English Speaking Schools in Nicaragua

When you have children, you have to put some thought into relocating. After all, you do not want their education to suffer. You need to know you can put them in a school they can benefit from. That means they have to be able to understand the language.

If your child speaks English, a Nicaraguan school that only teaches in Spanish is not going to benefit your child. He will quickly fall behind due to the language barrier. He will end up lost, and it will be hard for him to recover. Once a student gets behind in school, it is very hard for them to catch up.

At the same time, you do not necessarily want a school that only teaches in English. After all, your child can learn another language, which can help him a great deal when he enters the workforce. If there is a school that he can learn in English and yet still learn Spanish, that is your best option. That way, his education will not be stalled but he will be able to be more competitive in the workforce after he graduates.

Therefore, many parents choose to send their children to bilingual schools. These schools teach in English and Spanish and offer a great deal to students. They can keep up with the teachers because they are able to learn in their native language, but they also get the benefit of learning a new language.

These schools make students well rounded. Students are able to get a stellar education by learning in two languages. They are able to learn skills they will use for a lifetime.

Nicaragua has many schools that are bilingual. One such school is the American Nicaraguan School. This school is very well known and many foreigners send their children to this school so they can benefit from the English and Spanish. English is the main language of this school, but there are still lessons in Spanish.

Students are able to master Spanish when they attend this school. They are immersed in the language, which is very helpful when learning a new language. They learn the language much better than they would if they took a language class multiple times a week. Instead of taking a class, they get the opportunity to actually live the language.

Lincoln International Academy is also a bilingual school. Students receive their lessons in English and Spanish, which means they can learn in their language but still pick up on Spanish. They will then be able to offer something extra to employers after they graduate. With the global marketplace, this is more important than ever before.

The Notre Dame School and Saint Dominic School also offer bilingual education. In both of these schools, students are exposed to a great deal of Spanish, although they will still learn in English as well. These schools allow students to learn the language and master it before they graduate.

If you want your child to get an English education without much of a Spanish influence, the Nicaraguan Christian Academy is likely the school you need. This school teaches in English. Your child will not be able to learn much Spanish at this school, but will be able to go through school in a language he is comfortable with.

All of these schools offer children the chance to learn in an environment they are comfortable with. When children are comfortable, they are better at learning. Students cannot be expected to learn in a language they do not understand, as that would be practically impossible. Therefore, these schools were set up to make students feel at home when at school.

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Raising Roofs In Nicaragua

A caravan of nine Toyota SUVs started out in the morning. Before nightfall three had developed a flat tire. That’s how bad the roads are in northern Nicaragua.

Msgr. Francis X. Schmidt, the retired pastor of St. Augustine Catholic Church in Bridgeport, who was in expedition on May 7, wasn’t able to do anything about those roads, but he is definitely trying to do something about the infinitely worse housing situation in that region. So far, he has raised more than $1 million to build 300 little houses, 160 of which are already occupied and the rest on the drawing board. There are also two health clinics, a radio studio, a community center and a couple of flocks of sheep. The dollar still goes far in Central America.
It started innocently enough for Msgr. Schmidt, who led a group of about 30, mostly enefactors, from the Philadelphia area from May 4-8 to Nicaragua to show them what the needs are there and what their charity has already accomplished. In the 1970s, he was the Philadelphia archdiocese’s youth director.

One of his protégés, Chuck Pfeffer, later became a priest and also a youth director. Fr. Pfeffer died suddenly in 2004, and Msgr. Schmidt decided to find a way to memorialize him.
Somehow, he came in contact with Food For the Poor (FFP), a Florida-based nonprofit that is now America’s fourth-largest charity and the largest to operate exclusively in the area of foreign relief.
It feeds approximately 2 million people every day in addition to its other humanitarian projects.
The focus for “Father Chuck’s Challenge” became housing in Nicaragua, the second-poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, with a per capita income of about $980 annually, according to World Bank figures. The major industry in the mountain regions is coffee, but most workers are only employed for around four months each year during the harvest season.

According to Angel Aloma, FFP’s executive director who was along for the trip, Nicaragua FFP partners with another non-profit, the American Nicaraguan Foundation (NFF), which oversees the work and supplies some matching funds. Completed houses and the plot of land they occupy are deeded over to needy families, and it is estimated, on average, six people will live in each of them.

The houses, at about 325 square feet, are extremely basic. They lack indoor kitchens, electricity or heat, but they are nevertheless palaces compared with the dirt-floor shacks they are replacing. Each prefab concrete dwelling costs about $2,600, with another $500 for the latrine. Msgr. Schmidt is indefatigable in pressuring donors from Catholic parishes and other groups — whether it is to fund a house, a community facility or an entire village.

The first complex, Father Pfeffer’s Village, which was completed in January 2008, was one stop on the visit. Many donors contributed to its construction. The Watson family of Leola — Patti and Tim, and their daughter, Erica — was among them.

“I’m very surprised at the size of the village; it’s amazing to see how many people are helped by our small gesture,” Tim said. Connie Hunt, of King of Prussia, first visited the village in 2008 when they dedicated the community center she financed.

“It’s a great joy for myself to see the progress,” she said. “There is a little girl, Maria, who recognized me. She seems so much happier and healthier now. I think we are doing a great thing.”
On this trip the St. Eleanor Health Clinic, built through donations from St. Eleanor Catholic Church in Collegeville, was dedicated. It has three treatment rooms, electricity and the only flush toilet in the community.

The previous day, the group visited the La Rica area where 200 homes are planned in several locations. Two villages with a total of 60 homes are completed. Fr. McGivney Village, which is named for the founder of the Knights of Columbus, was built largely with funds donated by Holy Family Council of the Knights of Columbus in Bridgeport, where Msgr. Schmidt is chaplain.

Four teens from Archbishop Carroll High School in Radnor represented the knights on the trip.
Frances’ Village was named in honor of the mother of donor Larry Jilk of Phoenixville.

“I didn’t know my grandmother; she passed away when I was very young,” said Mr. Jilk’s daughter, Karen Hartman, who traveled from Maine to attend. “It doesn’t surprise me. My father has done things like this his whole life, he just loves everybody.”

Fr. Edward Kelly, of Visitation Catholic Church in Trooper, dedicated Holy Family Clinic, which was donated by the people of his parish.

The final day included a visit to the La Dalia-El Hular area, where planned villages with 100 new houses are proposed, complete with sanitary facilities, a water system and resources to raise chickens. Because this area is yet to be developed, the group was able to better appreciate the extremely primitive conditions that need to be remedied.

“This trip has really changed me in the way I view my everyday life and how lucky I really am,” said Archbishop Carroll sophomore Sal DeGrazio. “Msgr. Schmidt returned home with a folder full of letters from poor people pleading for a new home. Somehow we know he and FFP will find a way to help.”
“The essence of this is the generosity of the good people and the priests of the diocese,” Msgr. Schmidt said. “My feeling is Food For the Poor is made of a great group of Christian people who are creative, compassionate and effective.”

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Central America Summit in Nicaragua

Managua – Central American presidents are scheduled to meet on Wednesday in Nicaragua to discuss migration, a trade agreement with the European Union (EU) and other key regional issues.

The heads of state are expected to arrive in Managua at noon to open the 36th Summit of the Central American Integration System (SICA), which is presided over by Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega.

Ortega, as SICA pro tempore chairman, will refer to issues that were tackled at the ministerial meeting held Tuesday.

According to Nicaraguan Deputy Foreign Minister Manuel Coronel, regional ministers of economy, finances and foreign affairs discussed the creation of a common fund to face asymmetries with the EU.

The conclusion will be presented to the heads of States attending the forum for its approval.
The meeting expects to create a fund that, according to the Managua proposal, must be of $78 billion USD.

The aim is that negotiating groups join efforts in trade issues during a meeting to be run in June in Honduras, sources from the sector stated.

The Central American bloc expects to conclude an accord with the EU in July.

In a recent statements, Ortega has advocated for solving migratory problems of hundreds of Central American residents in the United States, an issue focused in the last forum of SICA.

The swine flu epidemic will be also discussed, after regional health ministers analyzed the problem and advocated for joining forces and increase preventive actions.

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Next Wednesday, eight Gulf Shores High School students will leave for Corn Island, Nicaragua to deliver much needed supplies that they have been collecting over the past year.

Areil Cash, Chad Peterson, Sarah Bosarge, Trent Manskow, Madeleine Cassiday, Dylon Zorn and Maggie Ronan will leave May 27 for Corn Island, Nicaragua. Not pictured but going on the trip are Isaac Ronan, Vince Gilliam and Officer Billy Berrey.

Teacher Maggie Ronan, who has taken several teams to Corn Island in the past, organized this trip after her students expressed interest in going. This is the first time she has taken only students, but hopes to make it an annual trip.
Students Madeline Cassady, Trent Manskow, Sarah Bosarge, Ariel Cash, Vince Gilliam, Chad Peterson, Isaac Ronan and Dylan Zorn will travel with Ronan to the five square mile island just off of the coast of Nicaragua.

Ronan was initially introduced to Corn Island by a friend who she sold a home to when she was working in Real Estate.

“Her name was Rosemary Chatfield. She took me to Corn Island and showed me her ministry to the women there. I fell in love with the place,” Ronan explained. “It became a place that I wanted to pour my heart into and help people.”

This trip will be the fifth year that Ronan has visited Corn Island.

During that time, the ministry, called Prayer Partners International, has expanded from being just a women’s ministry. Presently, their “Feed The Children” program helps to feed more than 300 children monthly.

Ronan partnered with Prayer Partners International and began taking teams from the Gulf Shores area to help work with the people on Corn Island.
“In the past, the teams have been made up of families and their children. This will be the first time I have taken a group of students,” Ronan said.

The students will be visiting three Christian schools and two public schools, delivering school supplies, speaking to the students at each school, sharing their life experiences, and making connections that they hope will last throughout the up-coming school year.
Ronan has a short DVD she shows to her classroom at the beginning of each school year, and after showing it to her class this year, the students approached her about going.
“We tossed the idea around for several months, but then the students expressed to me that they really wanted to go. So driving home from school one day a feeling came over me that, indeed I was suppose to take them,” she said. “I knew that it would change their world.”
Dylan Zorn said that they have spent time holding numerous fundraisers over the past several months, but all the money is in and the students are excited about going.

“We have bagged groceries at the Winn-Dixie stores in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, and we had a big dodgeball tournament, charging participant $10 each to play. We also sold a lot of donated food and drinks,” Dylan said. “All of that money was used to help get the supplies that we would need for the trip.”
Junior Trent Manskow said he is going on the 10-day trip because he just wants to help.

“I watched the video and I saw kids that looked like they needed help, and I just really wanted to be a part of that,” he said.
Vince Gilliam, who has never been out of the country realizes what a great learning experience this is going to be, he and is looking forward to the interaction with the students on Corn Island.

“We will be going to the schools and churches, talking to the students, playing games with them, and just trying to show them a good time,” he said.

The Gulf Shores students will be conducting a softball tournament with the students, complete with a trophy for the winner.
Ronan said that the school has been behind them and completely supported their efforts to make the trip.

“My hope is that when we return, the students who traveled with me will realize that they made a difference by being givers, but that they will also receive something in their lives from going,” Ronan said.

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Clinic inspired by Bucknell Brigade serves thousands

Here is a wonderful article on some of the care that Bucknell Brigade that is helping in some of the criticle care that is needed in some of the poorest parts of the country.

Original Article HERE

Jim Ritter, Class of ‘04, walked through the door of the health clinic in Nueva Vida one morning in March and looked around in amazement.

“I helped build this,” said Ritter as he stood amid the examination rooms, laboratory and dental suite. Patients dressed in their Sunday best already were lining up for their afternoon appointments.

Others on the Bucknell Brigade’s 10th anniversary alumni trip to Nicaragua, March 28-April 4, remarked on various aspects of the clinic they helped create during the past decade. The first building, with a pharmacy and exam rooms, was competed in 2001. The second building, with a laboratory and dental suite, opened in 2007. The clinic was and continues to be a central focus of the Bucknell Brigade. About $40,000 in donations from Bucknell goes toward paying salaries and operating costs each year.

Living in tents When the first brigade arrived in the resettlement community of Nueva Vida in 1999, a year after Hurricane Mitch slammed through Managua, thousands of displaced residents were living in tents consisting of black tarpaulin and wooden poles. The brigade’s host agency, Jubilee House Community, was working with neighborhood leaders to identify priorities for recovery. A temporary clinic was set up. At the top of the priority list was making it permanent.

Dr. Don Stechschulte, director of Student Health Services at Bucknell, and Bonnie Poteet, an associate professor of Latin American Studies, independently identified a clinic as a top priority as well.

“The two buildings of the health clinic would not have happened without our relationship with Bucknell,” said Kathleen Murdock of JHC. “That was Don Stechschulte and Bonnie Poteet’s vision. The Bucknell group came and we said, ‘We’re committed to building a clinic.’”
Nueva Vida now is more like a small city of about 15,000 people, although the concrete homes are small and lined up side-by-side, and the roads are unpaved and full of potholes. Unemployment, always very high, is now more than 80 percent, and the urbanization of the area has brought with it urban issues, such as additional crime. Those who do have jobs make an average $900 a year or about $2.50 a day.
Beyond basic care

Since Daniel Ortega was elected for a the second stint as president in 2007, Nicaraguans have had universal free basic health care, but dentistry and other specialty care is rare, said Janice Butler, the director of Bucknell’s Office of Service Learning. The clinic in Nueva Vida has two physicians, a lab technician and a counselor as well as a part-time dentist.

Those who come to the clinic are asked to pay a “bono” or small charge for an appointment or to work for a half-day, Stechschulte said. The clinic maintains records on about 15,000 patients now; many are treated and given medication for chronic illnesses such as diabetes, high blood pressure or asthma. A part-time counselor offers therapy for adults, children, couples and families.

Dispelling myths Convincing patients to comply with treatment plans and have chronic illnesses monitored is one of the ongoing challenges at the clinic. Maintaining proper nutrition also is a challenge in an area where survival is an everyday hurdle.

Those who volunteer in the clinic must work to change a way of thinking and dispel myths about how to treat common ailments.

Jamie Cistoldi Lee, Class of ‘99, who with Poteet, Stechschulte, Butler and others started the Bucknell Brigade, worked in the clinic during the alumni trip. She translated for physician’s assistant Francesca Yango Jahns, a friend of Blakeley Lowry of the Class of ‘99. Lee and Jahns saw dozens of patients during the trip, including a 6-month-old baby who had chronic diarrhea.
Jahns asked the mother, through Lee, if she had given the baby any medication. The mother said no. After repeated questions, Jahns and Lee called in a staff doctor, who asked the woman if she had given the child a common Nicaraguan remedy: milk of magnesia and antacid. The mother said she had. The remedy is thought to be effective for “cleaning out the system,” but for an infant it results in rapid dehydration, Jahns later explained. She sent the baby to the hospital.
Much-needed medication

Patients at this clinic receive much-needed medications to treat infections and chronic diseases, Murdock said. Many are grateful for the care they receive and are able to recover with the aid of prescription items or over-the-counter remedies.
During the trip, brigadistas worked in the pharmacy, dolling out medicines in a steady stream, from noon until after 4 p.m. Staff and volunteers in the pharmacy write instructions in Spanish and also check off icons for various times of day for those who cannot read. If the medication should be taken in the morning, for instance, the pharmacy staff checks a rising sun symbol. If the drug should be taken at night, too, a moon icon is checked.

Anne Griffin, a nurse at Evangelical Community Hospital and wife of Associate Professor of Geography Duane Griffin, worked in the pharmacy during the alumni brigade trip. She explained to the patients in Spanish how they should take the medicine. One woman at the clinic was collecting medication for four family members, so the written instructions and symbols were especially important.

The help of volunteers on the Bucknell Brigade and from other groups who work with JHC help make the clinic a success, Murdock said.
“Bucknell has played such an important role in the work here,” Murdock said. “We would never have had a clinic with doctors, a dentist, lab technician and pharmacy without the vision and commitment of the people who came down here. We have over 15,000 patients on file and we have over 300 on file with the dentist. We have given out millions of dollars in medicines, all because Bucknell Brigades started it and then kept it going.”

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