Child sponsorship update from Juigalpa, Nicaragua

Update for child sponsors from the SOS Children's Village Juigalpa, Nicaragua from Winter 2008.

Dear friends

After the patriotic days celebrating the 187th anniversary of the Central American independence and the 152th anniversary of the San Jacinto’s Battle against American pirates where many school-children of all the country got together with enthusiasm to visit that place. They also had music bands, typical dresses, sports events, gymnastics and other school activities.

I would like to inform you about the poverty and other difficulties that my country is facing day by day which take us to another level of poverty; as a result food increment is becoming the biggest problem, caused by the energy crisis (petrol). On November 9th we had the municipal elections we hoped this time everything would be peaceful and calm, although in the past after each election people used to go out to formulate strikes (burning tyres) on the streets to avoid the traffic as a way of dissatisfaction.

About the village life, children and adolescents are doing well in the SOS village, most of them will be graduated from the primary school and secondary school or simply they have passed to another grade, but some of them have trauma due to the difficult past, so it is almost impossible to them assimilate in their lives school activities, in these cases SOS mothers have determined strategies to lend a hand and improve at school.

I ought to say that they are also incorporated in other learning activities for developing their skills and capacities, besides they also have a what type of course to attend!!!. About art, we have more than 23 children and adolescents that are attending lessons of guitar and flute, the objective is showing their abilities in Christmas time.

Growing up at Juigalpa, Nicaragua

On the other hand, children that are attending dance classes are preparing to perform to the community their dancing abilities, about sports, our young people are doing well because they have demonstrated that are good at sports, as we have won several sports events in the city and nationally as well.

Concerning SOS families’ development, the SOS mothers’ team achieved the second year working for the children’s right in the city of Juigalpa. This year they were integrated in activities out of the village supporting other neighborhoods which we could find quite a lot of homeless children, so we are trying to contact their relatives and biological parents, thus they may return back to live into a family circle. The social coworker and I and the other directors from other SOS villages are attending a training course about the children’s rights in the vocational trainee centre in Estelí, (in the northwest of Nicaragua).

Until this moment we have 139 children and adolescents, and 34 young people living in the Youth Programmes, all of them under our protection. Our staff is composed by 31 co-workers (administrative, educational and others) and we still have 14 SOS families which two of them live out-of- the village.

On behalf of all the children in the village we want to appreciate your aid and solidarity, I look forward your reply soon. We wish you a Merry Christmas in family union and success for the next year.

Virgilio Bravo
Village Director, Juigalpa