It was a proud moment for 12 years old Alexander. A photograph taken by him was being sold for $100 – an almost unbelievably huge sum for him. But he was not the only one to see his hobby turn into a profitable venture.Mi Camera Mi Mundo

On September 27th, every single of the 50 photographs taken by EI kids were sold successfully at the exhibition “Mi Camera Mi Mundo” in Toronto.

It was an event that brought great joy to these budding photographers – all under 16 years and struggling with the juggling act of school and work. These kids are part of EI’s initiative to teach photography to its kids. Their photos were chosen after long deliberation to be shown at this event held in Edward day gallery in Toronto.

Christine Hutchings, the main organizer of the event says that she had the idea of the event on seeing the photos taken by the EI kids in an exhibition in Granada.

Through the money raised through the sale of the children’s photos exhibition she wanted EI’s kids to be helped. This would be a wonderful affirmation of EI’s principle of children helping themselves through their education.

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In October of 2007, a new community approached Empowerment International to ask for its help.  Called,  Santa Ana de Malacos, this community is a very impoverished, small and rural farming community outside of Granada in Nicaragua.

Santa Ana Community Project

The Need –

Although, Santa Ana lies only 10 Km from EI’s office, it is a world apart.  The standard of living is markedly lower in this community.  Most of the children  here do not have shoes, despite needing to cross over farm lands and giant puddles to reach school and work in the fields.

Most of the parents are illiterate and without a method of transportation.  They work as subsistence farmers, using horses to cultivate the fields, or in other manual-labor positions.  The community is serviced only by a 4WD dirt road, with no public transportation, and is frequently impassable in the rainy season. There are approximately 80 primary-school-aged children living in the Santa Ana Community. The community has a government-provided small primary school and two teachers, but does not have the financial or mentoring resources necessary to keep children in school. (more…)

Parents try very hard to ensure that their kids do not drop out of school. But what if the situation was reversed? What would a kid do if forced by his parents to drop out of school? Read on to find what happened with Felix Pedro, a 16

Drop out of school?

Drop out of school?

year old Empowerment International student, who was asked by his parents to quit school.

One May morning, Felix came crying to the EI office. He declared sadly that he had to quit school as that was what his family wanted. His parents had been putting a lot of pressure on him lately to drop out of school and to help out with the family business. He was very confused and did not know what decision to take as he really liked going to school. He was sure his parents would not change their mind and he was so distressed that he “could not contain (his) tears” (more…)

When Timothy Ryan, an avid traveler and photographer, visited Nicaragua, he was captivated.  Not only did he lose his Girl with hopeheart to the unique beauty of the land but also to the resilient courage of its people. The second poorest country in the Western hemisphere, Nicaragua, is full of amazing contrasts. It has the most heartbreakingly desperate circumstances and the most uncomplicatedly joyous people trying to make the best of the muck and mire of their lives.

Timothy, whose travel blog has been selected as one of the 10 best travel photo blogs recently, visited Nicaragua on behalf of Empowerment International last November as a photography trip. (more…)

From November 8-15, 8 participants get a chance to go to Nicaragua on an exciting tour!Traveling Nun

The tour is being organized by Susan Boe, Morgan and Julie Smith who are Santa Fe residents. Their goal is to take groups to Nicaragua to give them the opportunity to learn about the country and see programs like Empowerment International. Any “profits” that they make will go to Empowerment International and would be tax deductible to the participants.

Located between Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south, Nicaragua is about half the size of Colorado or New Mexico and has a population of roughly 5.5 million people. It is a country of striking beauty – coast lines along the Pacific that are becoming famous for surfing; a series of volcanoes, many of which can be easily hiked; beautiful colonial cities like León and Granada; natural areas full of more species of birds and trees than the entire European continent. Most important are its friendly and welcoming people. (more…)

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