| Nicaragua 2008
Photographs by Lois and Don Porter and Raul Planas 3/24/2008 |
Building New Hope: Escuelita Yo Puedo and Quinta Los Chavalos
Lois has volunteered in several of the projects run here in Granada by Donna Tabor for the Building New Hope organization. One of those is already pictured -- she has read to the kids at the Yo Puedo Library, and led them in a drawing workshop. But her regular weekly volunteer work has been at two "adjunct" schools that Donna operates: Escuelita Yo Puedo and Quinta Los Chavalos. Both offer additional schooling to kids who are underprivileged and do attend public schools, but benefit greatly from the extra quality instruction they receive at the adjunct schools (taught by professional Nicaraguan teachers, paid by Building New Hope). Lois has taught Spanish children's songs to groups of kids at each of these schools, two days a week for the past two months, as part of the music program "Ritmo en los barrios" under the Building New Schools umbrella. Raul Planas is in charge of Ritmo en los Barrios; he arranged for Lois to teach the songs to the children. Donna Tabor recently won the prestigious Citizen Diplomacy award for her outstanding work here in Granada.
