La Esperanza Granada

I volunteered here for three months (April-July 2023) and it was honestly such an amazing and life-changing experience. I felt so welcomed by all the office staff, local educators and fellow volunteers. I feel very grateful for being able to contribute to the NGO's mission, even if I was only a very small part of it. I volunteered as part of my uni Year Abroad, I study Spanish so it was really the perfect placement because I was completely immersed in the language. Nicaragua is a complex country and I was hesitant to come at first because of what I had seen on the news, but I always felt safe and well looked-after. Volunteering with La Esperanza is also great because they allow you to tailor your experience around your interests, whether that's teaching a particular subject, working with a particular age group, or working on a particular area of NGO management. I was able to spend a lot of my time volunteering in the office, where I assisted with translation, administrative tasks such as the distribution of materials to the centres, promotion and volunteer recruitment. I got to really see how the organisation functions which was super interesting. They're a really well run organisation with a really meaningful impact. The organisation also helped me find a host family, which was definitely one of the highlights of the whole experience. I really loved living with a Nicaraguan family and I had such a lovely time with them. Granada itself is beautiful, it's a city but still pretty small and its easy to get around. It's very lively with lots of bars and restaurants etc. Also it has good bus routes so you can visit other cities, volcanoes, lagoons, beaches etc on the weekends.

I have just had an amazing month here in Nicaragua. I was volunteering with La Esperanza, Granada and it has been one of the best experiences of my life. I was teaching basic English to grades 4, 5 and 6 four times a week in El Colegio Mercedes Madragón and Spanish with grade 1 students twice a week in José de la Cruz Mena and I also helped kids with computer games in La Amped 2 times a week. The kids come from all types of backgrounds but are so welcoming and always smiling. I really liked the one on one teaching with the grade 1 kids because they wanted to learn and worked so hard. I was able to help the kids improve a little during my time here and hopefully it will be of help to them in the future. I will never forget this experience and all the kids and friends I have made from all over the world.

I decided to go to Nicaragua because I wanted to do something after my studies.

After some researchers I found this program at La Esperanza Granada where you can become an an assistant for the teachers in the schools. You can participate to English classes, help at the kindergarden,... There is many ways you can help.

As student in communication, I worked at the office and I went to the computer classes 3 days/week.

This was really good to see both sides of the organisation : one more professional and one with the children.

"MUAHHHHHHH", screamed Kevin, a volunteer in our English team of four and suddenly, a non melodic, but extremely loud choir, consisting of our approximately 40 fourth class students, arose to scream with him. Not only, because we were playing "Simon says" and the game in itself is fun, but because the game allows them to be who they are, cheerful, energetic, crazy, loud and playful kids, or rather, animals. Lions being released.

"Simon says" works as follows:
A volunteer screams into the class room: "Simon says, be a lion!" or "Simon says, be a mouse!" And if the kids have learned the vocabulary of our unit, in this case, animals, they try to mimic whatever Simon told them to be and do. This way, they do not only sit in class and have to copy words from the board, which is great for disciplinary work, don't get me wrong, but not a sufficient tactic for them to actually remember the vocab. Instead, they get to study and learn whole heartedly, with their whole body and more than what you would imagine their whole voice capacity would be.

To teach English by not only being a strict teacher fighting the kids natural urge to move and play, but by finding a balance between the of course necessary discipline, but also the childish playfulness that they scream for without limits, was one of the best, most challenging, educating, frustrating, rewarding and fun experiences of my life. I would do it all over again and recommend it to whomever is interested in screaming out loud like a lion or in whispering silently like a mouse, in challenging oneself and others and in commiting to the craziness of a classroom in a developing country.

There is not only a big problem with street children in Nicaragua but due to the poverty level there is a lack of education even amongst very young children. La Esperanza Granada is a great organisation that looks at the holistic picture with regards to education. Ensuring the facilities, equipment and health of the children is developed in line with the volunteer programme, where volunteers support, tutor and teach english in primary schools.

It gives volunteers an opportunity to see and support some of the poorest children in Nicaragua and really make a difference to their future. They provide cheap housing and there is no cost to volunteer, just some dedication and hard work! The social scene is good although maybe more for the younger gap year students rather than post University and the oldies amongst us!