Mission of Hope girls receiving school supplies.
By Patricia Brick
Nicaragua is one of the Western Hemisphere’s poorest countries, with a third of the population living in poverty and 17 percent of children under 5 suffering from chronic malnutrition, according to the U.N.’s World Food Program. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic arrived here, millions of Nicaraguans lacked access to sufficient food, water, education, and medical care.
For five years, Buddhist Global Relief has partnered with the U.S.-based North Country Mission of Hope in its work to lift girls and young women in Nicaragua out of poverty. Over several years a BGR grant has been sponsoring the education of 122 girls and young women, including 12 who are attending college. Each student in the program receives tuition and/or registration fees, school books, and the government-mandated school uniform and insignia, along with shoes, socks, underwear, and bras. Additionally, each student receives biannual parasite medicine treatment, a free physical at the medical clinic located on the Mission of Hope compound in Chiquilistagua, and feminine hygiene kits as needed. Tutoring and food support are also provided for girls who need additional assistance.
As the 2019 school year came to an end, fully 93 percent of sponsored girls had either moved up to the next grade or graduated from their school or university, a number that reflects the degree to which these girls and young women embrace the opportunities they are given.
As in so many places around the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing crises. In Nicaragua, the government’s failure to take seriously the dangers of the pandemic has led to the virus becoming tragically widespread. According to Science magazine, “The Nicaraguan government’s disastrous coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) strategy has precipitated uncontrolled contagion and deaths and threatens regional security. … In contrast to recommended policies, the government has kept schools and businesses open and convenes massive public gatherings. Nicaragua’s 347 COVID-19 deaths per million people is the highest in Central America.” The WFP estimates that over 14 million people will face severe food insecurity in Central America due to the effects of the pandemic.
For people in Nicaragua, the pandemic has already been devastating. Our partner reports that as governments closed down in March as COVID spread around the world, humanitarian food aid also was halted due to fears of cross-contagion: “Every day our staff reports families banging on the gate for help. The basic essentials such as water, food, clothing, medical care, shelter, and now face masks have reached an epic level in demand. Our staff is overwhelmed by the crisis. It breaks their hearts to have to turn some people away because some of our resources are depleted until we can raise more money to assist.”
The COVID crisis has also affected education in Nicaragua. After the first cases were diagnosed in Nicaragua in May, the government compelled teachers to return to school despite the virus threat; as a result, many teachers died of COVID-19. Students who had only begun the school year, which begins in February in Nicaragua, brought work home to finish their studies at home.
For the girls and young women who are sponsored by North Country Mission of Hope, our partner writes: “Their sponsorship is literally a lifeline of survival. Without a scholarship for school, these young women would be sitting home without socialization, without food, without an opportunity for an education and in many cases without a water source.”
While they can no longer provide food onsite, North Country Mission of Hope has adapted to the pandemic by sending food rations in take-home packages.
In a video shared by our partner, Carmen Peña Moreno, the mother of a student who received tuition funding this year, said: “I am thanking Mission Esperanza [Mission of Hope] and Buddhist Global Relief for the assistance you have provided my girl who is studying hard to get ahead. I want to thank Mission Esperanza for the many wonderful opportunities you are providing and hoping that the kids know how to benefit and take advantage of these opportunities plus trust that we as parents act responsibly.”
This article is based on reporting by North Country Mission of Hope.
Patricia Brick is a staff member at BGR.
