Dear Friends,
Greetings from Nicaragua.
What a privilege to witness the start of our new school year with all its accompanying energy. We’re welcoming a 20% increase in our student population and the additions of our first principal, Mariam, our new literacy/special ed teacher, Silvia, and our new kitchen assistant, Margarita.
Our guiding principle this year: “the power of consistency and faith in its power to transform.”
Our community continues to grow and bond, and there is much to celebrate – even among the challenges – that make us strong. Each day, it’s the steadfast, caring spirit that underlies, stabilizes, and motivates us.
Thank you for making all this possible through your ongoing support.
We continue to be so grateful for all you do.
Chuck
Seeing what’s in front of our faces
Mariam, our new principal, has revitalized our lending library by introducing “Library Day” once a week for each teacher. Each session includes 30 minutes in the classroom and 30 minutes in the library, with students and community members free to visit at any time.
Marisela, our enthusiastic librarian, reads aloud and conducts a comprehension quiz, followed by a related activity. This week’s activity was public speaking, where Marisela set up a cardboard TV camera and microphone. The kids interviewed me and then prepared questions for our cook, Isabel and our art teacher, Edmundo. It was priceless!
Rushing to give thanks to Rush
After 62 years of unparalleled service to our tri-state area, Rush Uniforms in New Castle, DE closed its doors, and Cramers Uniforms re-opened them a month later, now operating at the same location.
In preparation for the transition, owner Winnie Rush offered to donate much of their inventory of beautiful new clothing to Neighbors to Nicaragua. Our students and families are so pleased! New clothes in Nicaragua are expensive. None of our families can afford them.
Thank you Winnie for your great service to our community and your generosity. We wish you joy in this well-deserved transition! You’ve been a part of many of our childhoods, keeping us looking our best!
Love is in the air for students & staff
Our students enjoyed the Valentine’s Day celebrations each teacher prepared for them.
Congratulations to our wonderful master teacher, Jenny, on the birth of her daughter last Tuesday: Ainara Desiree. She is just hours old here!
Marvin Aviles, our terrific administrative assistant, is now grandfather to a beautiful grandson. Welcome Eithan Gael Diaz Aviles.
Our staff celebrated the Valentine’s Day wedding of our wonderful art teacher Edmundo and his wife, Antonina.
Please don’t put paint on the walls!
Art supplies are expensive in Nicaragua. But who needs canvases when you have ….um….walls? And with the rough, dusty weather and the hands of 126 active kids, the walls become an etch-a-sketch every few year, ready for a new coat of paint and new ideas. In the last photo, the art teacher teaches by example. On his lunch break on Monday, Edmundo snuck into the principal’s office space to spruce it up a bit!
Teaching emotional intelligence and empathy
Every Saturday morning at 9:30, a voluntary course on personal development occurs at our school. Our goal this year is to increase attendance slightly without diluting the personal attention that makes these classes so personal and impactful. Last week, our students learned about emotional intelligence: how attentive awareness to our feelings help us gain control of their consequences. This week’s topic was Empathy.
Gian Carlos is an astute, dynamic teacher who takes the invisible and makes it concrete for children to understand.
Monthly Sponsorship Report
As of now, we have 78 generous sponsorships contributing $70/month ($840/year) — to support of our 126 amazing students.
✅ OUR CURRENT SPONSORSHIP RATE IS down from last time to 62% because of our increase in population. This is our new baseline. Thank you to our sponsors.
Our goal at Neighbors to Nicaragua is to have the same or greater number of sponsors as we have students, ensuring each child receives a daily meal and a quality education.
🙏 A heartfelt thank you to all our current sponsors, our partners — and to those considering joining this life-changing mission.
Together, we’re making a difference!
