From left: Daniel, Jess, Nola and Gautam. Gautam and his assistant Daniel were our video producers.
By Jess Neff
In mid-March of this year I had the opportunity to travel to Nicaragua for a week to visit with Nola and some of our current and former scholarship students. It was truly wonderful to be back in Nicaragua, seeing old friends, some of whom I hadn’t seen since I lived there 21 years ago. Many things were exactly how I remember them, and some new changes were prominent. For example, almost everyone I saw had a cell phone, and there are newer, bigger houses being built
in and around Santa Teresa, the community I lived in, paid for by people who emigrated to the United States and are sending money home.
I arrived in Managua, rented a car, and drove a few hours north to Condega where I met up with Nola. She has been working with a film director and his assistant who have been filming and interviewing Asla students, some who are just starting high school and others who graduated recently and are working. Their stories of struggle and perseverance are remarkable and inspirational. Working on our scholarship program from the U.S. leads to a certain level of disconnect from the students, so meeting them and hearing how their lives have changed for the better because of their scholarships was truly motivating for me. It reinforced the significant impact our donors are having on the lives of our students and their families. The college students and graduates feel that they can achieve anything they set their minds to, and they are motivated to continue to work hard, learn new skills and work toward the careers they want.
We interviewed 30 students and asked them about the needs they have that aren’t being met by their scholarships. Are there classes or skills they want to learn that aren’t offered in their schools? Are there any similarities amongst the students in terms of their needs or desires? Essentially, we wanted to understand if we can improve the Asla Foundation to further meet the needs of our students and provide them with even more opportunity. Once we’ve reviewed all of the interviews I’ll send a follow-upnewsletterarticle with our findings, but some key themes did emerge: many of the students we interviewed wanted to have regular access to a computer and learn how to use one better. Many of the students, even the college graduates, were only minimally familiar with how to use a computer. And, most of the students would like to learn English, as they see it as a way to find better employment and generally improve their lives.
After we wrapped up filming, I enjoyed driving south to spend a couple of days with the family I lived with when I first moved to Nicaragua in 2000 as a Peace Corps volunteer. We have remained close over the years and it was wonderful to visit with them again. But only a few of my family members still live there, as the rest have emigrated to the U.S., looking to make more money and build a better life for themselves.
Our hope is that the Asla Foundation will provide our students the opportunity to become employed in an area that is fulfilling to them and provides the financial stability to meet their needs and help them prosper. Your support of the Asla Foundation is helping to make that happen!
Jess interviewing one of our college scholarship students at a local high school library in Condega.
Children walking through the main road in the community of Santa Teresa