Amigos for Christ Education Program

Why is education important?

We believe that the key to breaking the cycle of poverty is through education. Without it, children have little hope of finding employment in Nicaragua, where more than sixty percent of the people are unemployed or underemployed. Less than half of Nicaraguan children living in rural areas, such as Chinandega, have access to an education. The odds are that they will not even complete primary school. Many of those children attending school are malnourished and have difficulty concentrating. The face of Nicaragua is a young one. Forty percent of its population is between 6 and 18 years old. We must help the next generation of Nicaraguans now.

Our mission is to continue funding the construction of school buildings, provide for teachers, offer scholarships for secondary education, support school feeding programs and to furnish students with appropriate learning materials.

What is Amigos for Christ doing for education in Chinandega?

Amigos for Christ contributed to the construction of many schools in the Chinandega area, including Santa Matilde. We are currently responsible for the teachers in the new community of Villa Catalina. The school was completed in time for the 2005 term and now has 170 students enrolled. The people of this village are thrilled to have a school and teachers to educate their children and are committed to making the school a success.

You can cultivate a young mind.

Promising young students living in Villa Catalina want to continue their secondary educations. Their families are poor and lack the means to pay tuition or buy school supplies. The secondary schools they attend are in Chinandega, some distance away by public transportation. These young people need sponsorships. A monthly contribution of $25 would pay for the cost of tuition, supplies and transportation for a worthy student. You can see a list of the students who need sponsorship, and we will provide you information about the student you want to sponsor. We will inform the student of your generosity and give you accounts of their progress and accomplishments

You can help us equip classrooms.

Families commit to the education of their children by providing them with school uniforms. Often, that is all they can afford. Pencils, paper, notebooks, crayons, etc. are not always available to every student. We need generous people to help us provide those materials and ensure that each child receives the best education possible. We encourage your organization to contact us at kristin@amigosforchrist.org about having a supply drive. We have a list of the materials that the Villa Catalina school needs.

You can help us support a teacher

We provide funding for the 6 teachers’ salaries at Villa Catalina. The amount is amazingly small considering the salaries of teachers in the United States. Please consider providing a monthly contribution of $100 to these dedicated educators. Let us know if you are an educator yourself and would like to initiate personal communication with one of the“profesoras” in Villa Catalina.

You can foster a child's imagination

Santa Matilde community has grown tremendously over the last 4 years and we have added classrooms each year that funds were available. As a result, there are more students than ever before. The teachers there and at Villa Catalina have cited the need for libraries. Their students are learning to read and lack access to books for practice and pleasure. We want to begin libraries at Santa Matilde and Villa Catalina that would offer books for reading outside of school. Books open the mind and imagination. They introduce the reader to the infinite world outside his frame of reference. They would have a dramatic effect on the future of a poor child in a Third World country. We have just begun a Spanish language book drive for the children of both communities. It's simple! Just contact us at kristin@amigosforchrist.org and we'll provide you with the materials you need to raise funds for these books.

Please consider helping us with any of our educational incentives. The precious lives of God's children must be nurtured and blessed with knowledge.

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