'It provides school equipment for students and teachers, as well as organising a network of volunteer teachers and mentors to help pupils with their individual needs.'

Marin Piper looks at the work of grassroots organisation La Esperanza.

During the years of dictatorship under the Somoza family, education in Nicaragua was neglected in many parts of the country. Just 65% of school age children were enrolled in primary school and of those, almost a quarter dropped out during the first few years of schooling. In rural areas three quarters of the rural population were illiterate.

For this reason, one of the main objectives of the nascent Sandinista government in 1979 was to promote education and eliminate illiteracy. After five years of government, illiteracy had been halved nationally and government spending on education had almost doubled.

However, as the civil war intensified throughout the eighties, many of the initial gains were hindered and the government came under increasing criticism for its revolutionary teaching methods, seen more as a process of indoctrination rather than a progressive educational syllabus.

Throughout the 1990’s there was a process of content modification and de-politicisation of the syllabus. Classes now focus on the core themes of language, mathematics and science.

Under resourced

Generally, there is no shortage of schools throughout the country, even in rural areas; however teachers are often inadequately trained and poorly paid, whilst classrooms are overcrowded and under-resourced.

Poverty leads many families to send their children to work instead of school, as the extra income they can bring is often vital to the family’s survival.

Even when only some classes are missed in order for a child to work, children soon fall behind and inevitably end up dropping out. The illiteracy rate in 2000 was estimated by some institutions as 33.5%. (Thompson Corporation 2006)

La Esperanza is a grassroots organisation trying to improve the educational situation and develop opportunities for children in the department of Granada, in the heart of Nicaragua.

Formerly founded in 2002, the organisation works in four of the departments poorest communities, providing school equipment for students and teachers, as well as organising a network of volunteer teachers and mentors to help pupils with their individual needs.

It also promotes health awareness and when specialised medical help is needed vouchers are issued so that children can visit a doctor or dentist.

The organisation also pays the salaries of extra full time teaching staff in particularly overcrowded classes that can reach up to fifty pupils in some schools, alongside the salaries of two school nurses who focus on the nutritional needs of the children to help them develop physically and mentally.

In 2005, La Esperanza began offering sponsorship for pupils who aspired to secondary education, but due to the precarious state of their family’s economic situation did not have the support.

$150 dollars per year, for five years, pays for a student to complete his or her secondary education and for many this is money they simply do not have.

“Contrary to the pre-conceived notion that parents were not interested in the education of their children, they have been as supportive as they are able, and many wept with joy when their children were awarded sponsorships,” said La Esperanza’s Operations Manager, Pauline Jackson.

In Nicaragua, approximately 65% of the population is younger than 25. These young people understand the importance of a good education and are all too aware of the lack of opportunities they face without one.

La Esperanza, or “hope” in English, aims to continue its work well into the future. Through the hard work of its volunteers and the kind donations it receives from individuals there is certainly new hope for many aspiring young children in the department of Granada.

For more information visit www.la-esperanza-granada.org

• Christian Aid’s work in Latin America

These are personal comments and not necessarily the position of Christian Aid or its partners.

• On the ground index