Photos: baseball game during kids club, one of the most popular sports right now, thanks to our friends Troy and Rudd. Troy works with Portland Schooner Company, please check him out for a great boat ride! Next shows all the children gathered for christmas which was held on Nathans property under the roof of the community center. The last photo is a shot of the new community center as it sat three days ago, we are only just waiting for the windows to be installed hopefully today!
As for the most recent updates things here have been crazy busy. Between all of Nate’s personal projects for Rancho Esperanza and all the projects for the Assist Jiquilillo Fund I must say We’ve been out straight. However, crazy as life may be here I’m sooo happy to be back and a part of this community again.
Projects specifically with the Assist Jiquilillo Funds have been moving slowly however surely. Nate and I have looked at several vehicles both of which our mechanic said were ripping us off. So as for the vehicle front still no luck. We are still waiting to hear back from another person, a friend of a friend, who may have a pick-up for sale. However, promising this may sound I have become used to disappointment and will attempt to patiently wait until our mechanic gives the “A-okay.” But, I’m getting eager and would really like to see this purchase made sooner than later. Ideas for the use of the pick-up have grown and will now include not only the use as an ambulance in the evening but in the morning either Nate or I will pick up the teachers at the bus stop and drive them to school. It turns out none of the teachers have a bike this year, and it is taking them up to 45 minutes to walk to the school. This means the teachers have been arriving late and several of the children have been going home since no one is there.
As for the children sponsorship things have been moving along. Currently using my personal funds I have purchased uniforms for four boys, know as the “Pargitos” (little red snappers). I have decided to use them as for the first sponsors to see if the children of the most need who say they want to go to school actually go and do their work. So far so good! This family is one within the community with approximately 12 children. Most of which have no education above 1st grade. All four boys (Yanni age 8, Andonis age 10, Yader age 11, and Ricardo age 13) are currently in 1st grade. The teacher says they have been attending school daily and have been completing their homework. The only problems have been small fights erupting with the older children who make fun of them for being older and still in first grade. This is something Nathan and I will be speaking with the entire school about in the near future.
The children who will be sponsored by the Assist Jiquilillo Fund, Nathan and I have put word out through the entire village that we are able to help this year. We have told everyone to send their children no matter what they are lacking for this month and at the end of the month Nathan and I will have a meeting with the teachers to determine who will be sponsored. Currently, the teachers are using a type of flow chart to keep track of weekly attendance, homework, and classroom participation. A sticker is given at the end of the week to the children who attend classes daily, complete their homework, and participate in the class discussions without major interruptions or distractions. Sponsorship will be determined using these charts and finding the students who have the most stickers and then determining the poverty level and need according to the teachers and our understanding of the family situations. Another use for the charts is to promote the education of the use. At the end of each month the children who have stickers in every category will have the opportunity to participate in a piñata. One piñata per classroom will be given. Nathan and I are having a hard time to see this as anything other than a bribe, but honestly it’s working. More children have been attending school than in the past several years and the teachers say the majority have been behaving better than normal.
The student numbers for the school is up which is a great thing, however, there are still only five teachers for preschool through 6th grade. The preschool teacher has been out on medical leave since the first day of school, her husband, a good friend of ours, recently underwent a minor operation, but you know men (well most at least), and well he’s playing it up likes he’s dying and milking it for all it’s worth. In turn she won’t be back until Monday of this coming week. As a result of this there are now 35 preschool students running free in the village during school hours and it makes me just want to pull my hair out that they aren’t in school. First grade is the largest class in the school with 48 students; this poor teacher has her hands full as the students range in age from 6 years old up through 13 years old. It’s hard work but honestly she seems to be doing the best job keeping order in her classroom. Second grade is a bit strange and has 24 students however the teacher also teaches 9 of the fifth grade students as well. To me this is just strange the grade difference is just too much I would think for one teacher, but she seems to be doing alright at the moment. Next there is one teacher for third and fourth grade, these two grades combined have 41 students, also quite a handful. Last but not least is the remaining 10 fifth graders mixed with 18 sixth graders. As a teacher by degree I’m am baffled at the standards or well lack there-of the teachers here in Nicaragua have to deal with. The amount of students is immense, the mixed grades are complicated, the lack of materials is atrocious and the upkeep of the school building is little to nonexistent. Therefore this is where the push to help the entire school comes in. First off the Assist Jiquilillo Fund has currently purchased five dictionaries for the school, one per classroom; this is a start as it was a spur of the moment decision. For five dictionaries a total of $15.85 was spent, more materials will soon follow, but first things first the school needs three more locks in order to secure the building. Then the latrines need to be repaired, as the doors are hanging off the hinges to the girls’ latrines.
As for Rancho Esperanza’s main focus the community center is being built as you read and is almost complete. We are currently only lacking windows and doors, which were supposed to arrive yesterday, but well you know we don’t really know where the carpenters disappeared to, don’t worry we’ll find ’em. The roof, walls, and electrical work has all been completed. It has been a very exciting process to watch. The transformation of Nathan’s property is amazing. The main purpose of the community center is to have a place to support adult education programs as well as the kid’s club program. The building itself will also be used to for community meetings, and town movie nights (free to all)!! The grand opening is scheduled on the 7th of March the weekend after Nathan’s birthday (February 29, yes he’s a leap year baby!) For the grand opening Nate and I have planned a huge event for the community. This is to include food for the first 200 people. Following the food will be a meeting explaining the recent land transactions here within the community and about the foreign investors coming in to buy up the property cheep and flip it for anywhere from 5 to 20 times what they just paid for it. Afterwards, Nate has been able to hire a famous musician here in Nicaragua to play live music. Everyone is sooooo excited!!!!! I’ll keep you posted about how everything turns out the event is on the 7th so keep your fingers crossed for us. We have a lot of work ahead of us!!
Projects specifically with the Assist Jiquilillo Funds have been moving slowly however surely. Nate and I have looked at several vehicles both of which our mechanic said were ripping us off. So as for the vehicle front still no luck. We are still waiting to hear back from another person, a friend of a friend, who may have a pick-up for sale. However, promising this may sound I have become used to disappointment and will attempt to patiently wait until our mechanic gives the “A-okay.” But, I’m getting eager and would really like to see this purchase made sooner than later. Ideas for the use of the pick-up have grown and will now include not only the use as an ambulance in the evening but in the morning either Nate or I will pick up the teachers at the bus stop and drive them to school. It turns out none of the teachers have a bike this year, and it is taking them up to 45 minutes to walk to the school. This means the teachers have been arriving late and several of the children have been going home since no one is there.
As for the children sponsorship things have been moving along. Currently using my personal funds I have purchased uniforms for four boys, know as the “Pargitos” (little red snappers). I have decided to use them as for the first sponsors to see if the children of the most need who say they want to go to school actually go and do their work. So far so good! This family is one within the community with approximately 12 children. Most of which have no education above 1st grade. All four boys (Yanni age 8, Andonis age 10, Yader age 11, and Ricardo age 13) are currently in 1st grade. The teacher says they have been attending school daily and have been completing their homework. The only problems have been small fights erupting with the older children who make fun of them for being older and still in first grade. This is something Nathan and I will be speaking with the entire school about in the near future.
The children who will be sponsored by the Assist Jiquilillo Fund, Nathan and I have put word out through the entire village that we are able to help this year. We have told everyone to send their children no matter what they are lacking for this month and at the end of the month Nathan and I will have a meeting with the teachers to determine who will be sponsored. Currently, the teachers are using a type of flow chart to keep track of weekly attendance, homework, and classroom participation. A sticker is given at the end of the week to the children who attend classes daily, complete their homework, and participate in the class discussions without major interruptions or distractions. Sponsorship will be determined using these charts and finding the students who have the most stickers and then determining the poverty level and need according to the teachers and our understanding of the family situations. Another use for the charts is to promote the education of the use. At the end of each month the children who have stickers in every category will have the opportunity to participate in a piñata. One piñata per classroom will be given. Nathan and I are having a hard time to see this as anything other than a bribe, but honestly it’s working. More children have been attending school than in the past several years and the teachers say the majority have been behaving better than normal.
The student numbers for the school is up which is a great thing, however, there are still only five teachers for preschool through 6th grade. The preschool teacher has been out on medical leave since the first day of school, her husband, a good friend of ours, recently underwent a minor operation, but you know men (well most at least), and well he’s playing it up likes he’s dying and milking it for all it’s worth. In turn she won’t be back until Monday of this coming week. As a result of this there are now 35 preschool students running free in the village during school hours and it makes me just want to pull my hair out that they aren’t in school. First grade is the largest class in the school with 48 students; this poor teacher has her hands full as the students range in age from 6 years old up through 13 years old. It’s hard work but honestly she seems to be doing the best job keeping order in her classroom. Second grade is a bit strange and has 24 students however the teacher also teaches 9 of the fifth grade students as well. To me this is just strange the grade difference is just too much I would think for one teacher, but she seems to be doing alright at the moment. Next there is one teacher for third and fourth grade, these two grades combined have 41 students, also quite a handful. Last but not least is the remaining 10 fifth graders mixed with 18 sixth graders. As a teacher by degree I’m am baffled at the standards or well lack there-of the teachers here in Nicaragua have to deal with. The amount of students is immense, the mixed grades are complicated, the lack of materials is atrocious and the upkeep of the school building is little to nonexistent. Therefore this is where the push to help the entire school comes in. First off the Assist Jiquilillo Fund has currently purchased five dictionaries for the school, one per classroom; this is a start as it was a spur of the moment decision. For five dictionaries a total of $15.85 was spent, more materials will soon follow, but first things first the school needs three more locks in order to secure the building. Then the latrines need to be repaired, as the doors are hanging off the hinges to the girls’ latrines.
As for Rancho Esperanza’s main focus the community center is being built as you read and is almost complete. We are currently only lacking windows and doors, which were supposed to arrive yesterday, but well you know we don’t really know where the carpenters disappeared to, don’t worry we’ll find ’em. The roof, walls, and electrical work has all been completed. It has been a very exciting process to watch. The transformation of Nathan’s property is amazing. The main purpose of the community center is to have a place to support adult education programs as well as the kid’s club program. The building itself will also be used to for community meetings, and town movie nights (free to all)!! The grand opening is scheduled on the 7th of March the weekend after Nathan’s birthday (February 29, yes he’s a leap year baby!) For the grand opening Nate and I have planned a huge event for the community. This is to include food for the first 200 people. Following the food will be a meeting explaining the recent land transactions here within the community and about the foreign investors coming in to buy up the property cheep and flip it for anywhere from 5 to 20 times what they just paid for it. Afterwards, Nate has been able to hire a famous musician here in Nicaragua to play live music. Everyone is sooooo excited!!!!! I’ll keep you posted about how everything turns out the event is on the 7th so keep your fingers crossed for us. We have a lot of work ahead of us!!
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