What are your goals for 2007 - 2008?

We are hoping to increase our retention rates (number of children which stay in the program) from 88% in 2006 to 95% in 2007. Our current focus is on refining processes and procedures so the program is more sustainable and reproducible – our objective is to devise a model which is easy to implement in other communities.

We want to foster even more community ownership and help the parents take a greater level of ownership for their children’s education. Our plan is to stay relatively flat in 2007 in enrollment, as we strengthen EI’s foundation. In 2008 we will identity two new communities and start working with them, with the intention of doubling our number of students enrolled.

Financially our 2007 goal is to raise enough funds to create a reserve fund for more financial stability before we increase enrollment in 2008. We would also like to hire at least two more local employees and use volunteers for less critical roles. We believe this can provide more stability for the program and heighten community ownership overall. We expect this will accelerate the development of a more skilled parental directive within the communities. We will continue to increase the number of Nicaraguan volunteers both in the community and outside.

What are some of the success stories of the graduates of the program?

Firstly, what is success to you?

I used to think that success was finishing high school and maybe even college. Over time I realized I was projecting my own values and beliefs onto these families. I realized success to these families - where on average, parents reached about 3^rd grade - is for our kids to surpass their parents by at least 2 years.

We are now pleased if they get through primary school, more pleased if they make it to high school. Currently we have two kids just about ready to go to college next year. This is a new level for us and we are looking at how to handle this and facilitate their next educational needs.

How have you traditionally found donors? What works and hasn’t worked?

For years now I have been juggling tech jobs and my many EI responsibilities. Due to lack of time, most of our donors have just appeared from interpersonal connections of mine, our volunteers or our staff. The biggest gain has been from volunteers promoting the program once they have been to Nicaragua. I can’t say what has not worked. We have been too small to experiment. It has either happened or it hasn’t. Again it’s been an organic process.

How do you keep donors?

We try to stay connected to them and keep them informed, so they feel they are really making a difference with their donations. We find our most committed donors are those who feel connected either to me personally or to the project, the children and the communities we serve. Our most loyal donors have either been exposed to this type of poverty or have been to the countries themselves.

Why are you doing this?

Because I love it. I believe education is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty as is developing the community spirit. It fills me, energizes me and makes me happy. Seeing the kids smile and in school instead of or as well as selling on the streets is wonderful. Every child deserves the chance to go to school.

What is in it for you?

Satisfaction. Joy. My payment is seeing those children go to school, them eagerly showing us their school work, seeing the shift of family values to include education as a high priority. Seeing the parents proud of their children and participating in a world they never dreamed of until EI came to them. I have to say another exciting factor has been witnessing our visitors and long term ground team volunteers become positively affected by the work and by the community. It seems we all receive more than we could possibly give to these amazing people.

Why quit a presumably good job to do this?

Actually, while I continue to try to leave the tech world, financial necessities continue to drive me back and I dream of the day where I can focus completely on my true love…Empowerment International. It will be interesting to see how far it can go when I can one day focus 150% of my time to it as opposed to only 60% now.

I am much happier doing something which makes a difference in the world and I feel educating children can affect so many of our world issues. My tech job is fun, but it has never filled my soul or made me feel satisfied. Honestly, this comes from a place beyond me… it is something I feel driven to do from a higher place and I am the vehicle that is being used to do this work. May sound esoteric by hey you asked…

~ by Janine Ramlochan