Nicaragua Initiative for Community Advancement

Crea is our education program, which offers opportunities to primary students in reading and math using ipads, android tablets, and chrome computers, audiovisual equipment and educational materials. We also teach high school students and teachers computer skills and how to use google products to facilitate more writing and critical thinking opportunities. for the high school students, we offer them opportunities to apply for economic or academic scholarships after high school to further their education.this program directly benefits 450 students each year. We provide many other benefits to the school like transportation for students and teachers, to and from school to 35 students and teachers (con sch o) each day, infrastructure repair, and sponsor events like graduations.in 2019 we implemented the english language program in partnership with keiser university (an american university base in Nicaragua), the courses take place in the Community center "the net" inaugurated in july 2019. The building construction and equipment was funded by nica funds and all the crea programs take place now in nica's Community center. The english program is divided in 2 groups and directly benefits 30 students every 15 months. In 2021 the first class from the english program completed, and 14 students went on to pursue employment or other education opportunities using their newly fluent english skills. 12 students need more instruction to complete the program to fluency. In may 2022, a new class of 30 began, the 12 from the prior cohort of students will have a chance to continue with keiser to see if they can pass the final exam.

Caracola cafe is an internet cafe that sells tacos and smoothies. We provided the start up money, and the cafe has paid it all back. The profits will help pay for the app subscription costs for the crea program and food costs for the food program. The cafe has created 6 jobs in town. The cafe has been totally self sustainable after initial start up investment was made. In 2019 the cafe moved to the Community center facilities. The net includes a kitchen facility and restaurant area for caracole cafe operations. The cafe remained closed in 2022 due to lack of demand due to the pandemic and political conflict, but will reopen and begin operating normally in 2023.

Somos el cambio program (sec) is a work program that offers Community service opportunities to teenagers and adults. This is the first program we established to address the overwhelming need of locals to meet their basic needs like food, water and shelter. This program directly benefits 750 residents each year, and indirectly benefits 2,000 residents each year and the 1000s of tourists who visit the area each year (paused during the pandemic). There was a huge litter problem, so instead of just giving out basic needs, we set up a program where locals could create conscience and care about their own Community for their needs by cleaning up litter in exchange for 78 hours of part time work cleaning streets, beaches, waterways, and the health center over 13 weeks. Once they accomplish the Community hours (con sch o) services, they receive a benefit in construction materials, food or education opportunities. Hundreds of homes have been repaired and more than a dozen have been constructed from the ground up over the years. In 2021, this program still operated in modified parameters to meet the conditions of the pandemic. In 2022, this program operated as it did before the pandemic.

The food program is a lunch program that supplements the nicaraguan government's pine program. The pine program provides basic foods to primary and kindergarten school students daily. Our food program contributes foods like fruits, vegetables, protein sources, and dairy products to the menu to ensure balanced meals daily as well as provides complete meals to high school students, parent volunteers and teachers daily in collaboration with pine. This program benefits 450 students every day. We have a garden where we grow food for the program and for sale at the school. We use it to teach kids about growing food and exposing them to new foods. We have seen high school attendance rates increase since the program was established.

To benefit the three programs listed in part iii, line 4 as well as the food program described in sch o, nica inaugurated a Community center in el transito in july 2019. The center houses 3 classrooms, nica's offices with a conference room, a restaurant, a multipurpose room to impart training or Community conference, a store to sell hand craft products locally made and local artisan works, restroom, storage rooms for our sec program, volunteer dormitories, food gardens, and independent back up power. This facility provides reading, math, and english instruction and reinforcement. The massive courtyard provides a meeting area for Community and local government meetings. This facility is a huge upgrade for our impact and work in el transito, impacting 2,200 residents. In 2022, we used the massive courtyard to continue english classes and as a distribution center for food distribution under somos el cambio.

From time to time, nica assists other communities to fund projects that are within nica's mission and comply with our reporting policies. These projects are presented and approved by the board of directors. To date, we have facilitated funding for laguna apoyo program as well as a monthly veterinarian clinic for el transito. Currently, we continue to fund projects in the laguna apoyo Community on a project-by-project basis.