Hogar Luceros del Amanecer

NEW Blog address

2011-08-28T11:37:00.000-07:00

Hi Hogar Supporters!
We have a new blog address (because we have a NEW and IMPROVED website!! - SO exciting!!)
You can find it here: http://thesunrisefoundation.org/blog/

New Supplies for a New Boxing Coach

2011-06-20T11:53:00.000-07:00

As part of our commitment to the Youth Boxing program in Camoapa (that targets street kids), our Hogar Luceros program provides all meals, Monday through Friday, to the trainer Carlos, who lives in Managua and travels back and forth to Camoapa every week. Recently, our Program and Development Coordinator, Emily, who travels to and from the United States brought back to Camoapa with her a large donation of used boxing supplies, all in good shape. These supplies included 6 pairs of gloves, 4 sets of handwraps, 2 pairs of shoes, 2 headgears, 4 protective cups, 1 chest guard and 1 set of trainer mitts.

Our new trainer, Carlos, hails from Managua. He comes from a family of boxers and has been training since he was small. He is 24 years old, and has fought in over 60 fights. Though this is his first experience as a trainer, he has lived a life similar to the kids that he is training, giving him the background necessary to understand them and their struggles. He also comes highly recommended from a couple of our boxing contacts from Managua. He has been in Camoapa for several months now and he has shown outstanding commitment to both the kids and teens he is coaching as well as the small children we have here at the Hogar.

Cashews, cashews and more cashews

2011-05-31T13:40:00.000-07:00

Apart from the crops we harvest (beans, corn, yucca, peppers, jamaica, etc.), we are slowly developing our 25-acre farm into a local vivero (nursery) so that we can do our part to address the deforestation problem in Nicaragua. As one of the largest cattle production areas in the country, Camoapa continues to graze and develop its luscious land for beef and milk export, resulting in significant deforestation of this mid-highland region. Over to the last 6 years, we have planted over 1000 trees, including mango, avocado, coffee, cashew, lime, orange, papaya, oak and mahogany. Our current project is seeding over 100 new cashew trees for future harvest.

The cashew nut (seed) hangs off the bottom of the fruit which is shaped like a pear. The picture below shows the nut and fruit from one of our mature trees. From time of planting, trees take about 3 years to harvest.

A Bittersweet Goodbye

2011-05-12T12:40:00.000-07:00

Here at the Hogar, lots of excellent and generous volunteers come through our doors, stay for a few weeks or sometimes months; they give a little back and are then on their way to other exciting adventures. But every once in a while we get volunteers that give a LOT back and are truly missed once they are gone. Drew, our theater teacher and Jordan, our play-group specialist (both from Colorado) were the best of the best. They brought a new form of energy and creativity to our program (and even to other adult groups in town). Our staff miss them, the kids keep talking about them and everyone hopes that one day they will come back to visit.

Here Drew and Jordan are seen playing creative theater games and supporting the kids in their first-ever theater performances.

Sustaining Quality Education is Hard!

2011-04-26T07:17:00.000-07:00

Some of you may be following the recent controversy over alleged fraudulent claims by Greg Mortenson, Executive Director and founder of the Central Asia Institute (CAI) and author of Three Cups of Tea. First aired on 60 Minutes, Mr. Mortenson, who claims to have built schools and supported educational initiatives in rural Pakistan and Afghanistan, has been accused of mishandling the financials of his organization, monetarily benefiting from his book proceeds as well sensationalizing and at times flat out lying about his personal experiences.

Without taking sides or passing judgements over this man's work, or the education that is or is not happening in rural Pakistan and Afghanistan, we would like to share the following article and some of our own thoughts about the challenges of international development work and providing sustainable quality education to under-served people in developing countries. This article was written in direct response to the ongoing outrage over the Three Cups of Tea scandal.

Click here to read the article:
Three Cups of BS, written by Alanna Shaikh

The aftermath of this scandal coming to light could have significant consequences (both good and bad) for all international development projects. And those of us who are focusing on education may feel the brunt of those consequences (whether that is an increase of hoops we have to jump through or a smaller flow of international aid money.) The point we would like to make, however, is that all of us who work in this field should not be afraid to talk about the problems we face, the difficulties we have to overcome on a daily basis and the time that it takes to really make a program succeed for the children and people that it is serving. Development work is not easy (even when we might have a lot of money to spend) and we should always celebrate the small achievements. But simultaneously, we have to be aware of the dangers; whether that is the misuse of money, growing too large too quickly or trusting the wrong people. These problems can, of course, happen anywhere at any time, but with international programs, where programmatic and fiscal oversight is often less strictly enforced, we ourselves have to be vigilant of the risks without falling into the traps. We should impose our own oversight, and be honest with ourselves and with our supporters about exactly how we are making a difference and what we are doing with the money.

This controversy should not dissuade us from doing the hard work, from looking for support from the outside or from feeling shamed into hiding information. In fact, it should do the opposite. And maybe this can serve as a wake up call to the rest of the world about how hard our jobs really are.

To all of you international workers out there - Keep fighting the good fight!

Our 8th School Year!

2011-03-07T13:51:00.000-08:00

We just recently celebrated our 7th birthday on February 4th. That means that we are entering our 8th school year for Hogar Luceros del Amanecer and our 2nd full year of our newer outreach program, Ayudame a Crecer! Yes, we are still going strong! With a small grant from Camoapa's sister city, Arcata, CA, we were able to get enough school supplies (notebooks, pencils, pens, backpacks and uniforms) to send off all our 75 children looking and feeling good for their first days of the new school year.

Here are some pictures of our first parent meeting, our folkloric dancers to celebrate and some of the school supplies getting passed out to parents.

Theater Class!!

2011-01-25T08:39:00.000-08:00

We have been blessed with two incredible volunteers from Colorado.

Drew is a high school drama teacher who has been working hard with our kids to develop their creativity in a way that they have never seen or experienced. He started with basic theater games, moving to charades and finally has been working with some of the older kids and the adolescents to write a version of "Beauty and the Beast" which they will soon perform for the Hoger Luceros community. Most of the youth began this process feeling uncomfortable acting and performing in front of each other. Many of them goofed around, some chose to sit out altogether. But with persistence and allowing them time to let their guards down, they eventually warmed up. The classes are truly in full swing and the kids are really enjoying themselves (as you can see from the photos!)

Jordan, our other volunteer, helps Drew with the theater class and also holds play groups with the younger children of the Ayudame a Crecer program. She also spends a few days a week volunteering at the Casa de la Mujer, a program for women in Camoapa. She has a background in both theater and psychology.

To see more photos of our new theater class, check out our photo album on facebook.

Our Birthday Wish

2011-01-14T08:28:00.000-08:00

Hogar Luceros del Amanecer and The Sunrise Foundation have teamed up (yet again) to create a birthday wish through our CAUSES page on Facebook. This social media site allows us to reach more individuals and organizations that are dedicated to changing the world and it encourages them to provide us with their support. YEAH!

This year, for our 7th birthday (February 4th,) we have set a simple fundraising goal of $500. With a contribution of just $25 from 20 of our supporters, we can reach this goal in no time flat. So will you consider sending us a birthday present? Your support will help Nicaraguan children learn, grow and continue to stay healthy. Please contribute TODAY!
Just click on the CAUSES icon above and it will bring you directly to our birthday wish webpage! You can also view and/or become a member of our CAUSE by clicking right here.

Competing at the National Level!? (part 3: special olympics)

2010-12-08T08:08:00.000-08:00

Competing at the National Level!? (part 2: girls softball)

2010-12-03T11:40:00.000-08:00

**Though the primary focus of our programs in Camoapa, Nicaragua is education, The Sunrise Foundation and our staff members are highly involved in other community development projects, especially those that benefit local children and adolescents. We especially believe that team sports activities can be a crucial component for childhood development, especially here in Camoapa, where a lot of youth turn to drugs and alcohol at an early age.**

Girls Softball

Also recently formed and brand new to Camoapa is a girl’s softball team, organized by Emily Mew, our Program and Development Coordinator, and Bismar Sanchez, a local elementary school gym teacher. (Bismar is also a member of the Youth Boxing Commission and has donated his time to give gym classes to the children in our program.)

After less than a year of practicing, the initially small team of just 10 girls played and won a critical and decisive game in Teostepe (the only other girls team in the region) to qualify for Nationals. And in July, having recruited a few more girls, they traveled to Managua to compete in the Nicaraguan National Softball competition. Winning their first two games in the first round, the team classified for the semi-finals. They lost in the semifinals, but with their record, placed third in the tournament, winning a trophy as well as 3 medals for individual players (best home-run hitter, most runs-batted-in and best pitcher.)

Since then, after more than a year working with these girls, many of whom had never previously picked up a ball or glove, the team has really started to gain momentum. More and more girls are coming out to practice. Placing third at the National level is an enormous achievement because softball is very uncommon for girls in Nicaragua and was unheard of in Camoapa until now. Congratulations to the team!

Competing at the National Level!? (part 1: youth boxing)

2010-11-30T14:23:00.000-08:00

**Though the primary focus of our programs in Camoapa, Nicaragua is education, The Sunrise Foundation and our staff members are highly involved in other community development projects, especially those that benefit local children and adolescents. We especially believe that team sports activities can be a crucial component for childhood development, especially here in Camoapa, where a lot of youth turn to drugs and alcohol at an early age.**

Youth Boxing

Sebastian Laguna, our local Program Director, and Jim Ferriera, our long-term American volunteer, were both instrumental in the development of a Camoapan Youth Boxing Commission to support a local project. With donated space from a local Camoapan resident and the vital support from the Police Department and the Mayor’s office, a gym was established and a retired professional boxer was recruited and hired from Managua. Five nights a week he trains any and all interested youth, both male and female. A total of 48 young men are involved at various levels. The majority are at-risk adolescents, some of whom are reformed alcoholics or drug addicts. He also trains some younger boys, age 9-12, and an additional 15 adolescent girls.

Since opening the gym in February of this year, there have been 4 locally sponsored fights here in Camoapa against other teams brought in from Boaco and Managua, as well as 2 fights outside of Camoapa (one in Managua, another in Yalí.) All 4 local events attracted huge crowds from town and served to raise team spirit and community camaraderie. As a team, Camoapa won all 6 fights that they have participated in, and 7 of the most dedicated boys qualified to fight at the national level. The national event, called Futuras Promesas, was held in Juigalpa, the last weekend in November. Two of the 7 Camoapan boxers won in the first round but were then eliminated. Despite no one making it to the semi-finals, it was a huge accomplishment to make it as far as they did. They will continue to train and will come back stronger next year.

Networking & Fundraising

2010-10-29T12:33:00.000-07:00

... & a plan for the future

As the end of the sixth academic year of our programs approaches, The Sunrise Foundation is looking to the future. Because of our strong programs, we have earned the respect of the Camoapa community. People come to us when problems arise and consequently, growth is necessary and inevitable. Therefore, we are asking our staff and community leaders in Camoapa to help our Board set priorities and make plans for the next 5 and 10 years. During this planning period, we are also seeking professional capacity building expertise to help develop our board, staff and fundraising capabilities. Our programs in Camoapa are growing in a beautifully organic, healthy way. We see that our US support needs to grow to keep pace with them.

In order to prepare for this growth, we are really revving up our fundraising efforts. Over the past couple of years, we have been expanding our support base in the Western Massachusetts area, where our US nonprofit is located. We recently organized our 3^rd annual book sale in downtown Northampton, MA. And this winter we will hold our second annual raffle fundraiser at Packard’s bar and restaurant in Northampton. And we recently joined the Northampton Chamber of Commerce to raise awareness of our project and expand networking opportunities.

Our short term plans include increasing visibility in other areas of the United States where several board members live, remodeling our website to reach more readers, and seeking foundation grants to support our Capacity Building needs. In Nicaragua, we envision further development of our organic farm, and plan to continue hosting volunteer group brigades. Our long term plan is to diversify our revenue sources in order to increase our sustainability potential because currently we operate solely on individual charitable donations from people like you.

So… we need your help! How can we sustain and grow our programs without your continued support? Imagine the satisfaction you will feel knowing you have helped us continue our work in Nicaragua keeping at-risk children in school!

If you are in the Western Mass area and would like to get involved, please contact: Lisa Hall (Board member) @ 413-268-9271 or lisahallg (at) gmail.com to find out what you can do. If you are not from this area, there is still a place for you in our community! Contact: Emily Mew (Program and Development Coordinator) @ emilymew (at) gmail.com for more information.

And please consider supporting our current and future initiatives by making a donation in one of three ways:

Go to our website, click on the Paypal link and make a one-time online contribution

Find The Sunrise Foundation on Facebook, join our CAUSE and become a monthly supporter

Write a check to The Sunrise Foundation and mail it to : P.O. Box 210, Williamsburg, MA 01096

To learn more about our programs, go to our website, find us on Facebook, or write to us at hogarlda@yahoo.com.

Around Hogar (and a little beyond)!

2010-10-28T11:36:00.000-07:00

Preparing lunch:

Playing on the cancha:

Some farm friends:

Game day at Mombacho:

Ayudame a Crecer

2010-07-20T11:43:00.000-07:00

Our Newest and Biggest Initiative

The Idea

Six years after founding our center, and with our first program at Hogar Luceros del Amanecer well established, we decided the time was right to expand and to make more of an impact on the community. Since our mission is “to promote community development through education” we decided to branch out and address the needs of more children in Camoapa. In January, we initiated a new program, Ayudame a Crecer (Help me Grow) to provide our signature wrap-around educational services to 54 additional children.

This new program provides more limited services to double the number of children in our established program. These 50+ children have now been enrolled in the public school system. We make regular visits to their homes and classrooms, maintaining contact with both parents and teachers. In addition, we are offering daily extra-help sessions at our center to target their specific needs, including homework help, social skills development and time for play. With support from the Ministry of Education, we have also been able to provide them with new backpacks, school uniforms and school supplies.

The Process

Literally walking from barrio to barrio, we identified and selected these children based on their poverty level, living conditions, family situation, academic level and age. The majority are in 1^st grade and between the ages of 6 and 10. Most of these children have never been to school, or started school at some point but dropped out. (50% of children in Nicaragua drop out before the 5^th grade.) Several of the children are over the age of 12 and are entering school for the very first time. Still others are in 2^nd or 3^rd grade, but need extra help and/or encouragement to prevent them from missing days of school, falling behind, or being pulled out of school by their parents. In other words, these are the children who are likely to grow up illiterate or with very little education, due to life circumstances of extreme poverty, family conflict, learning disabilities, etc.

The Obstacles

Our new program continues to be a challenge. Sometimes we find that a child has missed school because a mother keeps her 7 year old home to babysit for her 2 and 3 year olds while she goes to work to feed her family; or because it rained all night and the road into town is impassable due to mud; or because the child is too far behind his or her classmates and feels inadequate. On several occasions we have met with families over and over, only to finally learn that their child has missed a month of school because they don’t have money to buy shoes. The old shoes fell apart and they were too embarrassed to send their child in flip-flops. We continue to try to troubleshoot with each problem that arises, but the challenges are endless.

The Success

Despite these obstacles, however, we are seeing success. The kids who are persevering are learning to read, to add and subtract. They are learning how to relate to other children and adults outside of their families. Despite all the odds, there are children who are arriving at school every single day and coming to the extra help sessions regularly, even though they are sometimes dirty or hungry. At times it can be heartbreaking, but their determination to get an education no matter what, continues to give us the hope to keep fighting for them.

Recent Events

2010-06-14T13:28:00.000-07:00

TRACK COMPETITIONS IN JUIGALPA

Two of our children from Hogar Luceros del Amanecer, Delvin and Diego, recently traveled to Juigalpa with Los Pipitos, the national organization that works with children with disabilities. The group of 9, representing Camoapa, competed against several other municipalities and took home 14 medals(!), more than any other municipality!

INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN'S DAY

On June 11th, our two programs, Hogar Luceros del Amanecer and Ayudame a Crecer, came together and celebrated El Dia del Nino. After weeks of planning and gaining sponsorship from over 40 local businesses, the staff put together a gran fiesta in honor of the children. It included pinatas, a clown, dance competitions, games, food, cake, prizes and more. The party was a huge success, with the local radio station and TV channels playing clips and interviews with both staff and kids. Felicidades!

As usual, to see the complete collection of photos, visit and become a fan of our facebook page.

Cleft Lip & Palate Surgeries

2010-05-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

Hogar Luceros regularly partners with the local Ministry of the Family in order to coordinate health care services for people living in extreme poverty. One of our ongoing projects is to work with children with disabilities.

Over the past several months we have been in regular contact with a group of children who were born with cleft lip and palate and we have been helping to organize their multiple operations in Managua. This past Friday, a group of 9 children and their parents traveled to Managua for either their first operation or a follow up operation. Due to circumstances of physical health conditions, only 6 were operated on. But we continue to be in contact with all of them and their families in order to coordinate the necessary visits to give them the smiles that they deserve.

To see more pictures, visit our Facebook Page.

Come to Nicaragua!

2010-04-09T15:14:00.000-07:00

Looking for an opportunity to volunteer? Maybe you are a student and you have the summer off, or maybe you need to just get away for a few months (or years) to experience what the world has to offer. Whatever the case, our children need your generous help!

With the development of our new outreach program Ayudame a Crecer, we are in greater need of some good people with warm hearts (and who can speak some Spanish) who are willing to volunteer their time to help our children grow and learn. They deserve this opportunity and many of them have never had it... until now. Many have been kept out of school in order to work as vendors in the streets or to raise their younger siblings. Others have just never been provided the resources for a free education.

Other volunteer opportunities include working on our organic farm or community outreach to local families in need of intense support. (This last one is only for those who are Spanish proficient.)

Please contact us at the email to the right if you are interested in this life-changing opportunity. And find us on Facebook to see more pictures of the fun you could be having!

Upcoming Opportunities

2010-03-25T10:46:00.000-07:00

February’s parents’ meeting was particularly exciting for a few reasons:

Sebastian Laguna, the Hogar Director, spoke to the Mothers and Fathers about the many vocational classes being offered through El Instituto Nacional Tecnologico (INATEC), a government agency that works for economic and social growth in Nicaragua. If we can sign up 20 interested people, INATEC will send a trainer to Camoapa for in-depth classes in computers, house wiring, bread baking, sewing, cake decorating, or any number of other vocations. This was met with a significant amount of interest and so we will be keeping in touch with a representative from this agency.
We also had special guests, including two of our US board members Lisa Hall and Carole Lapidus as well as Maggie Marshall, the Camoapan Peace Corps volunteer. Lisa spoke to the mothers who had taken our first set of sewing classes, acknowledging all their efforts and the beautiful costumes they made for the folkloric dancers. (See our August '09 post.) She also spoke about the women from the Haydenville Congregational Church in Massachusetts who donated their sewing machines and fabric to make these classes possible and to encourage further small business development. Maggie, a business major, offered to help anyone at the meeting who would be interested in taking some of the first steps needed to start a business.

As an agency that works with disadvantage children, we hope to do all we can to offer opportunities not just to the children, but to their families as well. We encourage them, too, to pursue their dreams!

Ayudame a Crecer

2010-03-13T14:22:00.000-08:00

It as been a grueling couple of months, but our new outreach program (Ayudame a Crecer or "Help Me Grow") is starting to make some good headway. In January, we hired a new Promotora, Maricela, who together with our Director Sebastian, located 54 children (ages 5 to 16) from some of the periphery barrios of Camoapa. Some of these children have never been to school, some have dropped out, some are just barely learning their letters and numbers. All of them are extremely poor and vulnerable. Working together with the Nicaraguan Ministry of Education, we have placed all of them in a school setting that works for them and their families. Some attend during the day, some at night and some on the weekends. Additionally, we have begun a reinforcement program that happens twice a day for two hours at a time, here at the Hogar Luceros del Amanecer. Local teachers in training are receiving credit from their university program to assist us in giving these children extra homework help and socialization experience so that they can be successful in school and in the future. Many of these children do not have the experience of socializing with others outside of their own homes, so this is a critical part in helping them thrive.

It has been a tough project to get off the ground. Many of these children are intimidated in class, some are expected to work when they are not in school, others are living so far away that it is difficult for them travel back and forth. We are doing what we can with the resources that we have and we are maintaining communication with the families of these children and their teachers so that we can target the difficulties that each one is struggling with. We are also strategizing ways that we can collect more school supplies by requesting donations from local businesses and organizations that are concerned about the education of their local children. Any new program is always a learning experience, so in the words of our Director, Sebastian, "No dejamos de luchar!" "We can't give up the fight!"

Here are some pictures of the new kiddos at work:

Find us on FACEBOOK

2010-03-03T14:33:00.000-08:00

Yeah (!!) we are now on facebook! We have both a GROUP page and you can become a part of our CAUSE! Please become a fan and a cause supporter and spread the word about the difference we are making in the lives of many children living in Camoapa. Let them know that they can help make a difference too. For more information about how, contact us at the email listed to the right.

Visitors

2010-03-02T08:21:00.000-08:00

We have had some visitors in Camoapa lately.

Three volunteers from Switzerland (Johanna, Martin and Frida) have been here for several weeks now. They have been working very creatively with our children at the Hogar, helping them with their homework, teaching English, but also teaching new games and projects that are new to our kids. They learned about us through a program in Granada called Proyecto Mosaico, which connects people, who are looking to volunteer in Nicaragua, to projects that match their interests. Proyecto Mosaico has similar programs in Guatemala and El Salvador. We have been really excited to have them here (the kids have been especially excited!) because of their dedication to the children and the wonderful way they have been interacting with them. We will be sad when they are gone :(

We also received a visit from two of our Board members, Lisa and Carol, who traveled all the way from Massachusetts and New York, respectively. While here, they did some traveling but also participated in a large meeting with all of the mothers of our children about the potential for future projects. [Stay tuned: more information about that to come!] Carol, a licensed social worker, provided a series of workshops on play-group therapy to Aleyda (our in house social worker) and Lisette (our visiting psychologist).

Some BIG Events

2010-01-11T07:04:00.000-08:00

The most emotional milestone we have just recently experienced at Hogar was that our four oldest boys - Medarto, Eddie, Isidro and Serafin - all successfully graduated from primary school! All four have been at the program since its inception (nearly six years ago) and we have all had the wonderful opportunity to share and experience the joy of their incredible successes (and sometimes failures) over the past many years. We are so proud of them! They will continue on with us, as this does not mark the end of their time at Hogar, but it certainly helps us to realize that the work we are doing is meaningful and appreciated. Some of these boys may never have seen this glorious day if it weren't for the hard work from all of our staff, parents, community members and certainly the boys themselves. They are all truly an inspiration and they prove to us that real effort can make a difference. Congratulations boys!

Here is Medarto with Rachel, our Executive Director, and Serafin with his Mother, Teresa.

The other exciting day came in November when three of our younger children - Roberto, Gabriel and Ninoska - made their First Communion. They all looked very beautiful and proud. Here they are after the mass and the ceremony.

Called to Perform

2010-01-11T06:51:00.000-08:00

Hogar's Folkloric Dance Group has been growing in popularity. We are invited to perform at nearly every community event that happens in Camoapa. Thanks to the volunteer efforts of Professor Omar Calero, who instructs the children in the specifics of traditional Nicaraguan dance, and the volunteer efforts of Professor Bismar Sanchez, who has recently come on board to give by-weekly gym class, we are getting stronger and more excited about our future potential each and every day. Some of our most recent public appearances have been at the grand opening of the brand new hospital in Camoapa, an event at the local Univeristy and at regular Ferias (holidays) in the nearby surrounding villages. Sometimes they perform in front of hundreds of people, and believe it or not, the kids don't even get nervous!

Building Community Alliance Brings Support for Children

2009-11-12T14:48:00.000-08:00

One of Hogar’s most recent and exciting initiatives has been launching a new Agency Alliance in the city of Camoapa. The local government is, by law, required to provide 1 percent of the city budget to the local children and to the programs that support them. However, since May 1998 when this law was first created, the Comision de la Ninez y la Adolescencia (Commission for Children and Adolescence) has not seen any of that money. Nor has the Comision been functioning in any practical capacity. Feeling frustrated with disorganization and a lack of services provided to the people of Camoapa, we decided to take matters into our own local hands.
To start building capacity Hogar Luceros del Amanecer initiated a town wide meeting and invited all local organizations that work with children, adolescents and/or adults. Local representatives from the following organizations came to the meeting:

Los Pipitos, a national non-governmental agency of the families of handicapped children to increase their involvement and abilities within their communities.

Programa Amor, a subsidiary program of the Nicaraguan Governmental Agency, El Ministerio de la Familia, that works for children’s rights and protection.

Centro de Desarollo Infantil (CDI), a strictly local organization that provides daycare, early education schooling and nutrition to infants and children up to the age of 6 whose families are of limited resources.

Casa de la Mujer, a local chapter of a national program for women that provides training and social services, and especially assistance to those who have been victims of domestic violence.

To begin, all organizations provided brief presentations and raised individual issues of concern. One of the most salient matters raised was the lack of representation from other organizations that were invited, including the Mayor’s office. After some deliberation it was decided that there was a great need to make a personal visit to the Mayor in order to somehow demand local government support. We decided to write a letter and have all representatives sign it. We were consequently invited to meet with the Mayor, the Vice-Mayor and all local representatives in a large scale, public discussion that called the attention of all local news media. On our end, we invited all people in town interested in talking about children’s issues and children’s rights. About 40 people showed up to talk and offer support, and out of it, the Comision was reinstated. Though there is still a good amount of work to be done in order to maintain support, we have nonetheless gained momentum and garnered ideas for moving forward.

The Alliance has met on several occasions. Struggling, at times, to find a way to build on community strength, we have nevertheless come up with a list of activities that we believe will support the city and the most vulnerable children and families who live here. Some of these activities include the development of a girl’s softball league (never before seen in Camoapa,) organizing a visit (with the local radio and TV news channels) to a local barrio that is in desperate need of sanitation services, and planning free transportation one day a month for the elders of Camoapa to visit the local health center. We will continue to work for children’s rights and ongoing services to the vulnerable.

Keeping a Family Together

2009-10-28T12:25:00.000-07:00

The Nicaraguan Ministry of the Family (MiFamilia) has stated that a child is better off with a loving family than in institutional care, no matter how poor the family. We agree. In collaboration with MiFamilia, our team works as hard as we can to maintain this family structure by offering social services if it is within our capabilities. We have recently had the opportunity to organize a community in order to help a child remain with her family despite their tremendous lack of resources. Here is her story:

Our Social Worker received an urgent phone call from Don Augustin, the local representative from MiFamilia, asking her to use her contacts to place a three year old girl into a residential facility. “The whole family is starving to death,” he said. Our team went to meet the family and found an elderly couple, their daughter and the three year old grandchild living in a tiny shack. They were as he said: starving. The grandfather, with occasional help from his wife, had been supporting the family by collecting and selling firewood. He was now too sick to work. The daughter was disabled; she appeared to have poor coordination and could barely walk on her own. And because of this situation, the granddaughter was without the necessary food to develop appropriately.

Before sending this child off to an orphanage, we decided we should see what could be done to, literally, get the family back onto their feet. First, Don Augustin went to the farmers who live nearby. He knew a neighbor who agreed to drive the grandfather to the hospital. MiFamilia was able to give them a sack of soybeans to make soymilk. Another neighbor offered to bring them a hot lunch each day and teach the grandmother to make her own soymilk. Still a third family that we know is bringing them a bag of vegetables twice a week from their stand in the market.

We were also able to get the daughter to the Neurologist at the hospital in Juigalpa, although this took a little doing. The Doctor is there only once a week to see children in the handicapped program, but she agreed to see this young woman for free and on her own time. The Alcaldia (municipal government) provided a ride.

The young woman was diagnosed with a cerebral lesion, malnutrition and depression. She was given medication and prescribed hydroterapia, exercises done in water, and equinoterapia, horseback riding. There isn’t a swimming pool in Camoapa, but with good Nicaraguan ingenuity, one more neighbor volunteered the use of his pila, a large concrete tank used to store rainwater for his livestock. And yet another offered to come with a gentle horse for her riding lessons. One of our educators, Omar, is trained in physical therapy and is helping her with her exercises.

It is rare that we get to see such immediate results for our efforts. But in this case we were able to bring a neighborhood together, not just to help a malnourished family but also to save a child from the trauma of institutionalization.

Donate to Nicaragua

2009-10-06T14:30:00.000-07:00

Once or twice a year The Sunrise Foundation organizes a large shipment of donated items that leaves (by large truck) from a sister project in Buffalo, New York and arrives in Teustepe, Nicaragua a town about an hour outside of Camoapa, where our center is located. (See our recent Donations post from July.)

The time is here again! We are collecting items that will be shipped at the end of the year.

Our project works to help elementary aged children be successful in school. These children probably wouldn’t be completing elementary school, or even attending any school at all, without our program. Being involved with these children and their families and furthermore, being a significant organization within the community, has also led us to want to help other local efforts.

We will be taking our shipment from Northampton, MA to Buffalo, NY toward the end of October. Maybe you have some of these things you would like to send to a good home. Or maybe you know someone who does. Here is a list of some of the most needed items:

Baby clothes (ages 0 to 3 months)

Baby blankets for the mothers at the local branch of Casa Materna

Boys’ clothes sizes 6-14

Towels, sheets and blankets (for beds of any size)

Children’s’ backpacks

Blocks, children’s toys, paper and crayons for the new Centro de Desarrollo Infantil (pre-school center) in town

All types of school supplies (excluding books written in English)

Wheelchairs, walkers, physical therapy and occupational therapy equipment for children. We are working with a local branch of Los Pipitos, a national organization that helps children with disabilities

Girls’ softball equipment: balls, gloves, bats, catcher’s masks, helmets, etc.

Boxing equipment: gloves, punching bags (speed and heavy), hand wraps, etc.

Computers (no more than 5 years old)

If you have any of these items and would like to contribute, please email or call Lisa Hall at lisahallg@gmail.com / (413)268-9271. Please note: we have no way of collecting items from anywhere other than Western Massachusetts. If you live somewhere else and have something you would like to donate, the only way we can accept it is if you are willing to pay the shipping cost.

Thank you on behalf of Hogar Luceros del Amanecer and the children and families of Nicaragua.

Around Hogar - just for fun!

2009-08-25T13:00:00.000-07:00

First of all, our dog Lassie, who escaped from the premises just about two months ago, turned out to be pregnant from her escapades in Camoapa. Just last week she gave birth to ten pups! It has brought some excitement to Hogar and an unexpected, yet welcomed, technique for teaching the children how to care for small, vulnerable creatures.

Here are some photos of a recent field trip up the nearby mountain, Mombacho. It was vacation week, and after a few days of working on the farm and doing other small projects around Hogar (including having fun, of course!) the trip was a much needed break from school. They spent time playing futbol, scrambling for the candy out of a pinata, exploring a bit of the local terrain and swimming in the river.

The children at Hogar receive a well-rounded education. In addition to regular classes, they also receive cultural dance lessons, voice lessons, basket weaving instruction, health education and the older kids receive a mentorship in a selected vocation. The entire group of 22 also occasionally goes out to the farm to help Don Adrian plant vegetables, flowers or simply to maintain the grounds. Here are some of the older boys at work:

And here are some of the others receiving basket weaving instruction:

Sewing classes as a time for sharing

2009-08-03T15:03:00.001-07:00

With the big donation of sewing machines that we received some weeks ago, our sewing class at Hogar has really taken off! Several nights a week, some of the Mothers of our students come to learn sewing techniques as well as to enjoy the time engaging with each other, the children and the staff. Most recently they have been helping us with new dance costumes for the folkloric dance performances in which most of our children participate. It turns out that just the other day the kids were able to try out their new costumes for a show performed here at Hogar that actually made the local nightly news! The Mothers bring a wonderful feeling of love and connection to the center and we hope to continue to be able to offer this space for ongoing sharing, growing and support.

Here are some of the new costumes in use:

Donations

2009-07-21T15:20:00.000-07:00

Twice a year Hogar Luceros receives a truckload of donated items from the United States. Most of the items come from Massachusetts and are shipped through a Church program in Buffalo, New York. We recently traveled to Teustepe (a town about an hour from Camoapa) to pick up the donated items, which included 2 bicycles, 10 sewing machines, 6 boxes of fabric and sewing notions, a box of baby clothes, 12 large early childhood development toys and some miscellaneous household items. The baby clothes were given to the Casa Materna here in Camoapa and the large toys were delivered to Centro de Desorrollo Infantil (CDI), which is a program that serves 140 children, ages 1 month to 6 years. Along with the toys, Hogar's Social Worker, Aleyda, provided a training on early childhood development strategies for the staff of CDI. She stressed the necessity to engage young children and offered techniques for encouraging all aspects of a child's development, including fine motor skills, gross motor skills, cognition, speech ability, sense perception, social affectiveness, auto-independence, etc. All in all, it was a beautiful day for the children of CDI who seemed delighted to have some new and interesting toys to play with (see the photos below for their smiling faces) because the reality is that CDI manages with very few resources and an insufficient amount of staff to provide the children what it is that they really need.

For information on how to make similar donations, please contact us at the email listed to the right.

Nicaraguan Folkloric Dancing

2009-07-15T13:08:00.001-07:00

For about two years now, a group of the boys and girls at Hogar have been taking Nicaraguan folkloric dance lessons. We have a local dancing instructor who volunteers his time several nights a week. The dance costumes that the children wear have also been made by local women and mothers of the children who come to Hogar regularly for sewing instruction. They have performed on various occasions around Camoapa over the past year or more. Here you can see them performing at the Women's Sandinista Congress in June.

Bienvenido

2009-07-03T10:15:00.000-07:00

We have created a new blog for Hogar Luceros del Amanecer, as a way for the rest of the world to see what we are doing here at Hogar. All of us here believe that our program is wonderful and we want to share our experiences with all of you! Life in Nicaragua is not easy, but as a "family" we hope to pass on what we know and care about so that you will know and care about it too. Happy reading!