La Esperanza Granada is a volunteer program located in Granada, Nicaragua that focuses on childhood education. I am quick to recommend it to all who ask about my volunteer experiences. It is a relatively small organization when compared to some of the volunteer organizations out there, but I believe its advantages are numerous when compared with larger organizations (an experience I have also had). When going into a volunteer situation it is my belief that your purpose there is to give to the community with your time and your skills. You should not have to pay large up front monthly fees to a large, centralized organization who then distributes it to its office within the country you are going to.
At La Esperanza Granada you pay a small administration fee ($20) as well as your weekly rent for a volunteer house ($20/week). On top of this you pay for your own living expenses and any additional travel fees. You can live off of a very small amount of money if you are willing to eat like the locals and buy your food at the market. The bottom line is that it is affordable and reasonable. Your money stays right there in the country.
One advantage of this organization is the lack of overseas staff and focus on keeping the jobs within the community. La Esparanza hires local university students to work at the placements. These "ayudantes" are helpful and passionate people. They know the schools they work at because they are connected to the community. My ayudante lived in the same neighborhood as the school I worked in. La Esparanza helps pay their way through university, which is something that they would have difficulty doing on their own. The office staff is also mostly comprised of locals.
When you volunteer with La Esperanza, you can be sure that you will being doing useful work. The education system in Nicaragua is one that offers no individual help to children who need it. Education is only free up to grade 6. Most kids don't get any higher education. At my school you could see the decline in number of students per grade moving from 3rd to 6th grade. The surrounding neighborhood is extremely poor and their families encourage them them to get jobs as soon as they are old enough to work. This in turn, continues the cycle of poverty and makes it very hard to break out of. As a volunteer you provide one on one tutoring to kids who have been left behind. Those who are struggling with recognizing vowels in the second grade or still have no concept of the meaning of numbers in third grade. You are encouraging them when others have given up and are helping students have a shot at getting an education.
La Esperanza Granada is truely a grassroots organization. You are there to help them. Keep in mind that going into the program it is highly recommended that you have an intermediate level of spanish. If you don't you can also get affordable spanish lessons. Another cool thing about the organization is that a large portion of the volunteers are native spanish speakers as well. If you want a truely immersive experience, there are always people around you who would rather speak in spanish than english. If you are aiming for fluency in the spanish language, this is the program for you. Of course the longer you spend there, the more you will learn and the larger of an impact you will have on the community. There is no greater reward than having kids running up to you in school giving you hugs and seeing their faces light up when they see you.
Taking part in this organization has really opened my eyes. I don't take anything for granted anymore and I see the world from another perspective. Meeting local people and talking to them really helps you realize that your way of life is certainly not the only way. The people there are genuine, kind, and helpful. Although the rural areas surrounding Granada have their share of crime, you have a very reasonable level of safety. You never go to your placement alone. You are always around other volunteers. The houses are located in the city in large, safe collonial houses. As there is a pretty sizable tourism industry in Granada there is definately the infrastructure and modern conveniences comparable to at home. You will get from this experience what you decide to put in. If you come with an open mind and a sense of adventure, you will have a life changing experience.
