Esperanza Granada
La Esperanza Granada is an independent grass roots volunteer organization. Non political, and non denominational, their aim is to improve the future for children in impoverished circumstances through quality of education. The volunteers from La Esperanza work in the schools tutoring and mentoring the children in their early grades, giving them access both to individual attention for learning and resources for learning that are severely lacking in their homes. They have built extra classrooms, installed water tanks in the schools, whiteboards, fans, swings, basketball courts, and fenced school yards. In addition they have assisted the local Ministry of Education with funding for extra teachers, they pay a school nurse to visit the communities, take children for dental visits, for eye glasses, and supply multi vitamins to the children in their early years.
Their programs continue throughout school vacations, and on through the child’s educational life. They host sponsorships for high school education as well as scholarships for university education.
“My high school education has been made possible by La Esperanza Granada, without their help I would probably be working in the market or something. My younger brothers have learned to read, and learned math, through the help of La Esperanza Granada volunteers. We all enjoy the benefits brought to our community with sports, vacation activities and health services.” Statement from Meyling Duarte (now 17 years old and attending fourth year of high school).
Our ongoing needs are for teachers salaries, high school sponsorships, university scholarships, medicines for the communities, school supplies, arts and crafts supplies, food for vacation activities, and we are currently trying to raise funds to build a school in an area on the outskirts of Granada that does not have a school for children to go to despite the fact that large numbers of people who were previously homeless have taken up land and built shacks in this area.
Ongoing needs
Amounts that can make a difference:
- One child can go to high school for five years for $1000
- Playground equipment (swing sets with 8 swings) can be purchased with $500
- One week’s wages for our school nurse and for a teacher is $25 each
- Text book for math, science, geography etc. (most grades have only a few books that children need to all share) are $2.50 each
- A new school classroom including desks and whiteboards can be built with $10,000
