Laguna Project
Proyecto Laguna is a 501(c)3 non profit and a registered nongovernmental organization with the government of Nicaragua. It was founded in January of 2007, with the goal of empowering the people of Diriá, Nicaragua, with its 10,102 residents is located 16 kilometers south of Managua in the department of Granada.
The mission of this project is to improve basic education and health care through empowering the communities involved in our programs. They are dedicated to assist participants to improve their own lives through educational, health and economic development. They provide opportunities for the people within their programs to develop their own strengths as a community and obtain a brighter future.
The goals of Proyecto Laguna are to educate, nourish, empower, and provide health care:
- Educate - Provide access to education and improve schools
- Nourish - Improve access to potable water and adequate nutrition
- Empower - Aid and support in community economic development
- Health - Provide basic health care, starting with the children
Above all, they strive to remove barriers to education – making sure kids can go to school and keeping them in. This project currently serves 965 students and 50 teachers in three schools in the region of Diriá, Nicaragua.
In Nicaragua it is not uncommon for a child to not attend school because they lack a pencil to do their school work. In addition, Proyecto Laguna has identified 350 students in need of shoes. No law in Nicaragua states a child cannot attend school barefoot, but often the embarrassment of not having a pair of shoes keeps a child away from school. Parents of these 350 children will be unable to provide their children with shoes without our help. Proyecto Laguna has formed a cooperative of local cobblers in Diriá and works with them every year to make the shoes needed by the students. This way we are able to provide employment to the parents of the children we are helping and the money we spend stays within the community.
Ongoing needs
School supplies, uniforms, shoes, salaries for teachers and nurses, building materials to repair and build schools, food and clothing for families in need, medical care supplies (medications, braces, orthopedic shoes, surgeries, physical therapies, etc)
Amounts that can make a difference:
- The amount of $8,880 can provide all 3 schools and their students with basic school supplies, backpacks, shoes, and a school nurse for a whole year!
- To provide students with a backpack and basic school supplies costs $7.60 per student.
- To provide teachers with basic classroom supplies the cost is $10 per teacher.
- Backpacks are hand-sewn by a seamstress co-op made up of residents of Diriá, formed by Proyecto Laguna to provide employment and keep our funds within the community.
