PROJECTS | NICARAGUA

General
We commenced operations in Nicaragua in 2000. The bulk of our operations are in the community of Pantanal which adjoins the city of Granada in Nicaragua.  This community is characterized by extreme poverty. We currently work with the village council and meet with them as a group on an annual basis to evaluate new and existing GOCARE programs.  Our professional staff, however, meets with individual members of the council on an as needed basis to implement and monitor our programs.

New Projects for 2009-2010
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• Construction of building to house computer lab for kids, library and community class room at the community of Pantanal
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• Increase number of vocational programs
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• Double the number of students in our vocational program
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• Fund an additional 2 kids to the university
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• Assist the community in conducting a community census
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• Fund a micro credit program for the community
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• Develop an alumni program to identify and maintain contact with our program graduates with the idea of using them to help other people in the community. 

Preschool
In Pantanal we addressed the concerns expressed by a number of parents by creating a preschool.  Many mothers were having difficulty earning desperately needed funds because their children were not yet of age to attend public schools.  In addition, studies have shown that children exposed to education at an early age (i.e. prev 5 years) had lower elementary dropout rates once they commenced elementary school.  We employed a local parent with a high school education to conduct the preschool.  Currently the school has about 30 students.

Computer Instruction
We engaged a local computer school in Granada to conduct special classes for a sample of children from Pantanal.  The sample was selected by the village council.  We have 10 students enrolled and have implemented the program.

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English Instruction
We engaged a local English teacher in Granada to conduct special English language instruction classes for kids from Pantanal.  As with the computer instruction, the kids who attended these classes were selected by the village council.  There are currently 3 levels of instruction being given.  The program has 10 currently enrolled.   This is a very popular program for the high school kids in the village as English proficiency substantially improves their job opportunities which would be substantially limited otherwise.

Garden Project
This project evolved from a gardening project for elementary school children in the Pantanal community.  We utilized a translation of the junior master gardener’s handbook and provided it to the school.  After the first year about 15 of the student’s mothers took over the project and utilizing the tools and seeds we had provided they developed home gardens.  The project lasted for several years.

Facilitation
We have in the past and currently do provide facilitation services for other NGO’s.  One of our major facilitation projects has been to provide local support services for water well drilling operated by the rotary club of Tulsa, OK.  Currently over 50 wells have been drilled.

Vocational Training
We provide vocational training to adults in sewing and cosmetology.  This is an ongoing program involving 3-5 individuals from the Pantanal community at any one time.

Radical Intervention Services
This was an intervention in the lives of two children.  One was a 12 year old female and the other was her 15 year old brother.  The father had left the family; the mother was an alcoholic.  The kids worked on the streets selling whatever they could to provide mom’s alcoholic content.  Both were illiterate.  Our project goal was to get both children through high school.  We provide the mother a small living allowance for food which was supervised by our in country staff.  In return, the children were allowed to go to school.  We have funded all costs of education and tutoring as well as health care.  Currently only the girl remains in the program.  She is 18 years old and will graduate from high school this year.  Her teachers have advised us that she has the capacity to attend the university which we are planning to fund.