The Minister of Education Visits Diria

On September 23 the Minister of Education visited Diria. The local educational community was very excited to receive his visit and prepared a large meeting including folkloric dance performances and presentations on the state of the education system in Diria. Teachers were given an opportunity to bring up their concerns directly to the minister; lack of latrines in some schools, a need for more classrooms, and a lack of basic supplies. The minister spoke of the literacy program that is working to eradicate illiteracy in Nicaragua and about the steps he hopes to take to improve the education system.

Donating by Check is Now Easier!

Proyecto Laguna is happy to announce a new and easy way to make donations.  Our bank in the United States, PNC, is offering a convenient way to make your tax exempt donation.  You can simply mail a check to them directly with our account information in the memo line and the amount will be deposited into our account.  When we receive confirmation that the check has cleared, you will receive a tax exemption letter to use while filing your taxes.  

This time of year is critical for fundraising so please take this opportunity to make a donation today!  We have many children that still need to be sponsored (only $100 per child, per year) so that they can have new shoes and uniforms to attend school.  All donations to the general fund go to support the school nurse and basic medical supplies, school supplies at three schools and water delivered to two schools weekly.  

To use this easy method of donating, simply send a check written to Laguna Project with our account number in the memo line, #5528164743.

Mail your donation check to:

PNC Bank

attn: Bank by Mail

PO Box 8108

Philadelphia PA 19101-8108

Thank you so much for your support!  Without all of our generous donors, we wouldn't be able to continue our important work here in Nicaragua.  If you have any questions about this donation method, please contact us anytime.  

Nicaraguans Celebrate Their Country

The last week has been full of parties and parades as it was the week of celebrating Nicaraguan Independence. The culmination of the week was on both Sunday Sept 14th, which is the anniversary of the battle of San Jacinto and Monday Sept 15th which is Independence Day. The schools had been preparing their marching bands for weeks and had a wonderful parade through Diria on Sunday.
On Friday afternoon there was a party in Diria and all of the students gathered to watch a torch, that had been touring the country, go by. The parent's group prepared juice and snacks and sold them at this party to raise funds to help maintain the school. The tamales Carla made where a smash hit and sold out in 10 seconds flat!

Proyecto Laguna Receives Grant From Google!

It is with great pride that we formally announce that Google, the internet and information powerhouse, has enthusiastically provided Proyecto Laguna with a grant to help increase awareness of our work in Nicaragua. After many, many months of communication we received the approval and notification from their organization two weeks ago. This is incredible news for us and also a sign of the impact that we are having in this area of the world.

So what does this mean for Proyecto Laguna and what is the grant for?

The grant given to us by Google is a marketing and advertising grant valued at US $120,000.00 per year. The grant is a permament grant and will be made available to Proyecto Laguna for as long as we operate in good standing within the regulations of our US 501(c)(3) status. The grant will provide advertising and marketing services from Google for increasing awareness of our programs and will help spread the word to potentially millions of people around the world. The importance of this is immense because now we have permanent "like kind" funds for an internet marketing budget, which is our greatest marketing and awareness resource.

The impact this grant will have on our work is substantial and the fact that we received this support and recognition from one of the largest, most well known and influential companies in the world reenforces the value of our work and programs here in Nicaragua. It is our hope that other companies will recognize the importance of what we do and will follow suit. So, if you are a company, business, corporation or group trying to locate a reputable foundation to support take note - Google has found unsurpassed success in making wise decisions - and they have chosen Proyecto Laguna as a foundation to support, this says great things about the value and integrity of our programs.

Thank you for your continued support and thank you Google! If you have any questions about Proyecto Laguna or would like to know how you can help please contact us.

Local Seamstresses Employed by Proyecto Laguna

Proyecto Laguna recently met with local tailors and seamstresses to get started on making 850 backpacks for the start of the new school year in January. We work with local skilled workers in order to provide employment within the community of Diriá instead of spend our money on products shipped in from other countries. With this model we are able to empower locals, provide employment, and the money we are spending stays within the community of Diriá.

Attached is a photo of our parent’s group and the 10 seamstresses and tailors who will be making our backpacks this year. They are excited for this opportunity and we have hopes that we may be able to market their skills and have them make backpacks for other organizations in Nicaragua too.

Preschool Building at Anne Frank Inaugurated

We have finished the remodel of the preschool building at the Anne Frank School. We were able to replace the rotting roof beams with longer lasting metal beams, replace the tin roof, amplify the windows, replace the doors, and build an attached office for the school directors with a storage area in the back. A group of students from the University of Washington visited last month and painted the newly remodeled building and also painted murals all over the school.

Last week the school had an inauguration party for the new school building. The children performed traditional dances and had a piñata. The parents of the kindergarteners presented Tracy Finch, founder of Proyecto Laguna, and Jennifer Schwinn, Community Development Director, with baskets of fruit to show their appreciation.

New Water Tanks Installed to Improve Access to Potable Water

Thanks to a donation from Carol Caldwell we were able to install two new water tanks at the Anne Frank School. This school currently has to buy water that is transported from 3 kilometers away by ox-cart. The old tank was broken and had several leaks. Access to potable water is integral to health and now the students of this school have improved access to this resource.