Proyecto Laguna is Making a Difference

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Since its inception in January of 2007 Proyecto Laguna has achieved the following:

• 501(c)3 non-profit status,
• Registered as an official non-governmental organization with the Nicaraguan government.
• Provided school supplies twice per school year to over 800 students.
• Provided over 600 pairs of shoes.
• Provided over 200 school uniforms.
• Provided 50 teachers with classroom supplies.
• Provided basic medical care to over 900 students.
• Worked with the schools to register them with the American Nicaraguan Foundation to receive furniture and school supplies twice per year.
• Provided furniture, such as a cabinets and bookshelves, to the schools. Furniture was made by a local carpenter.
• Provided sporting equipment to the schools.
• Installed wall mounted pencil sharpeners in every classroom.
• Provided small rewards every month to two students in each class as a form of motivation. A reward is given to the student with the best grades and the student who has put forth the best effort.
• Formed parent groups in each of the three schools that work in concert with Proyecto Laguna to set goals for the schools. Parent groups are responsible for assisting with grant applications and fundraising. They raise funds through raffles, clothing sales, food sales, and movie nights. Each parent group has a savings account and use the money they earn to assist the school with maintenance and other needs.
• Formed a cobblers co-op in Diria that makes shoes for the project.
• Formed a seamstress co-op in Diria that makes backpacks for the project. The seamstress co-op has recently started marketing handmade bags and received contracts from businesses in Managua to make reusable grocery bags, beach bags, and other types of bags.
• Received a grant from the Pangea Project in conjunction with the Living Earth Institute and installed a municipal water reservoir tank, a rain water collection tank, rain gutters, a drainage system, and repaired latrines in the Ruiz Castillo School.
• Repaired and remodeled the pre-school building at the Anne Frank School which was previously in a dangerous state of disrepair.
• Installation of new water reservoir tanks in the Anne Frank School.
• Provided potable water to two schools with no water source by paying for water and transportation by ox-cart.
• Applied for a grant to build school kitchens in two schools. The grant was approved and we are now on the waiting list for construction.
• Proyecto Laguna is currently being considered by Pangea for a second grant for $10,000 to be used to install water reservoir tanks in 5 schools and repair existing latrines.

• Received a grant from Google for advertising valued at $120,000 per year. (This is not a cash grant but we receive the equivalent from them in online advertising.)
• Provided emergency food and clothing for families in severe need.
  

• Provided medical care to several special needs cases including the following:
• CT scans and medications for a child with epilepsy,
• Orthopedic shoes and/or braces to 15 children,
• Paid for surgery and medication for a child with an intestinal blockage,
• Paid for physical therapy for several children,
• Paid for psychological counseling for children with special needs,
• Currently working to assist a child with an extra digit on each hand and foot receive plastic surgery,
• Coordinated with Operation Smile to enroll children in Diria with cleft lips and palates to receive surgery, and
• Paid for a mother with severe heart problems to receive testing and medication.
• Organized the school gardens initiative in conjunction with the Ministry of Education and the American Chamber of Commerce.
• and more!