Unity 4 Orphans’ English as a Second Language program in Popoyo, Nicaragua is helping children living in poverty through education and holistic support.
We announced the opening of ESL classes for local children near Popoyo earlier this year. This program continues to grow and give more children the chance to rise above the difficult and often dangerous circumstances surrounding them.
Nicaraguan Team in Popoyo Teaches ESL to Vulnerable Children
What began as a dream a few years ago to open an ESL location in Popoyo, Nicaragua is now established and helping about 40 students learn to speak English. Program Director Laigthany and teacher Nellys teach kids ages 6-15 on Thursdays and Fridays at a church in a local village.
I’m working in my ministry–that is, at the same time, my job. I talk to the kids about God and tell them what He’s done in my life and how important ESL is.
–Laigthany, Nicaragua Program Director
Educators driving to Popoyo regularly overcome challenges like bad road conditions and long travel times. Despite difficult logistics, partnering with a husband and wife team from a church in the area provided a location that smoothed the way for weekly ESL classes. We aim to increase both the number of teachers and locations around an area of Nicaragua with rampant poverty and limited opportunities to escape the cycle.
Marginalized Children in Popoyo Need Access to Quality Education
Although Popoyo and its surrounding areas have expat communities that offer quality education through private schools, our ESL program is located in one of the poorest areas. Children face daily hardships such as violence in their neighborhoods, abuse and neglect in their homes, and incomplete or insufficient education at school. Through Education 4 Change and our holistic brand of educational intervention, Laigthany and her team are opening doors to change the trajectory of kids’ lives.
The students in Popoyo are becoming more confident with their English knowledge, engaging and interacting more. We do role-play exercises and begin every class with a prayer and a worship song, which they often request.
–Laigthany, Nicaragua Program Director
One of the first things program teachers do is help students overcome their shyness and lack of self-confidence. Eliza, a fifteen-year-old whose family immigrated from Cuba came to the program in Popoyo knowing no English. After less than a year, she has shown herself to be a curious, disciplined student with a brighter outlook on her future.
Answering the Call to Serve Impoverished Children in Nicaragua
As our ESL program in Popoyo approaches its first anniversary in November our priority is to hire more teachers and open more locations. With growing opportunities for solid employment through the nearby tourism industry, as well as outside of Nicaragua, speaking English expands opportunities in a country with a high unemployment rate of 30-40%.
One of our biggest prayers is that people will feel called to both Popoyo and Miramar so that we can hire more teachers. The expansion opportunities are endless as long as we have donors willing to support these programs because once the kids understand why English is so important they want to learn.
–Caitlin Snyder, Executive Director
So many children need our help to rise above the difficulties they’re born into. By developing and nurturing their hope for the future, our partners in Nicaragua are making a difference for children in locations throughout the country. Join us in transforming the lives of kids in Popoyo and beyond!