Anielka did not have to brave her tremendous odds to stay with Empowerment International’s program for six years. Like so many children in the community where she grew up, Anielka could have dropped out of school and continued the life of dependency and poverty. 

But she did not give up. She worked with EI through all her life’s ups and downs. The result is a confident young girl sure of her life plans and dreams.

Anielka recently did EI, her parents, her community and herself proud by graduating from her High School. She will now attend University where she hopes to study Business Administration.

In fact, not only is she building her own future but also helping many other children with theirs. She is a tutor in EI’s after-school tutoring program where she helps her neighborhood children with their studies. And she also wins biking races as her pastime.

In his beautiful video for Empowerment International (EI), Brad Allgood, shows how a girl who considered herself “timid” is now the president of EI’s mountain biking club and the first member in her family to graduate. Anielka never expected herself to finish school, let alone dream of college. But she is well on her way.

Like she says in the video, “We do not always have solutions ourselves.” Anielka took EI’s help and is now spreading the message. As you see her confidently teaching other children and speaking about her hopes, you realize that Anielka has found her new world – one where she is a confident, expressive and without fear.

EI is proud to have a kid like her.

As we close this year on this happy note, we at Empowerment International hope that you stay with us through our journey with many such kids who fight similar or, often, worse odds to continue their education.

For the last three years Empowerment International has proudly maintained more than a 92% school retention rate. Many of our students are now in University, balancing family’s monetary burden while handling their demanding schedule in college. In fact, we are now looking forward to our first University graduate.

Wishing you all Happy Holidays and a New Year full of dreams and successes!

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In Nicaragua 50% of the kids that start 1st grade never finish 5th grade. It is our goal to make this percentage drop significantly.

$30/month is what it takes us at Empowerment International to put a child in school. If you would like to help a child stay in school and get better life, please click on the link below or contact us -

Filed under: 2011 program, barrio, education, empowerment, Graduation, Nicaragua Program ]]> http://empowermentinternational.org/2011/12/15/year-of-dreams-and-successes/feed/ 0 KathyAAdams 385162_10150454092654344_42357679343_8406431_1915043370_n Facebook:Share del.icio.us:Year of Dreams and Successes Digg it:Year of Dreams and Successes reddit:Year of Dreams and Successes Stumble it:Year of Dreams and Successes furl:Year of Dreams and Successes Bookmark and Share Donate at Change.org http://empowermentinternational.org/2011/10/07/my-camera-my-world-see-the-world-through-childrens-eyes/ http://empowermentinternational.org/2011/10/07/my-camera-my-world-see-the-world-through-childrens-eyes/#comments Thu, 06 Oct 2011 19:07:45 +0000 kathyei http://empowermentinternational.org/?p=1475 ]]> What do kids view in their daily lives? A little girl at the gate, a dilapidated doorway, a grinning old lady, a man working on a sewing machine, silhouette of a father and child.

You would be surprised at what Empowerment International’s kids see in their Nicaraguan neighborhood. Forty of some of these best and brightest photos taken by kids ranging from 11 to 19 years, have been exhibited in Denver.

These limited edition photos will be open for auction for one day only on October 8, from 6:30 PM to 10 PM. You can get the tickets here. The proceeds of the auction will directly benefit Empowerment International kids.

Kathy, EI’s founder, had noticed children’s enthusiasm for photography a few years back and since then has made several efforts to keep their spirit up. Every year, EI kids get their most cherished lessons when a photographer teaches them the intricacies of taking good pictures.

These kids now take photos that impress even professional photographers!

So do remember to view their bright photographs at Root Yoga, Denver in Mi Camera, Mi Mundo (My Camera, My World) – an exhibition and auction of photography – on October 8. You even get to meet the young photographers via Skype!

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In Nicaragua 50% of the kids that start 1st grade never finish 5th grade. It is our goal to make this percentage drop significantly.

$30/month is what it takes us at Empowerment International to put a child in school. If you would like to help a child stay in school and get better life, please click on the link below or contact us -

Filed under: 2011 program, empowerment, Exhibitions, photography ]]> http://empowermentinternational.org/2011/10/07/my-camera-my-world-see-the-world-through-childrens-eyes/feed/ 1 KathyAAdams Girl in the doorway Alicia Fox Photography Facebook:Share del.icio.us:My Camera, My World Digg it:My Camera, My World reddit:My Camera, My World Stumble it:My Camera, My World furl:My Camera, My World Bookmark and Share Donate at Change.org http://empowermentinternational.org/2011/06/21/join-the-ei-family-a-donor-and-retired-teacher-shares-his-ei-experience/ http://empowermentinternational.org/2011/06/21/join-the-ei-family-a-donor-and-retired-teacher-shares-his-ei-experience/#comments Mon, 20 Jun 2011 11:13:23 +0000 kathyei http://empowermentinternational.org/?p=1417 ]]> My third trip to Nicaragua in February 2011 felt like a homecoming. This trip, as I walked down the rutted, muddy streets of Barrio Esperanza, a poor neighborhood in Granada, I was accompanied by a group of older students from the area. My Spanish was improved enough from the year before that I could listen to them talk about what they were doing or planned to do after high school graduation.

Anyelo was a softspoken star among the graduates. He is studying to be a pharmacist, while also returning to tutor younger children in his neighborhood as a way to pay back what he has been given by Empowerment International. He and other kids like him are dedicated students whose parents or who themselves never could have envisioned a life beyond poverty before Empowerment offered them encouragement and support.

The EI model makes sense to me, a retired teacher.
Help children get to school with the required uniforms and supplies.
Work closely with their families, who often have little or no education and who rely on their children to help earn a living for the family, often at the expense of school attendance or completion beyond the elementary grades.
Provide after-school tutoring programs, conducted by both staff and some of the older students.
Engage kids in extracurricular activities that promote health and self-confidence. Connect graduates with higher education and training opportunities.

One goal of the Empowerment program has been to simply keep kids in school, and for the last two years they have been able to do that at a rate above 90%, despite the pressures of poverty and culture that pull about half of all students out of school after the primary grades in the country as a whole. I saw those pressures in the small rural schools I visited on my first trip to Nicaragua in 2005. Students there were eager to learn. But isolation, parents’ lack of education, skepticism about the value of school, and only intermittent contact with a supporting nonprofit all combined to make it difficult for children to stay in school.

EI, on the other hand, has been successful because staff live and work in the communities they serve.  Daily contact with students and families make the difference.  That was very apparent as children and parents came out to greet our group of students and EI staff members as we walked through the Barrio.

Our family’s involvement with EI started on the recommendation of a friend, Morgan Smith, in 2008.  After meeting founder, Kathy Adams, at a celebration and fund-raising event in Boulder, Colorado, we began sponsoring students in Barrio Esperanza.  For a modest monthly contribution, we were assured that these children would have the support they needed to stay in school and to develop academic and life goals.  And that has been the case.

Plus, EI has been wonderful about negotiating letter writing between us and the students we sponsor.  The icing on the cake is that I have been able to visit these children and their families twice, now.

This year, my visit really did feel like a homecoming. One of the students we sponsor, 6th grader Maria Dolores, shy but all smiles, invited me into her shanty and brought me a chair.  On the way to see her, I had passed her mother and father atop a horse drawn cart full of reed mats they make, on their way to Managua to sell them.

Maria and I had exchanged letters several times and so our conversation covered familiar topics – school and family and what she hoped for her future.  She couldn’t let me leave without a hug and a photo, many thank you’s and a promise to study hard.

A few hundred yards down the road, I stopped to visit another of our students, Katerine, a second grader, who came running from a friend’s house and latched onto my waist in a bear hug.  She couldn’t wait to show me her report card and a medal she had won in school.  The previous year just days before my visit, her mother had lost her job at a local maquiladora.  This year she was again without employment, but had been able to spend a few months working in Costa Rica. Life here is very difficult, she told me, but I know that Katerine will have better chances than I did.

EI’s programs are transforming lives in Nicaragua. My involvement with EI has helped me to understand how powerfully they represent a much-needed positive image of America-as partners in the construction of a better world. My wife and I support education-related non-profits in the U.S., but we are also committed to spending our time and talent abroad.

As travelers we know firsthand the importance of sharing our lives and stories with the people we meet. A world of strangers teeters always on the brink of misunderstanding and conflict. Even a modest effort to communicate with people beyond our own country helps us feel we can be at home anywhere.

Having seen their work firsthand I can say that Empowerment International is a trustworthy, effective organization. Even if you never have the chance to visit Nicaragua and its friendly people, you are making friends and representing your country by financially supporting EI’s work. If you are lucky enough to see that work in person, it will feel like a homecoming, not just a visit.

~ Alan Olds (Denver and DC)

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In Nicaragua 50% of the kids that start 1st grade never finish 5th grade. It is our goal to make this percentage drop significantly.

$30/month is what it takes us at Empowerment International to put a child in school. If you would like to help a child stay in school and get better life, please click on the link below or contact us -

Tobias, who is a teacher in Mühlematt-Schulhaus (Mühlematt School) in the city of Binnigen in north west Switzerland, was very impressed with EI’s work. He promised he would try to do something for EI with his class kids once he was back. And now, it’s not just his class kids but the whole school that is involved in raising funds for EI!

Till date the children have raised $962 and intend to continue doing the same. They are also sponsoring Ericka who is in 6^th grade and want to keep in touch with the kids through Skype.

Tobias started the Empowerment project by first informing all his colleagues in school and asking for their support. The response he got was super positive, thus making the project official. Next, he introduced the project to his students, showing them the pictures he had taken during his visit to Granada. He informed them about the problems EI kids faced and the possibilities they could have with better education. Their responses and questions showed real empathy and Tobias says that to see their emotions was often very overwhelming.

Each class signed a paper and the students put their signatures on it to express their personal support for this education project. Also, each class supported Tobias to build up a “Money-Meter”, which is a five-meter high construction made out of a giant plastic tube. This replaced the Christmas tree so everyone could see how much money had been collected.

In fact, so committed have the students become to EI’s cause that for the first time in school’s history, every student is working on the same project.

The money was raised through various methods like sandwich selling and sponsored running. There were also donations from individuals and the local church. For near future, the school has planned to put this charity project online on its homepage.

We are very grateful to Tobias and all the children who have been so supportive of our cause. These children have worked hard to help kids they have never met. It is amazing to see them being incredibly sensitive to the plight of kids living far away from their country. Here is hoping our Swiss connection gets even stronger!

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In Nicaragua 50% of the kids that start 1st grade never finish 5th grade. It is our goal to make this percentage drop significantly.

$30/month is what it takes us at Empowerment International to put a child in school. If you would like to help a child stay in school and get better life, please click on the link below or contact us -

So, unless a little background of him is considered, it will be tough to imagine why even at 19, he has not finished 10th grade.

Or why school proved difficult for him at times.

Or why he was rebellious and disrespectful towards his parents.

Rafael comes from a very large family – 10 members in total. Out of 7 of his siblings, 2 of the oldest are addicts. One brother is addicted to drugs and the other to alcohol. His family is very poor with his father is the only earning member.

Life, as expected, is hard. It is particularly hard for young Rafael who has easy access to the wrong crowd to hang out with and violent brothers to contend with on a daily basis. With so much stress and abuse in family, it would be easy for him to fall into his older brothers’ ways.

But, Rafael is holding his own. He has committed to not resorting to drugs for escape. He, along with 3 of his younger siblings is in the EI program. But, school was not easy for him either. His reticent behavior made it difficult for him to fit into school life. The first year of high school was very difficult.

He says “I was in the same grade as my younger sister and that year I was very defiant and rebellious. She passed the year and I did not!”

However, working with EI staff, Rafael has showed a tremendous improvement in his attitude towards education. When an EI volunteer taught math and English for 2 months, he was present every day at the center to receive classes. He is very focused in school now and rarely misses a day.

Rafael now dreams of becoming an automobile engineer. A few weeks back he had an opportunity to visit the local technical school, and he now aims to get into this  tech school next year. He is determined to make his new dream a reality.

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In Nicaragua 50% of the kids that start 1st grade never finish 5th grade. It is our goal to make this percentage drop significantly.

$30/month is what it takes us at Empowerment International to put a child in school. If you would like to help a child stay in school and get better life, please click on the link below or contact us -

In past years, he was a very shy kid and didn’t interact much with the EI staff. But last year he joined the team of teenage tutors, and because of that is more sure of himself and interacts much more with the EI team.

He has also participated much more in events in the office.  He even spoke with people in the US at the Fiesta de Esperanza over Skype!  He has participated in five photography exhibitions, some in person in Nicaragua and some international exhibitions that included his work.  This has been the biggest success in his life.  He says, “I like photography because through it I have come to know places that I didn’t know before, and have learned more about myself and how to look at the world differently.”

Melki loves going to school and is a very attentive and responsible student.  Last year he finished primary school and was given the award for being the best student.  Because of this honor, he got to carry the flag of the school!

His parents, siblings and all his family are very proud of all of the successes that he has had.  He is grateful for the chance to be a part of the EI program – “From the time I was in the first grade, (EI) has helped me very, very much.”

He has also participated much more in events in the office.  He even spoke with people in the US at the Fiesta de Esperanza over Skype!  He has participated in five photography exhibitions, some in person in Nicaragua and some international exhibitions that included his work.  This has been the biggest success in his life.  He says, “I like photography because through it I have come to know places that I didn’t know before, and have learned more about myself and how to look at the world differently.”

Melki loves going to school and is a very attentive and responsible student.  Last year he finished primary school and was given the award for being the best student.  Because of this honor, he got to carry the flag of the school!

His parents, siblings and all his family are very proud of all of the successes that he has had.  He is grateful for the chance to be a part of the EI program – “From the time I was in the first grade, (EI) has helped me very, very much.”

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In Nicaragua 50% of the kids that start 1st grade never finish 5th grade. It is our goal to make this percentage drop significantly.

$30/month is what it takes us at Empowerment International to put a child in school. If you would like to help a child stay in school and get better life, please click on the link below or contact us -

Here they share their experiences while in Nicaragua with us –

“Nicaragua is like no other country we have ever visited; the people  are warm and the landscape is beautiful, but the challenges are many.

The first thing that hit us as we drove through heavy downpour from Managua to Granada on the night of our arrival in Nicaragua, was that this was neither going to be an ordinary nor an easy experience.

Of course, as two English speaking climate and culture-shocked Canadians, we were nervous the first day as we walked to the Empowerment International office to meet the 10 children who had signed up to take a week long photography course with us.

We had thought that we were heading into the office too early that morning, but many of the children were already waiting for us there when we arrived, and they were eager to get started. They greeted us with big smiles, plenty of curiosity, and an instant desire to get involved in helping us set up in any way that they could.

They lent a hand in setting up a workroom for us and we could feel the level of excitement in the room mounting as we unpacked the new cameras that had been donated to the program by our friends and colleagues in Canada. All of the students were eager to have a chance to examine the new digital cameras they would soon have the chance to use.

Throughout the week-long course we had the opportunity to see Granada through the eyes of the students as we accompanied them to various sites around the city armed with cameras and eager to shoot. We were impressed to see the skills the students possessed, and marveled at how quickly they caught on to the new concepts we were teaching them.

All of the students shot with confidence, unafraid to try the new techniques they were learning, and the beautiful images they began to capture reflected this instantly.

As the days wore on our nerves calmed as we learned that the kids were open to learning from us although we did not share their native tongue. With help from translators (few of who were students in the program itself) we were able to share our knowledge with the students, and learn first hand
about their world.

We felt honoured by the constant enthusiasm, dedication, and patience they demonstrated while working with us, and we were blown away by the quality of work they produced during our short time together.

It became clear to us very quickly that some of the students possessed a raw talent and keen eye for photography.

This natural talent, when coupled with unbridled enthusiasm, resulted in the creation of some truly beautiful images.

We were most impressed by the eagerness the children showed both to learn as well as to teach. We were able to pass on some of our knowledge about the art and business of photography, and they were willing to open up to us to teach us about their language, culture and community.

One of the main highlights for us occurred near the end of our time in Granada when we were accompanied on a walk through the barrio by a few of the students in the program.

They invited us into their homes, introduced us to their families, fed us, and gave us a tour of their community.

We were humbled by the realities of the lives of the children we had had the opportunity to teach, and grateful for their willingness to allow us into their worlds. Seeing first hand the difficulties that these children face on a daily basis made us more fully appreciate their dedication and commitment to learning.

When it came time to say our goodbyes we couldn’t help but wish we had more time to spend with the students, as each one of them truly touched
our hearts.”

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In Nicaragua 50% of the kids that start 1st grade never finish 5th grade. It is our goal to make this percentage drop significantly.

$30/month is what it takes us at Empowerment International to put a child in school. If you would like to help a child stay in school and get better life, please click on the link below or contact us -

Even for those who remain in school, their education remains characterized by unqualified teachers, overcrowded and under supplied classrooms, and indifference.

In 2009, EI began a unique Secondary School Program, sending 19 students to a local school that offers a better learning environment.

What you have read so far is just facts and figures…. These young people have succeeded beyond every obstacle, tackling not only their own self doubt, but prejudice, poverty, drugs and violence.

Elvis, Melki, and Anielka quietly remember their old schools as filled with unqualified teachers, close friends, confusion, and bad behavior.

For Elvis, it must have seemed like an endless cycle. Poor teaching left him struggling to graduate, and with no school support, he seemed destined to be one of the many who discouraged and disillusioned, drop out.

For Melki and Anielka, both excellent students, school should have been a ticket out of poverty; instead it offered no challenges and no support. Top of their class, they were wasting their potential under uninspired teachers.

All this has changed.

Since EI has provided for them and their peers to attend a school with better educational standard, they are given new hope for a better life through a sound education. Now, they speak enthusiastically of knowledgeable teachers who care. Classrooms are filled with books, well behaved students, and positivity. Success means hard work, everyday they come to the centre to study. After all, their success is EI’s greatest reward.

Elvis, who once struggled, proudly showed his report card: 83%. Melki is at the top of his class, regularly scoring well into the high 90s. Both boys love math. For Elvis, conscious teaching and good classroom management has given him the opportunity to grasp what previously confused him. For Melki, it’s a chance to enjoy being challenged every day. With his 92%, he insists ‘it’s all logical and easy!’ Aniekla is busy preparing for this year’s end of years exam. Given orally in front of the entire class, she’s nervous but confident. After all, she’s never received a fail before and is an excellent student!

All of the students involved in the project have high hopes for the future. The strong education they are receiving will undoubtedly help them find well paying and prestigious jobs. One day, their life of poverty may, with hard work and drive, be behind them. Aviation mechanic, pediatrician, university, system engineer, vocational training, these are the new dreams for the future. Continuing at these private schools will open these doors, providing them with the tools to succeed.

Of course, under EI’s innovative tutoring program, these students aren’t just helping themselves. Every day, they come to the EI center and help others achieve, they tutor primary school kids who need help with math and Spanish. A wonderful cycle of knowledge and accomplishment is born!

This program has offered more than academic success. Popular and bright, they have all loved making new friends. Melki has grown from a timid child who was too scared to talk in class to a confident, talkative young man who excels on the school football team and earns the respect of his peers. Anielka has seen new horizons open up, and speaks happily of new friends, experiences, hopes. For her parents, who have watched her older brothers’ struggle with drug and alcohol abuse, helping her succeed has filled them with pride and hope. This, in turn, inspires her to do everything in her power to make them ever more proud.

Elvis, a talented photographer of our photography program whose photos have sold internationally, reminds us that ‘everyone learns from each other.’ This program has reached beyond these students, it has proven to all of us that with the right support, love, dedication and drive, we can all succeed, no matter what obstacles life places in our way.

- Verity Danbold

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In Nicaragua 50% of the kids that start 1st grade never finish 5th grade. It is our goal to make this percentage drop significantly.

$30/month is what it takes us at Empowerment International to put a child in school. If you would like to help a child stay in school and get better life, please click on the link below or contact us -

This is what parents of Empowerment International kids feel now.

Proud that their children are working so hard, studying so well and achieving several firsts (in education) in their families.

Happy to see their kids happy in their new hobbies like photography and baseball that inculcate creativity and discipline in them.

Content knowing that their children will unquestionably have easier lives than themselves with better education and higher self-esteems thus giving them independence. 

One mother states that she is happy every time she sees her son behave in a more loving and obedient manner. She credits EI’s programs like the photography program for these positive changes. For most parents, the fact that their kids are not roaming about aimlessly on streets or getting into destructive fights or habits is itself a source of contentment.

Another source of great pride for parents is to see their older children give tutorial classes to the younger kids. This fosters independence and a helping attitude, certain to give them strong leverage in adulthood.

The 97% retention rate that EI’s program boasted in 2009 speaks of the high level of commitment from not only the kids but also their parents who do everything in their power to keep the children in school.To further show their commitment, this year, all the EI kids and parents signed a contract pledging to work together with EI to build a better future for the community.

Now, the community itself is ready to  take ownership and manage the process. The parents always turn out in huge numbers to volunteer for any program or activity, especially the beginning of the school year preparations when uniforms , books and other supplies need to be packed for more than 200 students!

Excited. Hopeful. Honored.

This is what we at EI feel when parents respond with cheer for our program. As one parent put it, “I never thought my child would ever have such opportunities in life”.

We, in turn, are excited that change is finally taking place, hopeful that this positive momentum will continue unabated and honored that the community has accepted us with such understanding and support.

- Neha Singh

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In Nicaragua 50% of the kids that start 1st grade never finish 5th grade. It is our goal to make this percentage drop significantly.

$30/month is what it takes us at Empowerment International to put a child in school. If you would like to help a child stay in school and get better life, please click on the link below or contact us -

So he yelled.

At his friends, at his school and at his mom.

His relationship with everyone including his family members worsened with every tantrum of his. Only 11, he was already showing signs of strong rebellion.

And then he got a camera.

His life changed.

He took his camera and went out in the streets. He took pictures – scores of them - and marvelled at his shots. He loved the colors of the photos and the way everyday life got captured for posterity. He did not want to be disruptive anymore. He had a tool for creation and he was loving it.

His camera took him to places he always had hoped to go – Managua ( the capital city , 50 km from Granada), the mall, San Juna del Sur ( a beach town) and the Isletas ( little volcanic islands in the lake Nicaragua).  

His camera brought cheer in his harassed mom’s heart. He had stopped yelling. He listened more and tried to help her at home. He stopped fighting with his classmates and attended school regularly.

For Empowerment International, he is one of the most dramatic success stories.

Alexander became a part of EI’s photography program in 2007 and has never looked back since. He could borrow one of EI’s camera whenever he wanted. While in the program, he joined the photography teacher and the other students to several photography trips where he learned the importance of patience and focus. He has become empathetic, understanding and calm now.

He has learned how to take a good photo,  what are the different positions for a photo, how to use the different camera functions like zoom, long sort and how to take a close up short. He even knows how to critique a photo.

In his words, ‘Now I am better  behaved with my brothers and my mother. I help my mom by going to the market for her!’

His family, friends and EI staff are proud of him. But even more importantly, he is proud of himself. 

- Neha Singh ( Contributions by Deepa and Anielka)

Below is the slideshow of photos Alexander has taken over the years. Several of his photos have been featured and sold in exhibitions.

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In Nicaragua 50% of the kids that start 1st grade never finish 5th grade. It is our goal to make this percentage drop significantly.

$30/month is what it takes us at Empowerment International to put a child in school. If you would like to help a child stay in school and get better life, please click on the link below or contact us -