Chavalos Nica

About Nicaragua

Nicaragua is a country in Central America. Located on this Map Point map where it is labeled Granada. Granada is where our program is located. It is a beautiful colonial city on a beautiful lake and volcanos.

Nicaragua covers an area of about 50,000 square miles. it is bordered on the east by the Caribbean Sea. To the north lies a mountainous frontier with Honduras. The southern limit of Nicaragua borders Costa Rica. The west side faces the Pacific Ocean.

Nicaragua Facts

Population: 6,300,000 - one half under age of 16
Per capita income: $1300 annually, making it the second poorest country in the Western hemisphere
Birth rate: 2.5% - one third born to women under 19
Mortality rate for children under 5: 66/1000 (higher in rural areas)
Life expectancy: 69.5 years
Malnutrition among children: 40% nationally; 60-70% in rural areas
Illiteracy: 20% nationally; 60% in rural areas. Primary schools are free but many families can't afford clothes, shoes and school supplies. More than 15% of the population (800,000 children) does not attend school.
Unemployment: 60% nationally; 95% in rural areas

Why Help Education In Nicaragua?

We understand that schools and disadvantaged kids all over the world are in need of help. But schools in many countries have a more government support. In Nicaragua. the government lacks the ability and in many cases the desire to provide total funding of schools.

In more developed countries education is viewed as a basic right of all citizens, regardless of social position or socioeconomic status. In Nicaragua the philosophy is similar, but the reality is quite different. Forty years of a corrupt dictatorship and a revolution to overthrow him left Nicaragua destitute. Another ten years of defending its citizens against terrorists known as the Contras, continued to paralyze the country's ability to become economically successful. In the past decade the country has made slow improvements on the economic situation and the condition of life of its poor class, but Nicaragua continues to be among the poorest countries in the Western hemisphere.

According to the World Fact Book, 50% of the population lives in poverty, and 19% lives in extreme poverty. Statistics also indicate that nearly 70% of school-aged children in Nicaragua do not complete higher than a 4th grade education.

Education is directly related to social and economic conditions. These conditions contribute greatly to the inequities among the social classes in Nicaragua. Despite such disparity, however, many of Nicaragua's poor and disadvantaged continue to value education and show a strong desire to educate their children.

At Chavalos Nica, we believe that with our help these Nicaraguan kids can get a better education and will contribute to making their country a better place.

You can help a child who needs help.