Nicaragua

NPH Nicaragua

Casa Padre Wasson, our community centre in Jinotepe, Nicaragua, is located on rolling hills of picturesque farmland. NPH Nicaragua supports over 400 children and their families through family strengthening programmes. Opening in 1994, NPH Nicaragua became the third NPH branch in Central America.

NPH Nicaragua has an onsite school for children and young people from primary to secondary school. We offer scholarships to children from low-income families in the community, providing them with quality education, healthcare, food, and after-school activities. We have been able to keep our school running during the pandemic, with health precautions in place. Our on-site clinic provides medical care to our students, volunteers, staff and their families.

Young people who do well in their studies are offered scholarships to our university programme in Managua. Others are supported through technical courses such as hairdressing or trades.

An expansive greenhouse project, along with vegetable fields, help our children to learn about growing their own produce and also provides the kitchen with nutritious and fresh vegetables. Two additional properties also function as farms, providing pork, chicken and egg production and also a variety of vegetables such as peppers, tomatoes, plantains, bananas, mangos, grapefruit and other citrus.

In 2010, the Good Samaritan programme began on Ometepe Island to help children with special needs in the community. Four NPH volunteer therapists from Austria began offering physical and occupational therapy for children with disabilities who had never received care. After moving the original NPH facilities to the mainland, two volunteers stayed on the island to continue to provide services for the children and their families.

NPH Nicaragua is led by Marlon Velasquez who grew up at NPH Honduras. Marlon is committed to NPH’s mission of strengthening families and helping them to stay together.

Milestones

1994: First children arrived at home in Granada. San Marcos farm was purchased on Ometepe Island.

2003: First secondary school graduates.

2006: First university graduate.

2009: Move to new home in Jinotepe.

2010: Community therapy program began on Ometepe Island.

2011: Construction of school, workshops, multi-use hall, visitor’s home, and clinic in Jinotepe.

2012: Community assistance to families in garbage dump and other social service programs began.

2013: Greenhouse construction completed.

2019: Civil unrest in the country affects our university students and community students.

2020: Covid19 affects Nicaragua. We are able to keep our school running with health precautions in place. We start our OneFamily community programme to reintegrate the children with their biological families, while providing them ongoing support.

2022: NPH Nicaragua remains committed to serving the poor and vulnerable in the local community, providing education, nutrition and healthcare to children in need.

For current updates from NPH Nicaragua, please click here.