We have all worked hard as a team of donors, volunteers, and local staff over the last 9 years with the goal of making a true and lasting difference in impoverished lives by investing in children's education. Today I can say we are definitely seeing the fruits of our labor emerge.  The Nicaragua Press is recognizing this as well.

In December of 2007, for the first time, we had two of our students graduate from High School within our Nicaragua program. This is no small feat from the very impoverished country of Nicaragua, where only 50% of all children that enroll in first grade actually complete 6th grade.*   Now these young ladies have found sponsors who will assist them to embark on the next level of success. They will be attending the University, one studying Computer Science, the other Tourism.  In return for the support, the two young ladies have started interning with EI part-time and are both loving it. Since this has been one of my personal long-term visions, to see our successful participants become active models and mentors to other program participants,  I get chills as I write this. 

Enjoy the article and thank you all for making this dream a reality.  Little by little we all can be a part of the change in making our world a more educated, thus less impoverished place to live. 

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Hope for Students in Granada

Noel Gallegos   END - 19:44 - 07/01/2008

Lizbeth Hernandez and Margarita Arroliga are two young women who live in Villa Esperanza, a community situated to the north of of Granada. These Teenagers, like the rest of the people in this community,  find themselves in a dire financial situation.

While they have lived on the impoverished streets of this heavily populated area, they never imagined in 2008 they would be able to sit at the desks of a university in their country.

The parents of these young ladies, with limited financial resources, until not long ago could hardly pay for the high school education, and only with a huge amount of sacrifice.  However, thanks to the help offered to them by the organization Empowerment International, these two young women will be able to see their dreams become a reality.    

This program's endeavor is oriented toward the social aspect of the community and is led by North American woman, Kathy Adams.  The organization is a non governmental, non-profit, organization.  for several years, it has been dedicated to making schooling accessible to children of low income families who lack financial means in Villa Esperanza.